Food

In the 1970s every bride-to-be was almost guaranteed a set of French onion soup bowls as a shower gift. This lighter version of that popular soup is my idea of a comfort food.

This ice cream uses five-spice powder, a Chinese spice mixture containing star anise, fennel seeds, Szechuan peppercorns, cloves, and cinnamon. It is available at most grocery stores.

The date and pecan crust in this dish balances the slight gaminess of the venison, which is increasingly available at specialty meat shops. Green beans and turnip make great side dishes.

Cinderella pumpkins are a bright orange heirloom variety increasingly available at farmers’ markets. If not at hand, substitute pie pumpkins or switch it up with a squash such as butternut.

Quinoa (pronounced “keen-wah”) is an ancient cereal that was eaten by the Incas centuries ago. It was so revered that they called it the “Mother Grain.” Quinoa is so high in protein (13 percent) that the United Nations classified it as a supercrop, giving this tiny nondescript grist the nutritional clout of an Olympic athlete.

Barley is a much underused heritage grain that’s just waiting to be rediscovered. This super whole grain is one of the richest sources of both soluble and insoluble fibre.

Raspberry Sorbet

This classic cream of celery is very aromatic. If you have a challenge finding celery root, you can use celery instead, but make sure to strain diligently to remove the threads.

While you can use regular bacon (or none at all) with this recipe, the flavour imparted by smoked varieties blend wonderfully well with both bison and maple whisky butter. Prepare red wine sauce and maple whisky butter ahead of time, as both will hold nicely refrigerated.

This salad is as flexible as your taste in cheese and can be varied accordingly. However, goat cheese is richly flavourful, more easily digested than traditional dairy, and widely available.

Dry ingredients:

This recipe was created for Ultimate Foods for Ultimate Health and don’t forget the chocolate! (Whitecap, 2007) but I adapted it for alive and I love this version better than the original. Peanut butter and brown rice syrup make the perfect sticky combo to keep the cereals “glued” together.

The best after-school cookie—chocolate and peanut butter.

While canned pumpkin is fine in a fix, the few simple steps to creating your own are worth the effort and add greatly to the depth of flavour.

Chanterelles provide a wonderful earthiness to the flavour of this soup, but feel free to experiment with other exotic varieties. The key is freshness.

Sea lettuce can be a bit tricky to source off the coast, but can be found in specialty stores where the edible green algae is sought after for its high protein, dietary fibre, vitamins, and minerals.

Try this dish with fresh home-baked bread and a nice crisp, dry white wine. If fresh ling cod isn’t available almost any fish—even shellfish—will make a reasonable substitute.

For outstanding performance in taste and nutrition the Oscar goes to–blueberries! These sweet, blue treats are rightfully occupying preferred status on the nutritional red carpet. For getting health-enhancing antioxidant protection in your bowl, you can’t do better than eating blueberries.

For outstanding performance in taste and nutrition the Oscar goes to–blueberries! These sweet, blue treats are rightfully occupying preferred status on the nutritional red carpet. For getting health-enhancing antioxidant protection in your bowl, you can’t do better than eating blueberries.

For outstanding performance in taste and nutrition the Oscar goes to–blueberries! These sweet, blue treats are rightfully occupying preferred status on the nutritional red carpet. For getting health-enhancing antioxidant protection in your bowl, you can’t do better than eating blueberries.

The signature drink of the Kentucky Derby, mint juleps are a great drink to serve on a summer afternoon at happy hour if the fresh mint is taking over your garden.

This smoothie is really a cross between iced green tea and a green tea milkshake. If it isn’t sweet enough for your tastebuds, add another 1 to 2 Tbsp (15 to 30 mL) agave nectar. Matcha green tea powder is the entire green tea leaf that has been ground to a very fine consistency, resulting in higher concentrations of antioxidants. It is used in the traditional Japanese tea ceremony and added to ice cream and sweets.

This refreshing, semi-tart lemonade spices it up with a hint of ginger. You may find this version a tad on the tart side if you have a sweet tooth, so make it as the recipe suggests, sample a bit, and then add extra agave if needed. Be sure to add lemon zest because it contributes important antioxidants, making this lemonade a healthier alternative to commercial products.

There is no matching the sweetness of strawberries in season but substitute any fresh berry, according to the season. The key is fresh and local.