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Tie-Dye Tropical Turmeric Chia Parfait

These are a perfect meal prep addition to your sunny mornings or even a tasty treat that will keep you glowing! Packed with colourful flavonoids and anti-inflammatory compounds, this tropical gem is sure to make you shine all season long.

Bonus tip

For turmeric lovers, sprinkle a little more turmeric in between the layers.

Salmon Shakshuka

Buttery salmon replaces eggs in this version of the tomatoey North African dish shakshuka. It’s the ultimate one-pan meal. Serve with crusty bread or flatbread to soak up the deeply flavoured sauce. And this is one of the rare seafood dishes that can be served as leftovers. The flavour of the sauce becomes even more complex, and it works to keep the salmon moist. Simply reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat.

Cherry Ricotta Tart

A tender crust, creamy ricotta spread, and a bright sweet-tart cherry sauce make this dessert something special to share with loved ones. If desired, ricotta can be replaced with Greek yogurt, cream cheese, or even Middle Eastern labneh.

Tool of the trade

Springform pans feature a removable bottom and adjustable sides meant to diminish the risk of damaging the bottoms and sides of items such as tarts and cakes when removing them from the pan.

Granola Raspberry Chia Pudding

Tangy and deliciously thick with a finishing crunch, this make-ahead breakfast is a great way to break out of a cereal rut. It’s also a tasty way to recover after a hard workout. The raspberries and chia seeds team up to deliver a payload of fibre to keep you satiated all morning long. If desired, raspberries can be replaced with strawberries, muesli can stand in for granola, and the pistachios can be swapped out for almonds.

Ice picks

When berries are out of season locally, consider reaching for bags of frozen red fruit including raspberries, strawberries, and cherries. They are frozen quickly after harvest to lock in flavour and nutrition, and are often much less expensive by weight than their fresh imported counterparts.

Quinoa Kale Frittata

This frittata is a celebration of heirloom varieties of quinoa and kale that show their blush. And the lively red sauce assures that this meatless main is a dish you’ll want to place on regular rotation in your kitchen. Serve leftovers at room temperature or warm in the microwave at medium power.

Pan handling

When it comes to making frittatas, a well seasoned cast-iron skillet that can effortlessly go from stovetop to oven is up to the job. It also makes frittatas with nicely browned edges. (Read: yum!)

Borscht

A culinary gift from Ukraine, borscht is a veggie-laden, hearty, warming soup that is coloured perfectly for the season. This version adds chickpeas to make each spoonful even more substantial and has a punchy yogurt sauce for a finishing touch. We’d dare say that the soup tastes even better after a day or two, which is great news, since this recipe makes a big pot of nutritional goodness.

Preserved Lemon and Roasted Red Pepper Savoury Yogurt

This savoury yogurt goes as beautifully with the Dutch Baby (recipe here) as it does with toast, warm flatbread, or pita. Choose organic yogurt, which is slightly higher in omega-3s than nonorganic, for the greatest heart-health benefits. Make it a meal by doubling the recipe and adding a poached egg or two on top.

Sleep-in option

Make the savoury yogurt base up to 1 day in advance. Give it a stir before serving, plating, and garnishing with your toppings.

Rose, Cardamom, and Hibiscus Kefir

This blushing beverage is even easier to pull off than a smoothie, and just as pretty. The creamy base is made with kefir, a probiotic-packed beverage that takes on flavours strong and subtle, such as the rose, cardamom, and hibiscus here.

Sleep-in option

Keep pink kefir mixture in its jar in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. When you’re ready to serve, shake well, strain into glasses, and garnish with rose petals, if using.

Dutch Baby with Confit Tomatoes and Spinach

This Yorkshire pudding-inspired puffed pancake offers an impressive soufflé moment right out of the oven and when settled, so you can still show off your skills when it’s time to serve. Instead of sweet toppings, an umami-rich, heart-healthy olive oil, tomato, and garlic confit (fancy and so easy), spinach, basil, and nigella seeds (commonly used to decorate naan, they’re located in the spice aisle of many grocery and bulk food stores) are snuggled into the fallen centre of the Dutch baby for a ravishing in red (and green) main. Serve this with the Savoury Yogurt (recipe here) for the perfect pairing.

Sleep-in option

The confit tomatoes and Dutch baby batter can be made a day in advance. Warm the tomatoes and bake the Dutch baby batter when you’re ready to enjoy.

Berry Chia Jam Bostock

Bostock is a French pastry similar in flavour to an almond croissant, but as simple to make as French toast. A few nontraditional swaps, such as chia seeds (which nourish the heart with anti-inflammatory omega-3s) and berries instead of traditional jam or syrup, gluten-free or sourdough bread instead of brioche, and maple syrup instead of confectioner’s sugar in the almond cream topping offer a healthier bostock with the same amazing flavour.

Sleep-in option

Freeze baked and cooled bostock (without coconut flour) airtight for up to one month. Reheat on parchment-lined baking sheet in 325 F (160 C) oven until warmed through, about 10 to 15 minutes. Dust with coconut flour and serve warm.

Spiced Ruby Red Grapefruit Salad

Give retro broiled grapefruit the morning off and make a robust citrus salad instead. Ginger, lime, and black pepper perk up sweet-sour-bitter pink grapefruit segments for a sophisticated side for breakfast in bed. The best part: this recipe’s core ingredient is ultra heart-healthy. Women who eat grapefruit as part of a healthy diet may see higher HDL (good) cholesterol, as well as lower triglycerides and C-reactive protein.

Sleep-in option

Segment grapefruit up to 1 day in advance and store airtight in refrigerator, in its juices. Dress with spices right before serving.

Maple Skillet Granola

This skillet granola comes together in a flash and is the perfect breakfast to start your day. But why stop there? Try it as a topping on your salad, sprinkle it over ice cream, or just snack on it out of hand.

Tip

Make this granola recipe your own by switching out any of the nuts or seeds for what you have on hand. You can even make it paleo by replacing oats with 1 cup (250 mL) sliced almonds and 1 cup (250 mL) coconut flakes.

Maple Turmeric Tonic

This sunny tonic is sure to brighten your day. One of the elements that gives this drink its sunny hue is turmeric. While it is well understood that curcumin, a compound in turmeric, has significant anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects, unfortunately, it is poorly absorbed into our bloodstreams. To increase absorption, it is recommended to consume piperine, a substance commonly found in black pepper.

Tip

Instead of carrot, grate a small red beet into your tonic for a pretty-in-pink sipping experience.

Maple Roasted Beet Salad

While this may seem like just another simple salad, I assure you that the combination of warm beets, creamy avocado, and zippy grapefruit will have you coming back for seconds. Maple syrup does double duty in this recipe as a glaze for the beets and as a balancing sweet element in the vinaigrette.

Tips

For a more substantial meal, serve this alongside a piece of pan-seared salmon or tofu.
Za’atar is an eastern Mediterranean seasoning blend used for everything from grilling to garnishing. There are many variations of za’atar, but a few key components are thyme, sesame seeds, sumac, and sea salt.

Maple Chipotle Chicken Fajitas

This is the perfect weeknight family meal as it allows everyone to assemble their own fajita just the way they like it. Boneless, skinless chicken thighs cook up nice and juicy under the broiler, but feel free to substitute butterflied chicken breasts if you prefer.

Tip

Make up a double batch of the maple chipotle sauce and use leftovers to brush on baked tofu or tempeh, drizzle over seared fish, or toss into sautéed vegetables.

Maple Seared Scallops with Green Buckwheat Risotto

This show-stopping dish is just as much a treat for the eyes as it is for the palate. The vivid green “risotto” is grain free thanks to the use of buckwheat. Buckwheat is actually a seed and a very good source of plant-based protein.

Tip

You can easily make this recipe vegan by substituting scallops for king oyster mushrooms cut into 1 in (2.5 cm) thick rounds.

Maple Syrup Ice Cream

Simple and delicious, this easy-to-prepare ice cream makes a wonderfully delicious dessert that allows our star ingredient, maple syrup, to shine.

Maple Syrup and Miso Black Cod with Fried Rice

Buttery, sumptuous, and full of omega-3 fatty acids, black cod (also known as sablefish) is healthy, rich, and full of flavour. Here, prepared with maple syrup, sake, and mirin, black cod is taken to the next level.

Did you know?

Black cod is also known as sablefish and is a forgiving choice for novice cooks due to its high fat content. It can be grilled, poached, smoked, roasted, or slow-cooked.

Butternut Squash and Apple Soup with Maple Syrup and Chili Oil

Warming and satisfying, this delicious soup combines the nutty flavour of squash with the tangy sweetness of apples and maple syrup for a comforting combination of sweet and savoury.

Tip

For a sweeter soup, increase apple content; for a more savoury soup, increase amount of squash. Soup can be made up to three days ahead of time and stored in refrigerator. Heat before serving.

Cream Soda Parfait with Banana, Cantaloupe, and Vanilla Bean

This treat works for all diets, but it will only be as sweet as the fruit you use, so choose fully ripe and preferably organic fruit. You can add more banana for sweetness, except on a low-FODMAP diet where only half a banana per serving is recommended—use the juice of half a sweet navel orange for added sweetness. If your cantaloupe is too sweet (you get used to less sweet food on these diets), add more lemon juice.

Tip

Your banana should be ripe or slightly overripe, since underripe bananas aren’t permitted on SCD, AIP, and GAPS diets because of the high starch content. As bananas ripen, their starch transforms into sugar and they lose their astringency (the feeling of having peanut butter stuck to the roof of your mouth). Overripe bananas, however, are high in fructose and not low-FODMAP friendly, although they’re fine on the other diets. You can freeze bananas at the perfect ripeness and remove from the freezer 15 minutes before making this parfait, as with the cantaloupe— this will have the added benefit of creating a creamier texture.

Indian Eggplant and Tomatoes with Fennel and Cumin

Fennel seed and cumin add explosions of flavour for an Indian version of a lightened-up French ratatouille without the onions. Broiling the eggplant reduces the amount of oil needed to give the eggplant a soft interior while keeping the exterior firm enough to prevent it from falling apart.

Tip

If you can’t find black cumin seeds (also called nigella seeds), use 2 tsp (10 mL) regular cumin seeds instead.

Thai Green Curry with Chicken or Chickpeas and Oyster Mushrooms

Diet alterations

Vegan-friendly SCD: Omit chicken and replace with more oyster mushrooms or young jackfruit. Low-FODMAP: Use less than 1/3 cup (80 mL) squash per person and yellow zucchini or summer squash instead of green winter zucchini, or use less than 1/3 cup (80 mL) of the green version per person. Vegetarians and vegans following a low-FODMAP diet can add a drained and rinsed can of chickpeas. AIP: Omit cumin, coriander seeds, and hot peppers; replace with 1/2 cup (125 mL) more chopped cilantro stems and a pinch of asafetida powder. GAPS: Omit squash.

Roasted Cauliflower Salad with Toasted Almonds and Ginger-Turmeric Vinaigrette

While the GAPS diet doesn’t recommend combining fruit with other foods, a cup of halved grapes (either raw or roasted with the cauliflower) adds a comfortingly sweet and juicy touch that goes a long way toward balancing the lemony vinaigrette. Use as much nose-tickling ginger and anti-inflammatory turmeric as you like.

Diet alterations

Low-FODMAP: Replace roasted cauliflower with cooked quinoa and let it cool slightly before adding quinoa to remaining ingredients, along with fresh tarragon and oregano. AIP: Replace nuts and peppers with shredded orange or purple beets and 1/2 cup (125 mL) unpasteurized sauerkraut.

Soft and Chewy Chocolate Chip Cookies

These cookies are a favourite of grown-ups and kids alike, especially in my home! I love these cookies because I always have the ingredients on hand to make them. Plus, since they’re so easy to make, they’re a great way to get my daughter involved in the cooking. They taste just as yummy with raisins if you don’t want the refined sugar in chocolate chips.