Food

Arame is a dark brown Japanese sea veg sold as long, wiry strands that are rich in dietary fibre. Its mild flavour makes arame one of the most versatile seaweeds and a great addition to salads and soups, as it won’t overpower other ingredients. Each spoonful of this nourishing guise of minestrone is sheer comfort.

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• This soup will thicken upon resting, so stir in additional broth when simmering leftovers.
• Rehydrated and chopped kombu or wakame can be used in lieu of arame, and other bean choices include cranberry, kidney, cannellini, or orca.

Ruddy-coloured dulse is chewy with a slight tang straight from the bag, but crisps up and takes on a bacon-y flavour when pan-fried. Here, the crunch bunch is an inspiring topping to this bowlful of stunning flavours and textures. A 6 1/2-minute cook time yields eggs with cooked whites and a sensuous jammy yolk.

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Nori—pressed, dried laver seaweed with a pleasant minerality—is one of the easiest sea greens to locate in stores. Typically used to wrap sushi, it’s also ready to roll up this all-star cast of ingredients to help breathe new life into your lunch routine. Wasabi lends the edamame spread a bit of sinus-clearing kick, smoked salmon provides velvety protein, and mango adds a pop of sweetness. If you have some on hand, go ahead and add pickled ginger to the rolls for a fiery, vinegary bite.

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Adding a subtle fresh-from-the-sea flavour, think of kombu as slaw’s secret weapon. British researchers showed that alginate—a unique fibre present in forms of sea kelp such as kombu—may reduce fat absorption in the body. Quinoa provides quality carbs, sweet-tart apples add a counterpoint to earthy veggies, and the orange dressing is here for a splash of brightness.

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Although it may look a little foreboding, don’t be intimidated by cooking octopus; it’s mostly a hands-off process. With a little time and patience, you’ll be rewarded with a stunning octopus antipasto—perfect as a starter or light lunch.

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A wonderful choice for those who generally proclaim not to like fish, rockfish fillets are very lean with a mild flavour and a firm texture once cooked. Cooking en papillote is a technique in which food is wrapped in a parchment or foil parcel and baked. Let diners cut open the parcels themselves, as half the fun is revealing the beautifully cooked contents at the table.

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Closely related to the Pacific salmon, steelhead has bright orange flesh and a taste that falls somewhere between trout and salmon. Most steelhead sold is sustainably farm-raised, making it a good choice to enjoy year round.

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Savoury and meaty, sturgeon pairs perfectly with the bold flavours of this recipe. Fresh curry leaves have nothing to do with the powder that shares their name and are worth seeking out. An edible herb with a unique citrus aroma and a lightly bitter taste, curry leaves elevate this dish from delicious to sublime.

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(pictured with Sidestripe Shrimp Salad and Pickled Apple) There are endless possibilities for this granola, other than just as a salad topper. Try it sprinkled over your morning eggs, stirred into yogurt, showered over roasted vegetables, or for garnishing a creamy root vegetable soup.

The majority of shrimp sold in grocery stores are farmed shrimp imported from Asia. Sidestripe shrimp are a cold-water species whose habitat goes from northern Oregon up to the Bering Sea in Alaska. A sustainable choice, they are prized for their distinctive sweet flavour, which is highlighted nicely in this salad.

Composed, warm salads bring Mediterranean sunshine to the plate any time of year. Sous vide cooking’s precise and steady temperature control in a water bath means sustainable, better-than-canned tuna, is easier than ever. Crisp, tender, and decadent all at once, this French “comfort food” meal is tied together with a zippy lemon-mustard vinaigrette.

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Here’s a simple bowl of comfort food with a soothing flavour that employs both steaming and poaching techniques to gently cook and soften. Although wonderful on its own, this dish becomes even more bolstering when served in a light, lemony broth—itself another great use for water.

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Straining yogurt is a two-for-one way to get both a tenderizing brining liquid with whey and a thick strained yogurt called labneh. Labneh can be used in dips and dressings, instead of your morning Greek yogurt, in place of cream cheese in desserts, and more.

Tips

• Extra whey and labneh can be kept in airtight container in refrigerator until yogurt’s expiry date.
• Use the salty, watery brine from feta cheese in place of the yogurt’s whey for a speedier alternative (skip the salt in this case).

This soup is sublimely spicy, floral, and balanced all at once. Hot boiling water is added right before serving, turning this into an “instant” soup option that travels well. Enjoy it for lunch at the office.

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Do you love Thanksgiving—and dream of turkey dinners all year long? You’re in luck, because this recipe by The Gut Girl, Marlies Venier, is a quick and easy substitute. Not to mention, turkey is full of protein and a great source of iron, potassium, and zinc.

Recipe by Gut Girl, Marlies Venier, excerpted (adapted) from The Secret Life of Your Microbiome (New Society, 2017) by Alan C. Logan, ND, and Susan L. Prescott, MD, PhD.

It’s no secret that I’m a dessert for breakfast kinda girl. This baklava-flavoured breakfast bowl takes my treat-for-breakfast obsession to the next level. The chia seeds and quinoa really sing with the addition of rose water, orange juice, and maple syrup. Topped with pomegranate seeds, berries, fig, and pumpkin seeds, this is a fancy café-style breakfast waiting to be devoured. Divine!

This is not only a delicious warm-weather treat, but it’s also the nutritious answer to the call of the ice cream truck. Loaded with good-for-you almonds, dates, oats, and chia seeds, these ice cream bars will be tops on your truck stop list. But be warned: they won’t last long!

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Tucked into a takeaway box, noodle salads are a delicious parkside meal to eat while gazing at sailboats on the ocean. Healthy and fresh, a noodle bowl doesn’t need to be eaten piping hot—perfect for a summer day!

Tips

• Substitute a handful of shelled prawns or a block of cubed extra-firm tofu for chicken, if you wish. Simply marinate for 30 minutes. For vegan, top noodle and vegetable bowls with chopped toasted peanuts.
• Lemongrass paste, garlic paste, and many puréed herbs are available in squeeze tubes in the refrigerated section of the produce department in most grocery stores. It’s convenient and perfect for using in marinades. It provides oodles of flavour without the worry of burning little bits when grilling.
• The beauty of noodle bowls is that they’re endlessly versatile. You can choose your own noodles or substitute with spiralized zucchini. You can select any number of toppings such as marinated chicken or shellfish, or make them vegetarian or vegan.

These simple favourites might be fiddly to make, but after a few tries you’ll quickly get the hang of it. It’s a delicious lunchtime snack to eat while on your feet at any event. We added prawns, but you can also pack them chock full of vegetables.

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