Food

A savoury breakfast makes a welcome change from the overload of sweet stuff often served at brunches. While it’s not necessary, a poached or fried egg on top makes this dish even more divine. For crispier, almost hash brown-esque cauliflower, be sure to finely chop the florets. Try blending hummus with a handful of chopped basil to pump up the flavour.

Baked avocado boats turn über custardy and even more decadent with a soft yolky egg tucked inside. The trick to preventing tough, chewy kale is to massage the leaves into tender deliciousness. A bit of added salt helps break down tough fibres in the kale, making it tenderer.

Basil or mint?

Migas has many different variations, yet the common requirement is scrambled eggs with crunchy crushed tortillas. Basically, this is like eating mixed-up tacos for breakfast. It’s great for crowds or picky eaters since all the fixings are dished up separately—“help yourself” style. Serve with a black bean salad for a robust brunch.

Freeze chipotles for later

A mishmash of Anglo-Indian dishes, kedgeree traditionally uses smoked haddock and boiled rice. This version has a West Coast twist with both smoked and grilled salmon. There are a lot of elements to the dish, so many hands make light work.

Is there anything better than sitting down to a delicious homemade dessert that’s made with wholesome ingredients? Only sitting down to that same delicious dessert and sharing it with family and friends. While apple pie may be the quintessential fall dessert, the process of making it is often time consuming and a little complicated. These soft and chewy bars allow you to enjoy the comforting taste of apple pie without all the work! Plus, they’re vegan and perfect for sharing. These bars taste even better on the second day! That is, if you can make them last that long.

This chickpea salad is a home-run people pleaser at potlucks because it’s vegetarian and gluten free, and it can easily be made dairy free. And although it’s super healthy, it’s definitely not boring diet food. You get the sweet pop of the pomegranate, the toasty crunch of the chickpeas, the refreshing bite of the veg, the creaminess of the tzatziki, and a salty kick from the feta and olives. With so many satisfying textures, flavours, and colours in one bite, no one will miss the meat or bread.

Pulse power

This cloudlike dessert comes together in under an hour and gives ice cream a run for its money. A tangy, light yogurt mousse is topped with a floral lavender- and thyme-infused strawberry jam, and garnished with (surprise!) black pepper. If you’d like a bit of crunch, top with chopped pistachios or almonds. TIP: Use any soft summer fruit to make this quick jam. Consider using plums, apricots, raspberries, or blueberries.

Tarragon has a gentle licorice-like taste, marrying well with succulent summer berries in this berry slump. Underscoring the licorice notes is a crumble topping boosted with anise seeds. It’s as delicious for dessert as it is the next morning for breakfast. Tarragon can be replaced with basil or half the amount of thyme.

The Indian flatbread known as naan makes a great crust option when you want a hassle-free pizza night. A lively arugula pesto, sweet peaches, and a finishing touch of intense balsamic syrup guarantee this peach naan pizza will knock the socks off anything the delivery guy can supply. If you would like a meal with more protein, try adding shredded roasted chicken to the toppings. You’ll end up with about double the amount of pesto needed for this recipe, so use extras to improve nearly any sandwich, pasta dish, grain bowl, or roasted vegetable.

When in the throes of the dog days of summer, this refreshing kefir soup not only helps you keep your cool but is also a total taste bud party. Tangy kefir, a probiotic-rich dairy drink, is a perfect complement to juicy, sweet peaches.

Chill out

Peaches bring a tempered sweetness to this homemade barbecue sauce, while ancho chili peppers, which are the dried version of poblano peppers, supply just the right amount of fiery kick. It’s the perfect way to take chicken up a gastronomic notch. Serve with roasted potatoes and a summer salad for a delicious complete meal. It’s very likely you’ll have extra sauce on hand—consider that a blessing when you learn how amazing it is on everything from coleslaw to pizza.

A-peeling news

Infused with a vinegary snap, pickled peaches should be your go-to for waking up summery salsas. Use peaches that are still a little firm; they will soften in the pickling liquid. Remove the peach pit by slicing all the way around the fruit, starting at the stem end. Rotate each half simultaneously in opposite directions to separate and then pull out the pit.

Forget the boring, bland canned fruit salad of your youth, and mix up this effortlessly elegant version instead. Sorrel’s large, spinachlike leaves have a tart, bright flavour, complemented further by lemon. Mint and honey smooth things out, while “adult sprinkles” in the form of toasted almonds ground into a rich, nutty powder act as the metaphorical cherry on top. TIP: Sorrel can be harder to find (that is, unless you grow it). Replace it with any mild, leafy herb or a mixture, such as basil and/or tarragon.

This dinner-worthy salad is a feast of appetizing textures and flavours. Peaches provide sweetness, while beans deliver satisfying protein and fibre. Sweet and fiery at once, habit-forming Peppadew (sweet piquanté) peppers can be found in most deli sections. Or substitute them with roasted red pepper. If you’re not a fan of goat cheese, feta will work here too.

Make and take

Dandelion greens are a delightfully bitter green known for their role in promoting good digestion, as well as being rich in vitamin A. The greens are readily available in grocery stores, if you can’t find wild. Increase the wild food factor and tone down the bitterness by adding a small splash of birch syrup to these dandelion greens.

From coast to coast to coast, Canada is home to a number of wild berry varieties. Many, like mulberries, even grow in urban backyards. Berries are one of the easiest wild foods to locate during the summer months—a very good thing, as you’ll want to make these fudgy blondies more than once. Use the wild berries available in your neck of the woods such as wild blueberries, Saskatoon berries, mulberries, or salal berries.

My first introduction to foraging came from an afternoon kayaking in Tofino, BC. I harvested noodle-like kelp to enjoy that evening in brown rice sushi, and later, when dry, to grind and store in the pantry. However, there’s no need to hop in a kayak to make this recipe—use dried seaweed, available at natural food stores, instead. Increase the protein by adding wild smoked salmon, smoked tofu, or tempeh.

Ramps, or wild leeks, have a delightfully pungent yet mellow onion flavour. Salicornia, otherwise known as sea asparagus, is often found pickled or brined, and adds acidic brightness to this simple pasta meal. If one or both are unavailable, utilize regular leeks instead of ramps, and capers instead of pickled salicornia for a similar result. Instead of ramps, try leeks, garlic scapes, wild green garlic, or even green onions.

Consider this cooling basil- and lime-infused panna cotta after a spicy Thai curry. If it’s available to you, employ Thai (purple) basil for the zippiest result, though regular basil works just as well. Agar is a tasteless seaweed derivative that sets liquids much like gelatin, but is suitable for plant-based diets. It is available at many health food stores. TIP: A lemon and thyme version of this versatile panna cotta, garnished with fresh raspberries, would be equally stunning.

Look for the chocolate mint variety of fresh mint at your local garden centre, or use any variety of fresh mint you can find. Chocolate mint has a built-in chocolate flavour, making it fantastic for desserts featuring this classic, refreshing combo. TIP: Elevate this chocolate mint fudge by serving a square on a dessert plate; garnish with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.

Grilling fruits concentrates and caramelizes their natural sugars, making them sweeter. You can also use apricots, nectarines, or peaches. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt instead of ice cream, or top the crisp with Lemony Banana Ice Cream.

Lemony Banana “Ice Cream”

If you want to step up your salad game, look no further than the grill. The result is a salad that’s Instagram-ready and packed with new flavour nuances. The flat leaves of Tuscan kale are less likely to burn than curly kale, whose edges are prone to singeing. If you’re not using a vegetable basket, be sure to skewer the cherry tomatoes together. A scattering of crumbled goat cheese would only serve to make this salad even more crave worthy.

Calling all kale!

Potato salad is a summertime classic, but too often it’s also a calorie bomb. Here, a reasonable amount of tangy Greek yogurt offers a higher protein alternative to mayo, while the mustard and smoked paprika ensures each mouthful is as delicious as it is nutritious. The walnuts add healthy fats along with a nice textural contrast.

Boiled over

How to turn a turkey burger into something your backyard guests will swoon over? Spread on this smoky berry sauce that offers a sweet heat and a wonderful counterpoint to turkey. A bit of goat cheese helps infuse the meat with creamy moisture, which is especially important if you’re using lean ground turkey breast.

Meatballs are for spaghetti