Food

Lime, vanilla, and soothing honey turn Greek yogurt into a special occasion-worthy dessert. This treat is akin to a fruit-topped no-bake cheesecake, but comes together so much faster.

A friendly side dish, but with its unexpected sparkle, you’ll be tempted to put it into regular dinner rotation. Resist the urge to stir the green beans often—that’s the key to getting a nice amount of char.

Who doesn’t love a one-dish dinner? This family favourite featuring crowd-pleasing chicken and potatoes gets a lift from lemon—in the oven and in the yogurt sauce—briny olives, garlic, and onion. This weekday wonder can be enjoyed as is or with a simple side salad.

This frittata seems complex, yet it has a decided simplicity that makes for an exciting meal even on a busy weeknight. Whether store-bought or foraged from your lawn or local park, dandelion greens lend pesto a pleasant earthy bitterness. Spring arugula would serve well as a green substitution. Smoked salmon is a good stand-in for trout, or you can use previously cooked fresh trout or salmon.

Chilled noodles are the base of this nourishing, detox-friendly bowl loaded with good-for-you greens and a creamy tahini-orange dressing. Build your bowl in a container for lunch to go, dressing right before you plan to enjoy.

These saucy noodles will bring a fiery kick to your spring menu and show that delicious plant-based eating can spill over into different cuisines of the world. Dandelion greens or tender spring spinach are good stand-ins for watercress. Place the bottle of chili sauce on the table for anyone who wants to really bring the heat.

A riot of textures and flavours, this salad offers something new in every bite. Crunchy fennel, bitter radicchio, and spicy arugula partner with tart grapefruit, rich in skin-supportive vitamin C. And don’t forget creamy avocado, chock full of healthy fats for skin radiance.

As one of spring’s first crops, peppery arugula signals that longer, sweeter, more colourful days are afoot. It serves as an anchor to this virtuous salad that makes you feel younger with each forkful. When roasted, radishes transform from pungent to surprisingly sweet.

Juicy berries and rhubarb pair with toasty oats and almonds for a beauty-giving beginning to your day, with skin-loving vitamins C and E, as well as detoxifying fibre. A one-dish solution to busy mornings, it’s fruit and granola in a single delicious bake. To serve, a scoop of your favourite yogurt or splash of kefir would take this to the next level.

A spread of vibrant pea hummus adds an extra layer of nuance to these lunch wraps—a great way to breathe new life into your sandwich routine. If desired, sorrel or basil can replace the mint in the hummus. And if you want to go plant only, slices of smoked/baked tofu are a good stand-in for chicken. Go ahead and use leftovers of the hummus as a dip or a spread for other sandwiches.

In Italian parlance, the word minestrone means “big soup.” This recipe certainly fits the bill with a hearty spring vegetable-and-bean soup that delivers big-time flavour and nutrition. If available, fiddleheads can be used instead of asparagus.

This moist plant-based cake, featuring flavours of orange and thyme, is punctuated by tart cranberries. Cranberries have long been known as a superfood with many health benefits, but in recent research cranberries have demonstrated an association with lower blood pressure, better cholesterol profiles, and with the management of other cardiovascular risk factors such as a high body mass index (BMI).

This cake is sure to make an impression. The unique pairing of rich and fudgy chocolate cake flavoured with rosemary and crowned with billowy tufts of lemon frosting will make it a standout ending to any meal.

The cornerstone of Mexican cuisine and famously complex, mole sauce typically takes days to prepare. This recipe cuts down on the prep and cooking time significantly, yet still yields a deeply flavourful, chocolate-kissed sauce that perfectly complements roasted butternut squash, earthy black beans, and zesty pickled onion.

This dish feels fancy but is a cinch to put together. A sweet sauce of frozen cherries with a splash of heart-healthy red wine brings a touch of luxury to a simply cooked lean pork tenderloin. Cherries, packed with vitamin C and polyphenols, have been shown to have effects on heart health, including reduced oxidative stress, inflammation, and blood pressure levels.

Vitamin C-rich piquillo peppers do double duty in this dish. Their triangular shape makes them perfect for stuffing with a tasty tuna filling, and they also make for a scrumptious sauce when paired with hazelnuts and garlic. A small amount of honey helps to balance out the smoky flavour. When paired with a salad, this dish easily serves two as a main meal, but it will stretch to a few more as part of a tapas-style meal.

In the world of food pairings, cheese with chocolate probably isn’t the first one that comes to mind. These fancy-looking lollipops have maximum wow factor for very little effort. One of the cornerstones of this recipe is the best-available ingredients to ensure the tastiest results. Try these lollipops as a fun hors d’oeuvre with a glass of full-bodied red wine or as a dessert.

Coriander- and cumin-seasoned winter root vegetables get a burst of juicy fresh flavour with a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds, packed with vitamins C and K. A bright burst of chopped cilantro finishes off this earthy dish. Double the recipe to serve a few more.

Warming spices and chocolate transform this tomato soup into a memorable meal.

Cooked tomatoes are an excellent source of the powerful antioxidant lycopene. This simple yet luxurious dish is based on a dish from the south of Spain, similar to a North African shakshuka. The recipe draws on Spanish paprika and roasted red pepper for its smoky flavour. It’s a satisfying meal, equally at home on the dinner table as on the breakfast bar.

Licorice-flavoured fennel, tart apple, and a hint of pleasant bitterness from radicchio combines with a touch of sweet dressing for a refreshingly delicious salad. Fennel contains a number of vitamins and minerals known to be involved in digestion, including vitamin C, manganese, and niacin which helps transform the food you eat into energy. Apple adds sweet crunch and all-important fibre.

Adding farro, with its nutty bite, is a delicious and convenient way to increase your soup’s fibre and nutritional value. This hearty soup is the perfect remedy to a cold January day. Lemon and chervil add a bright contrast to the fibre-packed earthy flavours.

Oven-roasted delicata squash makes a crispy treat atop this green salad. As its name suggests, this squash has a thin, delicate skin that’s tasty when cooked. Pomegranate molasses, an ingredient common in Lebanese and Middle-Eastern cuisine, brings a sweet and sour flavour to the dressing.

Look for whole grain farro, which leaves the germ and bran intact, for this satisfying porridge that’s sure to kickstart your day. While the cooking time is longer than for pearled or semi-pearled varieties, you’ll get more nutrition. Take the time to enjoy the delicate scent of cardamom and ginger wafting through your kitchen as you prepare this.