Food

The Cobb salad is a much-adored American classic created in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, owned by Robert Cobb. Using ingredients from the Spanish culinary canon gives this classic a Spanish twist while staying true to the spirit of the original. Manchego cheese and serrano ham stand in for blue cheese and bacon, eggs get a dusting of smoked paprika, and avocados are replaced with olives, while chicken is given the Spanish treatment with rubbed garlic and rosemary prior to roasting. Our salad is finished with a light and sunny orange-based vinaigrette.

For this cross-cultural take on tacos, sockeye salmon is marinated with yogurt and a fragrant but mild tandoori-style spice full of the warm flavours of cumin, coriander, nutmeg, and cardamom. After grilling, omega-3-rich salmon is enclosed in a warm corn tortilla and topped with spicy Mexican-style radishes and red onion pickled with lime juice and jalapenos for a kick of heat.

Our version of the Italian classic stays true to the simplicity of its colour palette, but instead of basil, we’ve given it an Argentine twist by drenching it in a luscious herb chimichurri. The sauce—containing parsley, red wine vinegar, olive oil and red chili pepper—is typical of Argentina but is now loved the world over and is often used as a garnish for meats and fish. It works well with flavourful tomatoes and cheese and gives a well-known classic a new outlook.

Hummus and vegetables or crackers are an easy fibre- and iron-filled snack that always helps get a party going. With the addition of black beans and bright flavours of lime, chili, and cilantro, this Middle Eastern staple gets a decidedly Mexican treatment.

Whether you call her Mom, Mother, Momma, or Mum, an afternoon tea is the perfect way to celebrate that special person in your life. It can not only be a fun and elegant occasion but also offer a wonderfully relaxed celebration.

Despite their small size, these dainty cheesecakes are bursting with bright lemon flavour. Substituting yogurt for often-used sour cream adds to the tangy taste, adds some protein, and helps cut down the fat content a bit, while the pistachios in the crust add a delicious flavour not usually found in a straight graham cracker crust. For best results, chill in the refrigerator for several hours and top with blueberries just before serving.

A touch of chocolate never goes amiss at an afternoon tea. These sweet delights are full of fibre and held together with creamy almond butter and studded with pistachios. Lightly scented with cardamom and cinnamon, they are sure to please.

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam are a typical afternoon tea treat. Here, we’ve given the idea a savoury-sweet twist and some added protein with this riff on a Brazilian-style cheese bun. The airy centres, like those of a cream puff, are perfect for filling with fresh strawberries macerated in balsamic and maple syrup and finished with a touch of vanilla yogurt. The light, textured buns are made with tapioca starch, so they’re suitable for those looking for gluten- or grain-free options, but everyone will enjoy the thyme and Parmesan flavour that makes a savoury complement to the sweet filling.

These bites are a vegetarian spin on two items often included in an afternoon tea—cucumber sandwiches and smoked salmon. Thin ribbons of carrot are marinated in a smoky tamari-based dressing before being formed into curls and placed on cucumber rounds topped with a thick dill-flavoured yogurt. Straining the yogurt removes excess liquid and makes it thick and creamy. Cucumbers have numerous health benefits, including for hydration and digestion; eating them unpeeled maximizes their fibre contribution.

In springtime, there are plenty of reasons to host a lunch party. Spring garden vegetables are beginning to peak. The days are getting longer. And having good friends to lunch is as good a reason as any other—especially after a few years of lockdown.

If you’re looking for a bit of nostalgia, you’re in luck: the Cosmo (a.k.a. the Cosmopolitan cocktail) is making a comeback. Although the origin story is a little fuzzy, with a number of versions claiming its invention back in the ’70s or ’80s, the Cosmo is worth reviving in this new version of fruity splendour.

Strawberry cordials are a springtime favourite; they’re refreshing and oh so pretty. Topped up with a little bubbly, you’ll want to have plenty on hand when this is being poured. 

Orange and tarragon make wonderful friends as they flavour this take on a chicken salad sandwich. Slightly bitter endives offer a great complement to the licorice flavour of tarragon and are robust enough to hold the mixture while adding a satisfying crunch. Each filled leaf contains about 20 g of protein and 40 percent of the recommended daily value of iron.

This dessert is a showstopper! Mini pavlovas with assorted fresh fruit, yogurt, and sauce make a wonderful finale to a lovely lunch. This is a healthier version that doesn’t compromise on quality. We nixed the high-fat whipping cream in favour of a thick and creamy yogurt.

Finger sandwiches are a classic component of afternoon tea, and these ones bring plenty of herby flavour to the party. Chickpeas are lightly smashed and dressed in fresh, bright flavours of cilantro, mint, tangy yogurt, earthy turmeric, and spicy paprika, before being sandwiched with pumpkin seeds and sunflower sprouts. Don’t be fooled by their small size—these sandwiches pack a hearty boost of fibre and protein and a whopping amount of iron too.

Guess what’s coming back into vogue: jelly salads! They’ve taken a brisk uptick on upscale menus this past year but without the sweet and pickled flavours from days of yore. We’ve taken a bit of creative licence here and turned single-serve aspics into a Mexican Michelada Aspic. Tangy and refreshing, with just the right amount of kick, our aspic contains a whopping 17 g of protein!

There are many variations of the roulade, which is basically a filled and rolled omelette. Our roulade encases whipped tofu and spinach, with the option of smoked salmon, and coupled with a delicious pico de gallo, it’s a lunchtime winner. 

This strawberry-rhubarb cake is proof that gluten-free baking is much more forgiving than people give it credit for. Between my recipe testers and me, we’ve tried this cake a dozen different ways, including using (accidentally) a precooked roll of polenta instead of the dried sack. Somehow that cake still turned out delicious (though presumably involved a LOT of whisking . . .). To clarify, you are looking for medium-ground cornmeal, which is most frequently called polenta (avoid the “instant” kind). I love the combination of the gritty cornmeal with rich, nutty almond flour, but you can use a finer cornmeal, or substitute buckwheat, white rice, or oat flour for the almond flour. The cake is not too sweet, and the combination of strawberry and rhubarb adds a tart finish. Though I discourage eating cake on an empty stomach, my friend aptly called it an “everyday snacking cake.”

Boiled green lentils tossed with crunchy carrots and a biting Dijon dressing is an iconic French side dish to eat alongside a piece of poached salmon or chicken. But it often looks like a stodgy brown mess. This recipe dresses up those drab legumes with all the colors of the spring rainbow: pink radishes, green sugar snaps, and garnet (or golden) roasted beets. The latter can be roasted a few days in advance to save time, and you can do the rest of the chopping and whisking while the lentils cook. The salad is finished with a little Italian flair—balsamic vinaigrette and torn basil. Garlicky walnuts add crunch, and if you’re angling for another carb companion, add shaved parmesan or ricotta salata.

This fresh dish embraces all of the freshness of the season, especially when not accompanied by a cloying cream sauce. Presentation is as simple—and beautiful—as artfully arranging the salad on a large shallow platter. But it can be equally visually charming arranged on single serving dishes.

I thought there was nothing more delicious than a spicy tuna roll until the day I tasted that delicious filling perched atop a piece of crispy rice. Usually, I try to keep things simple, but this is one of those moments that is worth the extra effort—and it’s nothing to be intimidated by. As a twist on the traditional tuna, I use roasted beets. You can, of course, substitute 8 ounces fresh tuna or salmon in the spicy mayo mixture. To cut prep time, roast the beets in advance. It’s a fun special-occasion meal for the family served alongside a green salad.

This delicious salad of fresh in-season strawberries, farro, almonds, feta, and crisped prosciutto bathed in a honey and Dijon dressing is much more than just eye candy. It’s a perfect entrée for impressing a lunch gathering among friends.

One of my favorite Carbivor sides to contribute to meals is a wild rice salad. Unlike hulled rice, wild varieties hold their shape and texture. To add even more fiber and hardiness, I combine the rice with shredded Brussels sprouts and a bright lemon poppy dressing. If you want to save time, buy shredded Brussels sprouts or use a food processor to get them into little ribbons. The sprouts also let us get away with playing a little more with sweet additions to this savory salad. If you can’t find pomegranate seeds, a scant amount (2 tablespoons) of dried cranberries or cherries will work. Like all good dishes, every element can be made up to four days in advance and tossed together when ready to serve! ]

A creamy cold soup, perfect for a sunny May lunch, most vichyssoise recipes are made with chicken stock and plenty of cream. This one is totally vegan, with tofu giving it exceptional creaminess. Jazzed up with a Jalapeno Verde Swirl, it’s delicious served either chilled or hot.