Food

Cooking the salmon and vegetables en papillote (French parlance for something cooked and served in a paper wrapper) traps steam to add moisture and guarantees you’ll be relishing perfectly tender veggies and melt-in-your-mouth fish. Finishing it off with a sweet-savoury blackberry sauce adds a surprise element to the dish that makes it oh-so-summery.

Nutrition boost

Desserts don’t need to be complicated. Especially when made with sweet pineapple, and the riper the better. There’s something inherently good for everyone in this juicy fruit, including its support for brain health. Among its healthy components, pineapple contains potassium and folate, which is linked to increasing blood flow to the brain.

Tip

This cheerful yellow soup not only has plenty of eye appeal, but it’s also delicious served hot or cold, making it über versatile as well. As with all bell peppers, these yellow beauties are chock full of vitamin C—four times more than a medium orange.

Tip

Summertime brings a quest for cool. What better way than with some cool, creamy frozen bark as a little midday snack? This iced bark is studded with a combination of brain-healthy ingredients—golden flaxseed, walnuts, and turmeric to name a few. Here’s to putting a healthy chill into a warm day.

Tips

• Frozen bark is delicious in many variations. Make it with your favourite flavoured yogurt studded with chopped fresh fruit.
• For optimum nutrient results, be sure to add a pinch of black pepper whenever using turmeric in a recipe. They go hand in hand.

Brain health comes by way of many different foods. Here’s a delicious rutabaga salad coupled with greens and walnut dressing that packs a punch of flavour along with its infusion of great brain-boosting nutrients.

Tip

Beautiful to look at, but even more delicious to eat. Succulent grilled chicken with a smattering of Golden Beet Salsa—it’s a visual and tasty combo. Golden beets, rich in folic acid, and mustard seed, with healthy omega-3s, are considered smart foods for brain health.

Tips

• For a time-saving method, bake beets a day or two ahead and refrigerate. Simply peel and dice when ready to make salsa.
• For another menu idea, slice grilled chicken diagonally and serve in tortillas with salsa, shredded lettuce, and thick dollops of yogurt.

Indian-spiced flavours paired with any grain create a taste sensation. Folded into cooked barley, it’s a double win. The turmeric and mustard seeds coupled with barley are touted as excellent foods for brain health.

Tips

• Allergic to barley? Substitute with rice or another gluten-free grain such as millet or sorghum.
• Time crunch? Cook barley ahead and refrigerate or freeze. Bring to room temperature and stir-fry a little bit longer to make sure it’s sizzling hot.

This light and dreamy dessert is a tasty alternative to authentic Italian tiramisu. Not too sweet and made with cashew cream, it’s a contemporary version of an old favorite. This version does not include the espresso commonly found in tiramisu. Instead, it’s made with a coffee- and chocolate-flavored stout. Um, YES. It also gives the option of biscotti instead of ladyfingers, but if you’d prefer to stick more closely to tradition, there are plenty of vegan ladyfinger recipes online! Soaking cashews in water draws out their phytic acid and enzyme inhibitors. This makes for creamier results and makes nuts easier to digest. Be sure to discard the cashew soaking liquid.

“Falagers” is the nickname we gave to falafels made from legumes soaked in lager beer before cooking. Making them from scratch is a bit of a give-and-take game. Too wet, add flour. Too dry, add more water or oil. It’s all about a feeling and making sure the mixture holds together while still staying moist. Want a heartier serving? Shape the falager mixture into burger-sized patties and, once baked, tuck each patty into a toasted bun, pita bread or lettuce wrap with avocado slices, creamy hummus and Smoky Tomato Sauce. As for any leftover Smoky Tomato Sauce, it’s delicious with pasta!

Jerk is a style of Jamaican cooking that involves a super-hot spice mixture and (usually) meat. But what’s a guy or gal to do if you want that same fiery flavor without the environmental problems that often accompany meat production? Well, bring on the jackfruits! This fruit, when marinated and shredded, mimics the taste and texture of pulled pork. So this recipe offers a real culinary mash-up of ingredients—tropical fruit with Caribbean meat spices in a Mexican tortilla. You’ll never think of fruit the same way again!      

Kebab is a general term that can apply to various types of Middle Eastern grilled meats. In America, we’re most familiar with shish kebab: small pieces of meat that are skewered and grilled. But beef and lamb come with a high eco-footprint (especially when the animals eat grass, resulting in higher methane emissions). This smoky kebab recipe uses easy homemade seitan instead, to cut down on emissions. Topped with peanut sauce and served with fresh lime and herbs, it’s a deliciously smoky and more sustainable way to enjoy this tasty dish.

This stir-fry comes together in under half an hour, which makes it the perfect fast food after a workout. Feel free to customize the heat level in the dish by adding more chili flakes as desired.

Tip

These are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast, on-the-run snack, or post-workout nosh. This recipe makes a lot of large cookies, but fear not, they freeze beautifully. This means they’ll be close at hand when a cookie craving strikes.

Tip

These satisfying two-bite snacks are perfect any time of day. Green peas are one hard-working legume. They’re loaded with vitamins, high in fibre, and a good source of protein. Feel free to serve them with your favourite dipping sauce, but the coconut lime one here is a winner.

Tip

There’s a bit of work with this recipe, but it’s well worth it. “Falagers” is the nickname we gave to falafels made from legumes soaked in lager beer before cooking. Making them from scratch is a bit of a give-and-take game. Too wet, add flour. Too dry, they’ll need an egg white. It’s all about a feeling and making sure the mixture holds together while still staying moist. Once baked, there’s plenty more yum when served with a smoky garlic tomato beer sauce.

Tips

• Baked falafels can be stored in the refrigerator for a day or frozen for longer-term storage. To serve, heat in 350 F (180 C) oven until piping hot. Serve with Smoky Tomato Sauce.
• Want a heartier serving? Shape into burger-sized patties and, once baked, tuck into a toasted bun, pita bread, or lettuce wrap with avocado slices, creamy hummus, and Smoky Tomato Sauce.

Any of these quick dips would be great on their own. However, put them together and you have something that is way more than the sum of its parts. Lentils are a fabulous source of vegan protein. Just 1 cup (250 mL) of cooked lentils has a whopping 18 g of protein. So get ready, set, dip!

Tip

Socca is a savoury chickpea pancake enjoyed as a street food snack in Nice, France. Here we have repurposed it as a protein-rich pizza base. You could choose to top it like a classic pizza, but this fresh take makes eating your greens a whole lot more interesting.

Tip

Here’s a delicious method to tenderize chicken that’s simple to boot! It’s also great for a crowd—simply double or triple the recipe. Be sure to pass on any remaining wheat beer for the chef to wet his whistle while he works ... over the barbecue.

Tip

This light and dreamy dessert is a tasty alternative to the authentic Italian tiramisu. Not too sweet and made with cashew cream, it’s a contemporary version of an old favourite and equally fits the cliché, “a little pick-me-up.” This version does not include espresso, commonly found in tiramisu. We’ve made this with a coffee- and chocolate-flavoured stout or porter craft beer. Delicious!

Tip

This delicious soup is chock full of vegetarian goodness and packed with hearty flavours. The harissa spices heat the taste buds in a myriad of ways, but the true depth of flavour comes from soaking dried chickpeas in witbier, a delicious brew that’s beautifully smooth and refreshing.

Tips

• Dried harissa spice is a blend of cumin, chilies, coriander, garlic, mint, caraway, cayenne, and salt. It’s found in gourmet food shops or well-stocked grocery stores. Also available online.
• Cooking chickpeas from scratch is well worth the effort, given the results. Double or triple the quantity, adding plenty more water for soaking and cooking. Drain and spread out on a cloth-lined baking sheet. Blot dry and freeze in small containers. Perfect for soups, hummus, or tossed into salads or stir-fries. Don’t forget to add baking soda to the water when cooking, as this helps tenderize the chickpeas.

This fresh and simple dish is perfect for late spring and early summer. A quickly seared tuna loin is melt-in-your-mouth juicy, can be cooked in minutes, and goes a very long way. With the ale-spiked dressing, this dish goes well with a craft lager laced with Citra hops and orange peel.

Tip

Life is often about that little extra that makes something good just that much better. Dipping falafels into Smoky Tomato Sauce needs nothing more than maybe a lettuce wrap to carry it. With apologies to lettuce growers, the flavour is most certainly in the sauce and falafel.