Food

Lemony sorrel and white wine add a delicious tang to this up-styled leek and potato soup. If you can’t find sorrel, use spinach, nettle, or Swiss chard with a teaspoon of fresh lemon juice. The almond cream is optional, but it makes for a pretty presentation. Skip it if you have an allergy or low-powered blender.

These Asian-inspired salmon burgers won’t leave you missing the beef or the bun. And keep this fruity and fiery salsa in mind the next time you want to jazz up grilled chicken or taco night. Serrano pepper or chile de arbol would be good swaps for bird’s eye pepper in the salsa. You can even mix some Sriracha sauce into the burgers to further punch up the meal.

These whimsical weeknight quesadillas offer a great excuse to break out the long-forgotten waffle iron. The smoky, tangy pepper sauce is the perfect sidekick for this dish, but it’s also wonderful when tossed with pasta, stuffed into sandwiches, and slathered on burgers.

This Mexican-Mediterranean hybrid dish gleans its tempered kick from parched ancho chilies, the dried form of poblano peppers known for their smoky quality and sweet to moderate heat. It’s a fantastic saucy, and comforting, appetizer or meal on its own. Serve with crusty bread to sop up every last bit of the red sauce, or spoon over cooked grain.

A good option for both backyard barbecues and healthy snacking, this creamy dip benefits from a little spicy crunch, courtesy of quick-pickled peppers. If you want your dip to have a smoky edge, blend in a chipotle-flavoured salsa. Or forgo the salsa and, instead, blend in a couple tablespoons of tomato paste and a single canned chipotle chili pepper. Extras of the pickled peppers are an exciting topping for burgers, sandwiches, and tacos.

This brightly coloured soup for chili lovers is the perfect way to welcome back warmer weather. Looking for a little less heat? Substituting serrano pepper with jalapeno will make a slightly less spicy soup. Garnish options include pea shoots, hemp seeds, sesame seeds, sliced roasted almonds, chives, or a swirl of sour cream.

Treat yourself to a steak dinner, using tofu instead of meat. The tangy chili-spiked marinade does double-duty as a finishing sauce and transforms otherwise bland tofu into a dish that’ll sound your taste buds’ fire alarm. Bird’s eye pepper would be a good substitute for habanero if needed.

Ice cream cakes and/or cookies are everyone’s favourite. And here’s a great option for a delicious “Dad’s” cookie cake that’s gluten free! A simple-to-make cookie cake that’s made even easier when the dough is tossed together in a food processor. End a delicious Dad’s Day meal with this deliciously cool and creamy sweet dessert.

Coffee-flavoured BBQ sauce? Why not? It’s a strikingly flavourful combo—sweet, tangy, bold, and rich. It can be used not only on pork but on a variety of other meats. We marinated tenderloin in it and doubled up on the smoky flavour by grilling it on a cedar plank. Serve with a side order of grilled broccolini for extra yum.  

If there’s a vegan or vegetarian in the crowd, then this dish will be sure to please. Chock full of complementary textures and flavours, it not only qualifies as eye candy, but is also a substantial stand-alone meal—a stunning meal in a dish!

Early summer potatoes, cooked and grilled, are just the ticket for this fabulous salad. Coupled with lentils, they’re a delicious add-on to any meal plan. This recipe offers an added bonus: it can be made in stages, so you’re not cooking all afternoon.

Cedar-plank grilling is an exceptional way to cook fish without fear of overcooking. Hints of wood smoke penetrate the flesh to add depth while retaining moisture. Cod is commonly available already smoked in many stores, but it can often taste oversalted and dry. Our version suggests using fresh cod from Iceland; grilling on soaked cedar provides smoky overtones while keeping it moist and tasty. Delicious with a new-potato salad and grilled veggies.

Typical of Vietnamese fare, bánh mi is a familiar Saigon submarine-type sandwich often sold by street vendors. It’s a soft bun loaded with pickled veggies and shaved cucumber piled high onto grilled meat. We jazzed up our version with spicy kimchi and plenty of fresh crisp cucumber to balance it out.

Made from chickpea flour, chickpea pasta has a similar taste and al dente texture to regular pasta, but with a lot more dietary fibre and protein. That makes it a healthy base for this colourful vegetable-forward pasta salad with tasting notes of the sunny Mediterranean. Hummus serves as a surprising backbone to a creamy dressing.

The idea is pretty simple: start with adding a dressing to a jar and then layer on various ingredients such as crisp veggies, buttery fish, and greens. Bingo … salad in a jar that’s ready to go when you are, with not a limp green in sight. Perfect for weekday lunches and healthy quick dinners. Wild salmon or Arctic char are good stand-ins for rainbow trout.

Inspired by its creamy Italian cousin, this vegetarian take on panna cotta swaps out the cream and gelatin for coconut milk and agar agar. Odourless and tasteless, agar-agar is a plant-based thickener derived from seaweed. It’s also a wonderful source of iron, fibre, and magnesium.

This happy jumble of vegetables is not only beautiful to look at but also scrumptious. Try to use a rainbow of different colours for the most striking salad presentation.

In ancient China, black rice was called “forbidden rice” because only nobles were allowed to eat it. Luckily, today we mere mortals can harness its salad-perfect, slightly sweet, and nutty taste. Bright and fresh, this salad isn’t only flavourful with a winning mix of textures; it’s packed with nutrients, too.

Salmon and spinach are the nutritional stars of this dish. Salmon provides an impressive array of nutrients, including omega-3 fatty acids, protein, and B vitamins. These help reduce inflammation and aid in bone and muscle health, as well as promote proper heart and brain function. Spinach is a great source of insoluble fibre and, thanks to a plant compound called lutein, may help boost your eye health.

The beauty of this recipe is that it’s greater than the sum of its parts. It just goes to show that thoughtful and (dare I suggest) fancy fare doesn’t need to be complicated. The pea pesto garnish will make more than you need, but it’s a delicious accompaniment to almost any meal and keeps well for up to a week when refrigerated in an airtight container.

Nothing against romaine, but you’ve never met a better, brighter riff on the classic Caesar than with this raw broccoli and kale twist. They can stand up to the creamy dressing, so there’s no reason you can’t make this crowd-pleaser well in advance. Dare we say the salad gets better with time—the dressing will continue to tenderize the leaves without turning them soggy. Lacinato (dinosaur) kale is better suited for this salad than tougher and more fibrous curly kale, but the latter will work in a pinch. Crispy chunks of seeds offer an upgrade to croutons.

This refreshing drink is just the ticket to start off your Mother’s Day meal. Fennel has properties that may help improve digestion, and raspberries are an excellent source of vitamin C and antioxidants. This tasty beverage can easily be turned into more of a libation by adding a shot of gin or vodka.