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Potato Trout Salad with Golden Milk Dressing

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

Stash a few tubers of fresh turmeric in the freezer. When frozen, it becomes much easier to grate. Ditto for ginger.

Nutrition boost

Kefir is home to a robust population of probiotics, potatoes offer up vitamin C, sustainable rainbow trout is swimming in heart-healthy omega-3 fats, and radicchio is a vitamin K stand-out.

Beet Lentil Quinoa Salad with Carrot Dressing

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.

Tip

For the purposes of salads, you want to use lentils that hold their shape once cooked. Black (beluga) and French (Le Puy) green lentils fit the bill.

Nutrition boost

A large JAMA Internal Medicine study found that people who consumed plant proteins such as lentils and quinoa more often experienced lower rates of early death, particularly from heart disease. Plant proteins come with an arsenal of vitamins, minerals, fibre, and antioxidants that give them serious health-hiking powers.

Green Goddess Salad

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.

Tip

To pack this salad for nourishment away from home, reach for a wide-mouth jar. Simply place avocado dressing in the bottom of jars and then top with your vegetables, beans, lettuce, and nuts. Seal shut and chill for up to 3 days.

Nutrition boost

Beans, avocado, and vegetables make this salad a fibre powerhouse that helps feed the billions of bacteria in our guts. The latest scientific theory is that eating more dietary fibre indirectly bolsters our health by keeping the beneficial bugs in our guts happy, and that means our digestive and immune systems remain in good working order.

Grilled Mushroom Salad with Pesto Dressing

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

A recent study in International Journal of Food Sciences and Nutrition found that grilling mushrooms is a good way to preserve their robust levels of healthy antioxidants. Frying and boiling were found to significantly diminish the nutritional firepower of ’shrooms.

Where there’s smoke

These hemp bacon bits are the perfect way to add nutritious smoky flavour to any salad. 1/3 cup (80 mL) hemp hearts 2 tsp (10 mL) liquid smoke 2 tsp (10 mL) low-sodium soy sauce or tamari Stir together hemp hearts, liquid smoke, and soy or tamari sauce. Let sit for 15 minutes. Preheat oven to 250 F (120 C). On baking sheet, spread seasoned hemp hearts out and bake for 12 minutes, stirring once, until darkened and slightly crispy. Be careful not to burn the seeds.

Chicken Spelt Salad with Strawberry Vinaigrette

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.

Red Pepper Yogurt Dip with Asparagus Dippers

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

Greek yogurt now has some serious competition in the dairy aisle. Made by fermenting milk with cultures and then straining away the liquid, Icelandic-style Skyr yogurt is deliciously thick and also densely concentrated in protein.

Thai Kale Sorghum Salad

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

Raw kale breaks down and becomes more tender and less bitter tasting when it’s massaged. It also helps distribute the dressing into all of kale’s crevices, so you get peanut flavour in every bite.

Salmon Burgers with Broccoli Pesto

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.

Tip

Dress up burger if you wish and serve on toasted whole wheat or gluten-free bread with lettuce and shaved red onions.

Egg Tomato Curry

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

Boil eggs, and you risk rubbery whites, chalky green-tinged yolks, and clingy shells. Your hack for perfect hard-boiled eggs every time is to give the orbs a steam bath—yolks will remain creamy and sunnier than a Caribbean vacation while the shells will effortlessly slide off. In medium saucepan, bring 1 in (2.5 cm) water to a boil. Add steamer basket to pan and place eggs in basket in a single layer. Steam for 15 minutes and then immediately transfer eggs to bowl filled with ice water. Once cool enough to handle, gently break shells in a few places and then start peeling from the bottom end where there is an air pocket.

Chocolate Teff Pudding with Roasted Strawberries

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

Yes, you can improve upon luscious local strawberries. Roasting the berries brings out their natural acidity and sweetness. Bonus: the released juices thicken into a caramel-like sweet sauce.

Roasted Tomato and Onion Shakshuka

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.

Tip

Make the tomato sauce base the day before, then reheat on the stovetop and cook the eggs when you’re ready to serve.

Blood Orange and Kombucha Cocktail

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.

Tip

Any pure fruit juice will work here. Pineapple, cranberry, apple, pomegranate, and more—explore your juicery or supermarket to make an even more creative beverage.

Sautéed Miso Mushrooms, Greens, and Avocado Tartines

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

Tip

Skip the bread and serve as a warm veggie side dish on its own. Or make it the main event topped with poached eggs.

Couscous, Carrot, Mint, and Halloumi Pilaf

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

Tip

Make this recipe gluten free by replacing cooked couscous with cooked millet.

Arugula, Salmon, and Nugget Salad with Yogurt-Sumac Dressing

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

Tip

Find sumac in the spice aisle or international aisle of your grocery store, at bulk food stores, at specialty food shops, and online. It has a sour zing that makes this dish pop.

Pavlova with Berries and Lemon-Coconut Whipped Cream

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.

Tip

Instead of one large pavlova, make 8 individual meringue nests for a buffet.

Grilled Greek Romaine Steak

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.

Tip

Stirring the little swimmers known as anchovies into dressings adds a “what’s that?” umami-salty flavour without making them taste fishy.

Chicken Florentine Meatballs and Veggie Noodles

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.

Tip

Make and bake a double batch of meatballs and freeze in small portions in tightly sealed containers. Delicious tossed into a marinara sauce and served over noodles or rice.

Roasted Asparagus and Chicken Tenders

If you’re looking for a midweek supper that requires little time to prepare, this asparagus and chicken is a perfect solution. The sauce merely needs a quick blitz in your blender and can easily be made ahead. Coupled with roasted asparagus and chicken tenders that take little time to bake, this meal is a quick solution filled with goodness.

Tip

This sauce is not just delicious with asparagus and chicken. Serve with fresh beans, prawns, or salmon. Alternatively, for a vegetarian menu, serve sauce with a medley of roasted vegetables atop rice and sprinkle with chopped, toasted cashews.

Spring Nettles Vichyssoise

A typical vichyssoise is served cold, fully decked with potatoes, plenty of rich cream, and leeks. We’ve taken a bit of liberty here by adding healthy and vitamin-packed spring nettles to the base. And more importantly, our nettle soup is even more exceptional because it’s delicious served either cold or warm.

Tip

For optimal health, pick fresh stinging nettle leaves and use within a day. If stinging nettles are difficult to find, substitute with spinach. Note: Stinging nettles are in abundance in the spring. But caution is needed when harvesting and handling. The tiny fuzz on the leaves are microscopic needles that stick in your skin and sting relentlessly. It’s best to wear long-sleeved shirts and pants when foraging. To harvest, wear latex gloves and, using a pair of scissors, cut leaves, dropping them into a bowl.

Fresh Greens and Salmon with Soy Citrus Dressing

Simple and fresh, this recipe offers powerful long-chain omega-3 fatty acids from wild salmon, which carry powerful anticancer properties, including lipid mediators that help control inflammation—a factor in cancer spread.

Tip

This recipe is also delicious with grilled prawns or chicken and excellent for a midday meal.

Sparkling Green Apple Cleanser

Many people in a cancer journey find their taste buds and appetites are tainted. This simple cleanser not only freshens up the palate with its apple and mint combo, but it also soothes the stomach with its ginger component. Plus, the added spirulina provides a little burst of much-needed energy, not to mention other health-inducing properties.

Tip

Sometimes peeling and grating ginger root can be tedious. An easy way is to peel and grate and freeze. Simply hold a large knob in your palm and scrape off peel with a spoon. Run it through a microplane grater and shape mounds of grated ginger root into teaspoon-sized (5 mL) portions on a tray. Freeze, and then transfer portions into an airtight container. Can be frozen for up to 4 months.

Chocolate-Dipped Spirulina Shortbread

This recipe is a little diversion from a traditional path to wellness. Cookies aren’t typically on the list. Made with virgin coconut oil, this delicious melt-in-your-mouth wafer containing both spirulina and dark chocolate are excellent components of your healing diet. All you need is just one to satisfy the palate and get a dose of goodness into you.

Tip

It’s important to cool cookies thoroughly before dipping into chocolate, as they’re very light and flaky. For perfect results, freeze cookies until firm before dipping and chilling.

Matcha Pistachio Cake

This show-stopping, make-ahead, no-bake, vegan matcha cake is a grown-up version of a childhood favourite: ice cream cake. Sweet, creamy, and refreshing, this is one recipe you might find yourself repeating through the year.

Tip

To easily remove springform pan from cake, wet a kitchen towel with hot tap water and wrap towel around sides of pan. After 30 seconds, remove towel and gently unmould matcha cake. Smooth sides of cake with a spatula if desired.