Food

The brilliant orange of sweet potatoes blended with black beans and Indian spices create a perfect warming dish for January. But its tremendous eye appeal provides more than just looks. The flavour and nutritional benefits contribute a wealth of antioxidants that will protect your body from chronic disease. Any bean’ll do  We used black beans for a visual punch, but any bean, lentil, or legume will make a great substitute. And if dried beans are your preference, soak overnight, drain, and cook in a large saucepan with enough water to cover by 3 in (8 cm). Then add to cooked potato.   

Filling up on green foods is an excellent way to boost your immunity. In our soup that’s chock full of brilliant antioxidant-loaded vegetables and nutrients, a hit of fiery cayenne is just the ticket to warm you from the inside out. Super for flu season. Easy to sip if you’re feeling congested and under the weather. Plus, it’s easy to digest. Trouble finding coconut aminos or nectar?  Substitute with low-sodium tamari sauce or a hit of miso for that umami-enhanced flavour. Meal-in-a-bowl  If you’re longing to make this soup a meal in a bowl, add some diced firm tofu along with cooked rice or barley. Or stir in some cannellini beans for additional satisfaction.  

Poke is a traditional native Hawaiian dish that dates back to when ancient Hawaiians feasted on freshly caught fish after massaging it with sea salt, seaweed, and crushed kukui nuts. Today’s versions tend to be influenced by Asian cuisine, with ingredients that are marinated and served over a bed of warm rice. In this bowl, we’re going to replace the fish with tofu and veggies—which is not traditional but is healthy and delicious—and flavor with teriyaki. You could also buy some nori seaweed and have fun wrapping these ingredients into hand rolls.

This colorful winter salad is a delicious stand-alone dish or can compliment any menu.

The sunflower seeds and citrus in this delicious bread recipe are both excellent for immune health. Couple them with oats, and you get one satisfying breakfast loaf. Serve with apple butter and assorted fruits or with a dairy-free cheese substitute topped with crisp greens and fresh papaya

Brilliant orange sweet potatoes blended with black beans and spices create a perfect warming dish for January. But this dish provides more than just eye appeal. It’s got a wealth of antioxidants to protect your body from chronic disease.

This hearty plant-based casserole dish is a crowd-pleaser in my house. This is comfort food of the healthy variety, with protein-packed lentils and plenty of fiber and flavor. Oh, and who doesn’t love a one-dish recipe for quick cleanup?  

There is no better way to get kids to eat than by getting them involved in making their own food. This kid-friendly hors d’oeuvre will even have adults getting in on the fun and building their own masterpiece. The vegetables and proteins you serve are totally up to you, although it’s nice to have a range of colours and textures. Different-coloured peppers, carrot coins, thawed frozen peas or corn, diced cucumber, cubes of tofu, chicken, or shrimp are all great options. These fun noodle baskets can easily become a gluten-free nosh by simply substituting in gluten-free pasta.  

Meatballs at a party are always a hit, and these hors d’oeuvres are sure to disappear fast. The eggplant in these vegetarian delights add the “meatiness” reminiscent of their more traditional cousins. These meatballs are too good to limit to using just as an hors d’oeuvre. Try them for dinner over egg noodles or cauliflower rice.  

These savoury gluten-free cookies will be the unexpected hit of your holiday gathering. Make sure to source sweet rice flour for this recipe. This type of rice flour is ground from short-grain glutinous rice and, although it’s called “sweet,” it has a mild, almost milky flavour that’s not at all sugary. Sometimes you’ll find this flour labelled as “mochiko.” The sky is the limit for fillings in these savoury cookies. Other great options include olive tapenade, pesto, or hot red pepper jelly with blue cheese.  

Just one bite is all you need to realize this unassuming hors d’oeuvre is so much more than the sum of its parts. It’s sure to become a go-to in your appetizer repertoire since it’s simple and also quick to put together. Because there are few ingredients, it’s important to source the best quality possible to ensure the tastiest results. These “tacos” can become an effortless vegan appetizer by filling the beet slices with a teaspoon or two of your favourite store-bought vegan nut paté instead of the crab filling.  

The tantalizing bits of crystallized ginger in this dough-topped fruit dessert add a little excitement to a holiday classic. The lower sugar content finds the right balance between sweet and tangy. And thanks to a bag of frozen fruit, the dish comes together quickly.   Frozen pointers  Look for mixed bags of blueberries, raspberries, strawberries, blackberries, or cherries, or use any frozen fruit or combination that you like, from peaches to cubed mangoes. The best part is that the fruit doubles as an icepack in your cooler on the way to your destination (store the cooler in the trunk if it’s not hard-sided or if it tends to leak). Don’t worry if the fruit thaws by the time you arrive. Just store it in the fridge rather than refreezing it. It will keep for about three days and will still be delicious. Chopping crystallized ginger can become a sticky situation. If your knife just isn’t “cutting it,” try using scissors.  

There’s nothing like a buttery red wine sauce to evoke the feeling of chalet comfort. This version reduces the butter and honey so there’s just enough to balance the acidity in the wine. If you can’t find venison, replace it with another lean cut of meat such as beef tenderloin or sirloin, bison, or elk.  

This warm and satisfying dish pays homage to slow-cooked North African tagines, but comes together in no time, combining sweet apricots with savoury and tender vegetables, legumes, and chicken. As with the black quinoa and lentil pilaf, the spices can be premixed at home if you’re heading out of town, making for efficient packing without sacrificing flavour. Using a fresh lemon (which doesn’t need to be refrigerated) also means you won’t need to lug a bottle of lemon juice along. Feel free to add other vegetables such as sweet potato, squash, parsnips, turnip, or cauliflower, or swap in dried figs, dates, or prunes for apricots. Any type of olives will work––e.g. green, purple, or black––and though you don’t need an entire jar for the recipe, you can serve the rest as an appetizer or snack. You can use dried chickpeas, soaked overnight, drained, and simmered in water until tender, or you can use canned, which saves time. Be sure to drain and rinse canned chickpeas thoroughly in water before using to significantly reduce the sodium content.  

Pilaf is a term liberally used to simply mean “grains cooked in broth.” There are usually onions, garlic, and spices involved, and the grains are often sautéed in butter or oil before being simmered in the liquid. This getaway-friendly version calls for dried spices instead of fresh, which you can combine in advance to save space in your bags and time in your cooking. Feel free, though, to add fresh diced onions, garlic, or other vegetables if you prefer. Toasting tips  To toast sunflower seeds, in small saucepan or skillet, heat seeds over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and aromatic. Remove seeds immediately from the pan so they don’t burn. Many variations for ultimate flexibility  Don’t be afraid of the long ingredient list. You can skip pretty much any of the spices––except the salt––or replace them with others that you have on hand, such as parsley, thyme, or paprika. You can also use white or tri-coloured quinoa instead of black; the dark colour gives the dish a more dramatic visual effect.  

This lightened-up version of the comforting Italian dish calls for wild mushrooms instead of heaps of cream, butter, and cheese. The mushrooms add a gourmet touch without extra weight for your holiday packing or your waistline. Whichever mushrooms and herbs you use, the trick to exceptional risotto is to stir slowly and continuously after each addition of broth, which helps release the starch and gives the dish its creamy nature, with or without cheese. Mushroom miscellany Look for dried chanterelles or morels, or blends that include more budget-friendly porcini or oyster mushrooms. Feel free to add fresh wild or cultivated mushrooms—even sliced button mushrooms are a toothsome treat, though fresh chanterelles would be wonderfully indulgent. Simply sauté them in olive oil, sprinkle them with salt and minced tarragon, cook gently for 5 to 8 minutes, until tender, and serve on top of risotto. Broth pointers  Homemade vegetable or chicken broth is best since the broth is one of the strongest flavours in this dish, but you can also use commercial vegetable broth or quality bouillon cubes or powder. The soaking liquid of the dried mushrooms is essentially a quick mushroom broth, which reduces the amount of additional broth required. And, if you want to travel extra light, use dried herbs instead of fresh. If the rice isn’t tender after 20 minutes, increase the heat slightly. If you’re running out of broth, the heat is too high. But don’t worry, you can add a little extra water or wine to stretch the remaining broth if needed.

In this dessert, tangy raspberries are blended with avocado into a luxuriously refreshing mousse. The result is a treat that’s packed with heart-healthy fats and blood sugar-stabilizing nutrients. Whenever possible, make it with organic ingredients

For many, nothing is more comforting than the smell of garlicky baked pasta. In this version, cheese is replaced with high-protein tofu and fiber-rich white beans, working to keep those energy levels stable without skimping out on that trademark “cheesy” taste

Much like its fellow cruciferous relatives, such as Brussels sprouts, bok choy, and kale, cauliflower is a great source of antioxidants; 1 cup packs 75 percent of the recommended daily intake of immune-supportive vitamin C.

Fettuccine noodles laced with Parmesan and butter have been a fixture in Italian cuisine since 1914. Over the years, this dish became popular in America and increasingly rich with the addition of cream and eggs. Today, there’s a reversal stirring as people search for plant alternatives to rich, creamy dishes without compromising flavor. Enter this dish! The silky-smooth tofu sauce coupled with garlic and cashew cheese is a delicious vegan alternative with the rich essence of traditional alfredo pasta.

Mixed with dairy-free yogurt and berries, this homemade, maple-infused granola makes for a knockout breakfast.