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Walking Vegetarian Tacos

Eating a taco can be a challenge if you’re on the move. But something that’s appearing at takeout windows is the “walking taco”—all the ingredients of a taco tucked into a bag with a serving utensil. We lightened it up and tucked satisfying lentils into a lettuce wrap with some fresh toppings and guacamole with a jalapeno kick.

Tip

Toasting pepitas is as easy as 1, 2, 3. Place them in a dry, heavy pan and heat over medium. Stir often. Remove from heat when they begin to pop. Transfer to bowl and set aside.

Roasted Chickpeas Five Ways

Roasted chickpeas are perfect for snacking—and you can toss them with different seasonings to suit anyone’s tastes. Crunchy, healthy, and satisfying, they’re a great alternative to popcorn! And they have less fat than toasted nuts. Grab a bag to-go and hit the boardwalk or the trails.

Tips

Leftover chickpeas? Simply toss into a salad or sprinkle over a soup.
Short on time? Drain and rinse a 14 oz (398 mL) can chickpeas and thoroughly blot dry. Toss with oil and a little salt, and spread out on baking sheet. Bake at 400 F (200 C) for 35 to 40 minutes or until golden and crisp. Toss with desired seasonings and serve.

Smoky Glazed Salmon Sliders with Yogurt Caper Dill Sauce

Mini salmon burgers are the ultimate for both small and large appetites. Great for little appetites, or two per person as a main course. The cool and creamy yogurt topping is a complementary addition to the smoky glazed salmon.

Tip

Tabasco chipotle sauce is available in grocery stores. Alternatively, mash 1/2 chipotle pepper in adobo sauce until smooth and add 2 tsp (10 mL) to salmon glaze. For tender taste buds, substitute Tabasco with a little honey and Dijon.

Free-Form Chocolate Clusters

Based on the traditional French confection mendiants, the combination of chocolate-enrobed crunchy nuts and sweet dried fruit hits the dessert spot without the calorie overload.

Kids in action

Hand over the job of spreading the chocolate disks and scattering on the toppings. But it’s an adult decision about who gets to clean the bowl of the last remnants of melted chocolate goodness.

Tip

Alternative toppings can include everything from coconut flakes or pomegranate seeds to chopped almonds or sliced dried apricots.

Peanut Butter Hummus

After-school snacks offer an opportunity to add important nutrients to a child’s diet and also to curb appetites until the dinner bell rings. Peanut butter anoints hummus with a kid-approved flavour profile (and some extra protein) making this healthy dip something that little legs will run home for. Possible dippers include apple wedges, baby carrots, sliced red pepper, celery, and baked tortilla chips. It can also be spread on brown rice cakes.

Kids in action

Allow your under-aged helpers to place all of the ingredients in a food processor container and then, when secured, hit the go button.

Tip

Soaking and simmering chickpeas with some baking soda encourages the legumes to break down during cooking, making for a creamier dip.

Steak Taco Salad with Avocado Crema

There’s no reason to beet around the broccoli: veggies are what children should be eating more of during their midday meal. But if you’re sending them off with a lunch salad, it had better be more than a pile of limp greens. This Instagram-ready deconstructed taco salad has enough great textures and familiar flavours to guarantee lunch boxes will return home empty.

Kids in action

Remember that as a nicely portioned, creative, fun way to pack and serve lunch, bento boxes aren’t just for kids. This salad can also be served as a family dinner, and grilled chicken can replace the steak.`

Tip

Granola Pie with Maple Yogurt

Who says granola has to be served in a bowl with spoon in hand? This whimsical make-ahead riff on a breakfast classic removes the woulda-coulda-shoulda about starting the day on a solid nutritional note. And it provides a nourishing mixture of quality carbs, protein, and healthy fats.

Kids in action

Let the little ones have fun mixing together all of the ingredients in a bowl and then pouring the nutritional goodness into a cake pan.

Tip

The size of granola pie slices can be adjusted based on appetites and reheated in the microwave or oven.

Spaghetti and Meatball Soup

This one-pot wonder is a deliciously satisfying twist on family-favourite spaghetti and meatballs. A healthy way to spoon up pure comfort food, the meatballs can also be made with grass-fed ground beef. Serve with a side salad for a complete meal.

Kids in action

Wee hands are perfect for rolling the meatballs.

Tip

The soup will likely thicken as it cools and become more akin to spaghetti and meatballs. So if you have some left over and want to turn it into soup once again, stir in extra broth or a combo of broth and more tomatoes to loosen it up.

Green Pea Pesto Socca Squares

Top these versatile, polenta-inspired bites with your child’s favourite ingredients, such as tomato sauce, hummus, sliced cucumbers, or cheese.

Tip

Transform these socca squares into gluten-free mini pizzas, topping them after baking with a dollop of tomato sauce and sprinkle of cheese. Bake briefly until cheese is slightly melted and enjoy.

Caramelized Apple Socca Spoon Bread

In-season apples, sautéed and baked in an egg socca pancake batter, will fill your home with the aroma of apple pie, without the fuss. This warm and cozy dessert can be made and served in under an hour, and goes beautifully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or yogurt.

Tip

Skip the sugar and make this savoury by sautéing onions instead of apples and adding minced chives instead of cinnamon. If you have it handy, drape over some wild smoked salmon when it comes out of the oven.

Socca “Tamago” Sushi Bento Box

Homemade sushi is made doable for lunch the next day. Protein from tamago, “egg” in Japanese, is replaced here with a sliced socca omelette, giving it the look and feel of traditional tamago, while remaining entirely egg free.

Socca Huevos Rancheros Verde

Huevos rancheros, or rancher’s eggs, are a refreshing, flavourful alternative to the traditional morning scramble. For school days, make the socca ahead of time. When you’re ready to serve, assemble the individual portions, bake, and serve.

Tip

Turn this into a family-style breakfast casserole by assembling it in 8 x 8 x 2 in (20 x 20 x 5 cm) glass or ceramic baking pan or cast iron skillet, doubling the socca for a sturdy base.

Basic Socca Recipe

The master recipe for socca pancakes can be as simple as 1 part chickpea flour to 1 part water; however, this one has sturdiness thanks to yogurt and a touch of whole grain (or gluten-free) flour, allowing you to keep it soft and tender for a couple of days.

Tip

Sweeten this adaptable socca recipe with cinnamon, topping it off with Greek yogurt, fresh fruit, and melted dark chocolate. No kid could resist.

Sweet-Potato-and-Broccoli-Stuffed Socca Crepes

Savoury crepes are a knife-and-fork affair that can be presented with your family’s go-to protein and roasted vegetable of choice.

Tip

Heat leftover socca pancakes in the oven to crumble over salad for a healthy, protein-rich crouton.

Tandoori-Style Shrimp and Mango Kebabs

Add a little of the exotic to your dinner table with these delectable Indian-influenced kebabs. The happy yellow hue of the kebabs comes from turmeric, which contains a compound called curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Tips

It’s important to prepare wooden skewers for cooking by submerging them in warm water for about 30 minutes before threading on ingredients. This minimizes the risk of them catching on fire while kebabs are cooking.
These kebabs also turn out great cooked under the broiler. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, flipping over once, until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Chicken and Waffle Pops

A lightened-up version of the popular chicken- and-waffle trend, these pops are given the Tex-Mex treatment for fun twist. The blender salsa comes together in minutes and is sure to become a refrigerator staple, as it also pairs well with eggs, fish, or roasted vegetables.

Tip

Make these waffles into a hearty brunch, lunch, or dinner by cooking without the skewers and topping with diced avocado, black beans, a fried egg, and salsa.

Parmesan Squash Kebabs with Tahini Pesto Sauce

A vegetarian take on the always kid-approved chicken nugget, these kebabs are sure to be a hit with the entire family. Kids will love the slightly sweet taste of butternut squash while also reaping the benefits of its vitamin A, potassium, and fibre content. Try serving these kebabs over pasta or spiralized vegetable noodles to round out the meal.

Tips

You can make these kebabs with chunks of wild salmon or organic chicken instead of squash. Just note there is no pre-roasting required. Simply thread everything onto skewers and roast until protein is cooked through.
Instead of discarding butternut squash seeds, try roasting them. Toss washed seeds with 1 tsp (5 mL) grapeseed oil and roast in 400 F (200 C) oven, stirring occasionally, until brown and crisp. Toasted seeds make a great snack or topping for salads or soups.

Oatmeal Breakfast Kebabs

Fuel your morning with one of these make-ahead breakfast kebabs and you’re sure to get your day off to a sunny start. Kiwis, raspberries, and oranges provide a good dose of immune-boosting vitamin C, while the oats and chia provide fibre, which may help us feel full until lunchtime. For breakfast on the go, skip the dipping sauce.

Tip

Customize your oatmeal bites by substituting cranberries for any dried fruit you have on hand. Dried apricots, blueberries, strawberries, mango, or golden raisins all work well.

Banana Split on a Stick

Quick and decadent, these banana split kebabs pack all the flavour of the classic colossal confection into a tasty linear treat. For speedy assembly when the mood strikes, keep a few cans of full-fat coconut milk in the refrigerator, as the separation of coconut cream and coconut water takes at least 8 hours.

Tip

In some brands of coconut milk, the cream and water do not separate, making it impossible to make whipped cream. If making coconut whipped cream for the first time, refrigerate a couple of different brands of full-fat coconut milk to see which brand works best.

Cantaloupe Fruit Salad

Breakfast, snack, dessert, or after a sweaty workout, this refreshing fruit salad is a welcome addition to any summer menu. Cantaloupe is the star of this show, with its extra sweet, juicy flesh and delicious, musky fragrance.

Grilled Stone Fruit Salad

This fruit salad brings together a crave-worthy combination of sweet and creamy. Adding pistachios and buckwheat provides great crunch. It’s a stunning addition to a summer evening dinner spread.

Tip

If you’re following a dairy-free diet, you could replace the ricotta cream with cashew cream.

Firm hand

For an out-of-hand snack, stone fruit should be deliciously juicy. But for grilling, it’s best to select fruit that are still slightly under-ripe so they hold together better over the fire.

Berry Melon Chicken Salad

The sweet-tart combo of watermelon and raspberries raises the bar on the iconic Italian Caprese salad, a mixture of tomato, mozzarella, and basil. By including grilled chicken, you’ve essentially created more of a stand-alone meal.

Get fancy

Go the extra mile and grill some watermelon, which makes it meatier. Just lightly grease a few slabs of watermelon, grill on medium for about 3 minutes per side, and then chop.

Ceviche Fruit Salad

Best enjoyed outdoors on a hot summer evening, this fruity ceviche can be served as an appetizer along with tortilla chips, or try it as a main dish scooped into lettuce leaves. Try small bay scallops in lieu of fresh salmon, if unavailable.

Tip

Be sure to serve this ceviche immediately after mixing in the fruit: enzymes in mango and pineapple will break down the fish and make it mushy if they mingle for too long. The recipe can be halved to serve a more intimate crowd, as ceviche does not make good leftovers.

Green giant

When making fruit salads, especially those featuring tropical gems like mango and pineapple, consider including some diced avocado. It provides buttery, creamy contrast to the fruits’ sweetness. Besides, avocado is, botanically, a fruit.

Blueberry Cherry Corn Salad Jars

Sweet, savoury, and fiery all at once, this ready-to-go salad is the epitome of summer and a surefire way to breathe new life into your lunch routine.