Food

This creamy avocado pasta salad is a favourite for lunches in my home or for quick and easy dinners. It’s packed with flavour, and it’s both creamy and crunchy. If you plan on making this for the whole family, just double the recipe.

Tip

This soup is the perfect tool to get your kids to eat a variety of vegetables, because it’s chock full of so many of them. The combination together provides an earthy, yet not overpowering flavour. You’ll feel good knowing your kids are getting a megadose of vitamins and minerals essential to ward off the common cold and flu, and fibre for a healthy digestive system. If you don’t have butternut squash on hand just swap in sweet potato instead.

Tip

Plenty of yum here! Enjoy a delicious vegan loaf that will satisfy even the most dedicated meat eaters in the group. The texture coupled with a combination of smoky flavours, apple and lemon, gives it a delicious fulfilling note that’s perfect for all taste buds. Enjoy it with a drizzle of creamy mustard sauce and a side order of slaw.

Tip

The flavour is in the dice. The smaller the dice, the more exacting the flavour. In this tasty concoction, the gentle sautéing of the finely diced vegetables, also known as soffritto, coupled with a splash of white wine and fresh herbs is just the base needed to carry this lovely vegan dish to flavourful heights.

Tip

Tabbouleh recipes come in all different forms. We love this one with its blending of Middle-Eastern cultural flavours: a blended and creamy tahini dressing enhanced with roasted garlic flavours and drizzled over an interesting ancient grain with fresh herbs. All totalled? Refreshingly chill as a main or a side dish.

Tips

• For a speedier dish, soak grains for a couple hours before cooking.
• If khorasan kernels are not available, substitute with wheat, rye, or spelt berries, or any type of gluten-free grain like buckwheat groats, millet, or quinoa.

When people think of split pea soup, they often think robust and hearty European fare that’s swimming with ham. Well, step out of that mindset. This split pea soup is a delicious vegan alternative with amazing Indian spices. We’ve given it an exceptional boost with crisped tempeh croutons. It can’t get any tastier—and the nutritional boost is worth making a massive batch to add to any recipe, salad, or stir-fry.

Tips

• This delicious split pea soup is equally good with stirred in spinach, kale, or Swiss chard.
• Soaking split peas overnight reduces your cooking time from almost 2 hours down to 40 minutes. Alternatively, you can substitute split peas with urad dal and further reduce your cooking time

Half the family says chicken and the other half says, “No!” Here’s a delicious alternative that will please both vegans and the fussiest of carnivores: squash—crusted and baked to perfection—served with a vegan kale and romaine Caesar salad. Once they’ve tried it, it’ll be a go-to favourite for everyone on both sides of the food divide.

Tip

Buttery fettuccine noodles, dubbed “alfredo,” laced with Parmesan and butter have been a fixture in Italian cuisine since 1914. Over the years, it became popular in America and increasingly richer 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 flavour. Enter a truly vegan pasta chock full of creamy garlicky flavour. The silky smooth tofu sauce coupled with garlic and cashew cheese is a delicious vegan alternative with the rich essence of traditional alfredo pasta.

Tip

(pictured with Raw Tostadas with Spicy Strawberry Avocado Salad)

Strawberries make a sweet splash against the spicy jalapeño and cooling jicama in this recipe, standing in for more traditional tostada flavors like avocado and lime. The raw tortillas make for a different texture than the usual crisped version—one that’s fun to try out.

These two-bite treats are just the right size to pop into your mouth for a delicious dessert or a sweet afternoon pick-me-up. (Valentine’s treat, anyone?) They dazzle with their brilliant blue color, courtesy of butterfly pea flower. Butterfly pea flower is a beautiful blue flower that’s dried and ground to be added to recipes for an ocean-like hue.

Matcha maker

Here, we pair opposite colors on the color wheel with flavors that perfectly match. These delicious patties topped with fresh berry salsa are chock full of vitamin C and fiber—perfect to kick off the new year! Serve them as a main course (they’re delicious on a bed of wild rice) or shape the patty mixture into small bites and serve as an appetizer.

Double down

There’s a lot of umami going on in this salad. From the fresh taste of blueberries coupled with nutrient-rich greens to crispy toasted nuts paired with creamy tahini dressing, it’s flavorful and fresh. The added pungency of crumbled vegan blue cheese on top gives it that extra wow. Give your health an antioxidant blue boost this year.

Samey-samey

Sipping soup is supreme comfort on a wet and damp winter evening (especially if you also turn on your favorite R&B playlist!). This lovely vegan bisque is creamy and nurturing for any occasion. We jazzed it up with homemade chips made of blue-tinted potatoes, but a dairy-free grated cheese is also a tasty option.

Bisque-y business

A traditional recipe for mushrooms on toast usually calls for butter and cream or crème fraîche. We did a little transition and developed an amazing vegan creamy mushroom topping! It can even be made ahead and refrigerated to cut down on prep time during a weeknight. It features blue foot mushrooms, which have a delicate periwinkle hue to their stems—almost as if someone brushed them with watercolor paint.

A tamer take

Adding a subtle fresh-from-the-sea flavor, think of kombu as slaw’s secret weapon. British researchers have found that alginate—a unique fiber present in forms of sea kelp like kombu—may reduce fat absorption in the body. (FYI: This slaw will also work with wakame.) Quinoa provides quality carbs while sweet-tart apples add a counterpoint to earthy veggies, and the orange dressing is here for a splash of brightness. For added sweetness, you can include golden raisins or dried cherries. You know we’re easy like that.

Blade runner

Arame is a dark brown Japanese sea veg sold as long, wiry strands that are rich in dietary fiber. Its mild flavor makes arame one of the most versatile seaweeds and a great addition to salads and soups, as it won’t overpower other ingredients. If you don’t have arame, rehydrated and chopped kombu or wakame can be used in this recipe. You can also use cranberry, kidney, cannellini or orca beans if you’re adzuki bean-less. Whichever ingredient combo you use, each spoonful of this nourishing minestrone is like a liquid hug.

They’ve bean everywhere

Also called alaria and resembling pappardelle pasta noodles when rehydrated, lightly vegetal wakame is what you’re most likely to find floating in miso soup. It can also be the starring green in a riff on pesto. Slather the pesto between slabs of tofu and you’ve got a hearty vegan main. This briny pesto can also be dolloped on grain bowls!

Allowing this chutney to ferment gives it a more complex flavour that would be perfect to accompany any holiday meal.

Tip

This fermented vegetable medley is bursting with healthy goodness. After fermentation, the vegetables are still crisp yet have a nice tang that goes great with cheese, on a sandwich, as a garnish for soup, or tossed in a salad.

Tip

These spice-kissed breakfast cookies are a perfect way to start your morning. By giving them, you’ll ensure your host also has a sunny start to their day. Oats and quinoa both provide a good amount of dietary fibre, which helps you feel satiated until your next meal.

Tip

This indulgent treat is chock full of good-for-you ingredients. Both goji berries and cacao nibs are excellent sources of antioxidants, almonds contain a good dose of potassium which is essential for good heart health, and hemp hearts are a great source of plant-based protein. If you’re going to multiple holiday parties, this recipe doubles beautifully.

Tip

Healthy eating can be tricky come the holidays: temptation is everywhere. Give your host the gift of an easy, filling, and nutritionally satisfying meal with this delicious soup jar.

Tips

• Take the time to pick through your lentils, as occasionally you may find small stones.
• Jazz up this soup with additional vegetables or proteins. Chopped carrot, chopped celery, baby spinach, or shredded chicken added during the cooking process will add body and richness, making for a more filling meal.

Remoulade is a delicious cool and crisp side dish—perfect for everyday or special occasions. To the French it’s an elegant coleslaw made with a homemade mayonnaise. We’ve lightened it up without sacrificing flavour.

Tip