Food Family Lifestyle Beauty Sustainability Health Immunity

Food

Recipe Finder

Creamy Asparagus Pea Soup

A little bit of cooking and a high-speed blender is all that’s required for this delicious soup. The mild flavours of asparagus mingled with fresh sweet peas, sautéed garlic, and a hint of mint and lemon bring a medley of savoury, sweet, aromatic, and fresh together in one bowl.

DIY lemon-infused olive oil

Don’t have lemon-flavoured olive oil on hand? Simply make your own. Thoroughly wash and scrub a lemon. Cut zest off in strips, avoiding white pith. Place in small saucepan with 1 cup (250 mL) extra-virgin olive oil. Heat gently just until simmering. Cool and strain oil into clean bottle. Store in a cool, dark place for up to 4 months.

Tip

Sautéed ramps, also known as wild leeks, make an ideal addition to this soup. Only available during a short window in the spring, these greens are the epitome of the season and are excellent in many dishes. Snap them up if you see them.

Puy Lentils with Sweet Black Garlic and Curried Fish

Umami-rich black garlic is the darling of this savoury fall dish. If it’s your first time cooking with black garlic, you won’t be disappointed. Sweet yet earthy, the sticky properties of fermented garlic add depth and datelike sweetness to the lightly seasoned lentils.

Tips

Substitute oven-roasted regular garlic cloves for black garlic, if you wish. It’s not quite the same effect, but roasted cloves will add a subtle sweetness to the dish.
Black garlic’s datelike flavour and sticky texture is also unique combined with chocolate. Dip individual fermented black cloves into melted chocolate and set aside to harden. Savour like a delicious chocolate truffle.

Vegetarian Moussaka

Here is a light and healthy version of moussaka without the meat and heavy cream sauce. Perfect for a weekday meal. Jazz it up for guests with additional assorted grilled veggies.

Tip

Lentils are nutritional powerhouses. If you wish, substitute any type of lentils, such as brown, green, or black.

Aromatic Garlic Scape Vinegar

There’s a myriad of recipes for using the beautiful garlic scape—from pesto to grilled side dishes, whirled into hummus, tossed into a stir-fry, spun into a soup, or used as an artful garnish. Scapes look and taste delicious and don’t have the harsh bitter or zingy garlic overtone. The season for scapes is short, so this little scape vinegar recipe is perfect for giving you a few extra months of cherished scape flavours. It’s perfect for a salad pick-me-up or splashed onto a stir-fry.

Tip

Many recipes come alive with a splash of garlic vinegar. Whisk with a little honey and drizzle over your favourite salad, stir-fry, or delicious stew.

Big Breakfast Bowl

A savoury breakfast bowl is just the thing to slow down and linger over after a busy week. If you’re short on time, skip the roasted chickpeas and substitute a sprinkling of toasted pumpkin seeds or roughly chopped almonds.

Tip

Spiced roasted chickpeas can be made up to 4 days in advance and stored at room temperature in an airtight container. If chickpeas lose their crispness, place on baking tray and pop in a 400 F (200 C) oven for 5 to 10 minutes.

Bánh Mì Bowl

This big bowl meal is a riff on the classic Vietnamese sandwich that is at once spicy, salty, sour, sweet, and aromatic.

Tip

You will most likely have some leftover pickled vegetables from this recipe. Try tossing them into a salad or tucking them into a sandwich for some extra flavour and crunch.

Fish Taco Bowl

Taco night will never be the same once you try out this recipe. Millet is a gluten-free seed that cooks up quickly and has a mild sweetness to it. Millet provides us with a good source of manganese, which helps regulate our metabolism.

Tips

When shopping for a ripe mango, there are a few tips to keep in mind.
- Look for mangos that are full, plump, and rounded.
- A ripe mango should be slightly giving, just like a ripe peach or avocado, but not soft or mushy.
- Finally, smell a mango near its stem end; it should smell sweet, fragrant, and fruity.
Firm white fish such as lingcod or halibut, and even shellfish such as scallops and prawns, work well in place of the salmon in this recipe.

Crispy Peanut Tofu Bowl

Just one bite and you will fall head over heels for this completely plant-based meal bowl that is not only vegan but also gluten free.

Tip

If you have a sensitivity to peanuts, substitute almond butter and chopped almonds in this recipe.

Spiced Chicken Bowl

By replacing the base of this bowl with cauliflower rice instead of the grain we amp up the nutritional value, while drastically cutting the calories and carbohydrates otherwise consumed.

Tip

Using frozen peas in this dish is important, as the steam they release upon roasting helps keep the chicken beautifully tender as it roasts.

Mushroom Lentil Ragu Pasta

This big pot of hearty meat-free pasta sauce delivers deep tomato-umami flavour and will leave your house smelling like a million bucks. And, yes, you can prepare pasta in advance and enjoy delicious noodles all week long. To keep things vegan and add another layer of good nutrition, sprinkle on this savoury nut and hemp heart mixture in lieu of traditional Parmesan. You can also use it on salads and soups or when making pesto. The ragu is also excellent strewn over baked potato.

Tip

Store leftovers of the ragu and prepared pasta in separate containers in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.

Pasta, pronto!

There are a couple of ways to reheat leftover cooked pasta so it’s not mushy. Start by only cooking noodles to no more than al dente so there’s some wiggle room for additional heating. Place your leftover pasta in a colander and dip into large pot of boiling water. Allow pasta to heat for about 30 seconds before removing from water. Or heat some leftover ragu in large skillet until bubbling, and then stir in cooked pasta and cook for about 2 minutes.

Salmon Chowder

Rustle up a big pot of this hearty chowder, and you’ll be spooning up a nutritional windfall all week long. Canned salmon may seem like a step-down ingredient, but it holds up better in leftovers than fresh fish. And canned wild sockeye or pink salmon are sustainable catches of the day that are chock full of heart-healthy omega-3 fats.

Tip

The chowder will keep for 5 days if chilled, and serving leftovers is as easy as warming up the chowder in a saucepan until liquid is steaming—don’t let the mixture boil, or the quality of the ingredients will degrade.

Leftover magic

One way to make leftovers as desirable as fresh-prepared is to elevate their presentation. When plating that second-day stew, use bowls and cutlery that you’d proudly display on social media and then make sure to adorn the dish with something lively, such as chopped herbs, a drizzle of olive oil, or some toasted nuts.

Squash Turkey Chili

A big pot of chili is the perfect batch-cooking project, as everything is prepared in one pan and leftovers become even more flavourful. Here, butternut squash forms the base of a sumptuous sauce, while plenty of beans and veggies pack each bowlful with big-time texture. You can make it vegan by swapping out the turkey for a couple blocks of crumbled tempeh.

Deep freeze

To freeze items such as chili and pasta sauce for future meals, consider dividing them up among jumbo-sized muffin cups. That way you’ll have individual servings that will defrost much more quickly than a huge ice block of food. Simply divvy up the food among the muffin cups, place tray in freezer until leftovers are frozen solid, unmould, and then keep food pucks in an airtight container in the freezer. Nonstick and bendable silicone jumbo muffin cups make it easy for you to unmould your frozen leftovers.

Roasted Carrot Freekeh Salad

Say goodbye to those #saddesklunches by packing up this make-ahead satisfying salad that will leave your fellow workers wishing they weren’t eating another sandwich. South of your taste buds, however, your body will benefit from the nutritional bounty in this salad. Freekeh is a high-protein and fibre-rich Middle Eastern wheat that is harvested young and roasted for a smoky flavour.

Tip

This salad can also be made with other whole grains such as spelt, farro, and millet. When preparing salads for future meals, it’s best to avoid delicate salad greens that are apt to lose their textures. Instead, include heartier veggies such as carrots, celery, and beets.

Apple Pie Baked Oatmeal

This comforting baked oatmeal recipe—stuffed with nutritional bell-ringers such as apples, carrots, and walnuts—is a perfect meal solution for harried mornings when you don’t have the time or energy to hover over a pot of simmering oats. It’s also a perfect option for weekend brunches when you’re in the mood for entertaining. Bake ahead of time and reheat in the oven or microwave until warmed through. Try serving with a couple dollops of thick yogurt and blueberries.

Tip

Using both rolled and steel-cut oats adds even more great texture. If desired, you can swap out the apples for pears and use other nuts such as almonds or pecans.

Dark delight

When using maple syrup for baking purposes, such as in this big-batch oatmeal, reach for the “dark” grade, which has more robust flavour and will therefore be more pronounced in the final product.

Mermaid Lemonade (aka Iced Green Matcha and Spirulina Lemonade)

This is not your mama’s lemonade! Because a whole lemon blended with water is the base, this tart-sweet drink retains all of the nutrients available in the lemon peel. Serve this spirulina- and matcha-infused beverage over ice, or blend with extra ice to make frozen lemonade. And make sure you use an organic lemon, as conventional lemons are often sprayed heavily with pesticides.

Cozy Tahini Reishi Latte with Herbal Coffee

Nutty tahini and creamy cashew butter form the base of this cozy, luxurious blender latte. Dates give it a caramel-like flavor and richness, pairing perfectly with the robust flavors in herbal coffee (which is usually made with ingredients like chicory, roasted dandelion root and/or roasted barley). Not a herbal coffee fan? Use regular hot brewed coffee instead.

Nouveau reishi

New research on reishi indicates it’s a powerful prebiotic to feed beneficial bacteria in the gut. That’s in addition to its longstanding status as a medicinal mushroom linked with better immune function, longevity and greater mental clarity!

Frozen Adaptogenic Coffee Latte with Reishi and Maca

This frozen coffee latte is naturally sweetened with only banana, spiced with cinnamon and amped up with both maca and reishi powder. It has the consistency of a coffee shop frappe, but you could use a frozen banana for an even thicker, ice cream-like texture. You can make it more of a mocha by adding cocoa powder to taste. Make sure you use a cold brew coffee concentrate or the coffee flavor will be weak. To sub out coffee, use a very strong brew of herbal coffee.

Hot Minute Matcha Green Tea Latte

Kiss your $5 coffee shop matchas goodbye … because after you make this matcha latte at home, you’ll never go back! All you need are five ingredients, hot water and a blender. The genius of this drink lies in blending coconut cream and cashew butter with hot water. When blended, they emulsify and trap micro air bubbles in suspension to create a latte-like foam … without the dairy!

Meet your matcha

Matcha, made from powdered green tea leaves, may help boost focus, concentration and thinking abilities. Plus, it’s a great source of polyphenols (read: high-powered antioxidants).

Coconut, Coffee and Cacao Nib Power Batons

These homemade power snacks that require neither a laundry list of ingredients nor an oven can be whipped up in a flash. This flavor combo of coconut, coffee, chocolate and banana makes the everyday snack feel a bit more grown up.

SCIENCE experiment: Discover new fruit combos

The dates or apricots can be replaced with a mixture of dried fruit (think prunes and raisins or sour cherries and mulberries). Experiment freely—no lab coat required.

Hazelnut Milk Porridge with Salted Almond-Coconut Butter

Nurturing, ultra-cozy warm grains are the base of this creamy, mellow vegan breakfast that can be made in advance for single servings throughout the work week. (Pssst … you can add a classic chocolate-hazelnut flavor to this porridge by stirring in 2 Tbsp cocoa powder while the oats are cooking!)

Extracurricular activity: Blanching hazelnuts

Bring large saucepan of water to a boil and add 2 tsp baking soda. Add shelled hazelnuts and stir, being careful as water will easily foam up and spill over pot. Stir for 3 minutes, then drain in sieve and rinse under cold running water. Use your hands or a small dish brush to rub skins off nuts.

Make-Ahead Salad Bar Bowls

Take inspiration from your local salad bar to turn your take-along (or at-home) lunches into a cafeteria-style feast—hold the hefty price tag.

Field trip: Salad bar recon

Head to your nearest salad bar and glean inspiration. Many salad bars list the ingredients, giving you a bit of insider knowledge to mimic the dishes at home.

Grapefruit and Vanilla Coconut Yogurt with Raw Crumble

Bright, inviting citrus punctuates creamy dairy-free coconut yogurt imbued with vanilla. It’s a sophisticated treat that can be dialed up in presentation or kept rustic, retaining its homespun vibe.

Chemistry class: Know your acids

Any citrus or tender fresh fruit with a bit of acidic zip will work here; try blood oranges or gently mashed raspberries in place of grapefruit.

Eggplant Burgers with Roasted Tomato Jam

This meal is an incredible investment piece. Both the burgers and tomato jam freeze well, so you can heat and eat at a moment’s notice.

Extra credit project: Lunch remix

If packing this meal for lunch the next day, skip the bun and place two patties per person on a bed of arugula. Top with Roasted Tomato Jam and a little mayo on the side.

Chili Muffins

Who says you need a bowl and spoon to eat chili? These adorable chili muffins are sure to please all taste buds in a family. Beyond hectic weeknight dinners, they’re also perfect for lunchboxes, potlucks, and to energize any after-school event. Each can be served with a dollop of sour cream.