Food

This delish dish, topped with tropical fruits and shaved coconut, will leave you with one question: can anything this easy be good—and good for you? Actually, yes. Much of this pudding’s nutritional power comes from black rice, which has more protein and fiber than any other rice (take that, jasmine!). Plus, it has the highest amount of antioxidants. If you’re not feeling fancy, this pudding is delicious topped with orange segments, sliced banana and toasted almonds instead of some of the more exotic fruits.

Ceviche is typically made with raw fish or shellfish that is marinated in an acid like lime or lemon juice. This marinating cooks the fish without heat. Substituting with hearts of palm is one of the cleverest vegan swaps you’ll ever make—promise! You simply dress the hearts of palm with the acidic juices instead of marinating them for hours, which makes this recipe a refreshing starter that’s also weeknight friendly.

Sweet potato fries are one of my favorite things to eat, and for a long time I wondered how I could transform them from a side dish into a full meal. The answer is to load them up with lots of fixings, including black beans, avocado and fresh vegetables, and then smother them with a creamy cashew-based queso sauce. The recipe for the sauce is worth doubling and keeping on hand: it’s delicious on baked potatoes, nachos, tostadas or Mexican rice. You can top the fries with any of your favorite nacho fixings, including hot sauce, salsa and pickled jalapeño chiles.

The citrus in this recipe—a combination of orange and lime—adds brightness without being overly sweet or tart. It’s a perfect contrast to the bold flavors of garlic, ginger and tamari, not to mention the earthiness of buckwheat noodles. The salad is easy to pull together for a casual lunch or light dinner. To make the dish even more substantial, you can add marinated and baked tofu cubes, or you can serve it bowl-style, with extra steamed vegetables.

It took me a while to warm up to collard greens. The recipe that turned me around was surprisingly simple: using raw or gently steamed collard leaves as an easy, nutritious wrap. In this version, collard leaves are stuffed with freekeh, lentils, currants and toasted pine nuts. The filling is spiked with za’atar, a vibrant Mediterranean spice blend of oregano, cumin, sumac and sesame. I like to serve them with a creamy pomegranate dressing. Note that the recipe calls for 10 collard leaves; you’ll only use eight of them, but it’s a good idea to prepare a couple of extra ones in case any split or fall apart during cooking or rolling.  

The grilled pineapple in these stacks offers a smoky sweetness, and the portobellos are surprisingly high in healthy antioxidants. To make your stack look like a burger, double down on portobellos and cap each stack with another mushroom.

This is the antithesis of typical soupy potato salads. Crispy spuds, the bitter edge of radicchio, buttery trout, and a tangy dressing create a palate-awakening salad that just begs for social media stardom. And all the flavours will speak to you even at room temperature, so this salad can also accompany you to the office, potlucks, and picnics. (However, it’s best to keep cooked fish chilled.) For a thicker dressing, you can replace 1/4 cup (60 mL) of the kefir with a good quality mayonnaise.

Frozen asset

Put some spark in mealtime with this salad that offers up a riot of earthy, peppery, creamy, sweet, and salty flavours—all enveloped in a savoury-sweet carrot dressing. With each passing forkful, you may find yourself forgetting that it also has off-the-chart nutrients.

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If green is the colour of health, then this artfully prepared verdant salad is the fountain of youth. Vinegary peppers, ribbons of tender seasonal asparagus, crunchy greens, and a herby dressing for a creamy finish all team up to add layers of deliciousness. How to achieve creamy green goddess dressing minus the dairy? Look no further than avocado; when teamed up with punchy herbs, avocado creates a luscious dressing that will elevate salads of all stripes. You can also use it as a dip or strewn over taco fillings and grain bowls. For extra protein, you can include a sliced hard-boiled egg in the salad.

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Close your eyes, take a bite of this salad, and get ready for your taste buds to be whisked to the sunny Mediterranean. Flame-licked mushrooms add meaty appeal, sautéed tomatoes a sweet treat, bocconcini a creamy hit, chickpeas a satiating protein and fibre addition, while herby pesto dressing rounds everything out.

Nutrition boost

This colourful riff on the classic spinach strawberry salad delivers big time from bottom to top. A creamy goat cheese base plays well with the tender chicken and bright strawberry dressing. Millet or sorghum would be good gluten-free stand-ins for spelt.

Steamed and cooled in-season asparagus is a great alternative to other dippers for scooping up this tangy dip. When eaten raw or just slightly cooked, asparagus supplies the prebiotics to help nourish the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract supplied by yogurt. Look for thicker asparagus spears for easier dipping.

Great white

This Thai-style peanut dressing makes kale even more nutritionally potent. So think of this vibrant salad, full of nutritional bell-ringers such as whole grain sorghum and protein-rich edamame, as a perfect health-giving bring-your-lunch-to-work option. Since kale can be massaged with dressing a couple of days in advance without going limp, this is also a great make-ahead salad. Soaking sorghum in water for several hours in advance will quicken its cooking time. However, quinoa or millet would serve as stand-ins for sorghum.

Give your kale a massage

Rich salmon patties that are topped with a punchy broccoli pesto definitely won’t leave you wondering, “Where’s the beef?” As a perk, arugula and horseradish help make the broccoli an even bigger antioxidant powerhouse. The burgers can also be prepared on an outdoor grill.

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With just the right amount of spice and tang, this tomato sauce anoints your eggs with greatness and takes advantage of eggs’ ability to bolster your absorption of the carotenoids present in tomatoes and spinach. Plus, the dish is just breezy enough to be a candidate for dinner on any harried weeknight. Consider serving over brown rice.

Full steam ahead

Who says dessert can’t deliver clutch nutritional value? Whole grain teff expunges its starch during cooking so it can be whipped into a chocolatey pudding. And teff happens to be rich in plant-based iron, which your body will absorb more easily when it’s paired with exceptionally sweet vitamin C-loaded roasted strawberries. Sprinkle on pumpkin seeds for a bit of crunch and more energizing iron. You can even add a couple dollops of Greek yogurt.

Strawberry fields forever

Citrusy and bursting with sunshine appeal, this nonalcoholic, kombucha cocktail based on a famous Italian spritz will please pretty much everyone. Make sure ingredients are fridge-cold before beginning.

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Smoky roasted tomato sauce forms the base of this North African brunch classic, one of the most delicious ways to prepare eggs for a crowd. A few dollops of yogurt and a sprinkle of cilantro take it to the next level. Be sure to serve the shakshuka with toasted rustic bread or warm flatbread to soak up all the juices.

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Umami mushrooms, sharp greens, and creamy avocado provide the first of two toast-topping options for your brunch buffet.

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With seasonal carrots and mint, meaty halloumi cheese, and nutty whole wheat couscous, this pilaf is a fresh alternative to heavier brunch buffet sides.

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This light yet hearty brunch salad filled with greens, potatoes, and spring salmon is bound together by a creamy, bright dressing.

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A pillowy meringue that’s crisp on the outside, marshmallowy soft on the inside, and topped with whipped coconut cream and berries is a Mother’s Day brunch finale that wows. This dessert is suitable for gluten-free moms and guests.

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It’s time to once again fire up the grill so the flames can imbue wedges of romaine lettuce with a whole new flavour and texture profile. And when the hunks of flame-licked greens are adorned with chunky vegetables and a creamy tahini dressing, you have an epic meal. For extra protein, the romaine steak can also be topped with chickpeas, cooked lentils, high-quality tinned sardines, or chunks of smoked trout.

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Fresh, healthy, and full of iron-rich spinach, chicken Florentine meatballs are a big hit for all ages. Ironically, when you peel back the layers of history, you find its origin has little or nothing to do with Florence, Italy, and everything to do with spinach, as we’ve done here. We scattered the meatballs with Parmesan to give it a hint of Italian.

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