Food

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

Kale salad is made hearty with the addition of quinoa, cheddar, and crispy candied nuts. It’s filling enough to be served as a main course, but can be easily served as a side (for up to six diners). Seasonal, simple, and made with common ingredients, you’ll want to keep this recipe in your repertoire for satisfying lunches and light dinners. Drizzle this creamy dressing over avocado toast in the morning, or create a zestier chickpea or egg salad sandwich for lunch.

In this play on a classic Italian salad, pesto, fresh cheese, and punchy greens brighten and elevate what is already highly flavourful grass-fed beef. Make it even more awesome by going the extra mile and grilling the tomato slices. You can even make your own pesto.

Buns away

When life gives you lemons, make this lemonade-inspired water infusion. To make this infusion an electrolyte-rich post-workout drink, forgo the ice, add a splash of unsweetened coconut water, and toss in a pinch of Himalayan sea salt.

Finely chopping raw broccoli (including its stems) creates a pleasing, deli-style slaw that will keep well for a few days. Tossed with sweet hazelnuts, fresh summer berries, and cooked chicken (or chickpeas), this is a dish that will have no issues disappearing. Serve this salad as a main course or side dish, or on a bed of greens or cooked quinoa.

Fresh basil lends its distinctive bold flavour to this refreshing beverage. Basil is a warm-weather herb that can quickly turn black when exposed to the cold air in your refrigerator. Protect basil from spoilage by loosely wrapping it in a dishcloth and storing it in your crisper.

Always refreshing, cucumber, honeydew melon, and mint join forces to create this mojito-inspired thirst quencher. For an extra minty burst of flavour, rub a mint leaf around the rim of your serving glass just before serving.

Asian-inspired noodles with a hint of Sriracha spice up this unexpected, very green summer salad. Peanut butter and miso infuse the Master Vinaigrette with a decadent, dairy-free creaminess, while fresh chopped mint and cucumber keep things refreshing. Make a handheld romaine lettuce “taco” with this salad instead of eating it with a fork or chopsticks.

This salad is bursting with tropical flavour, brightened up with a floral coconut-lime dressing and sweet pineapple. Plus, it’s topped with omega-3-packed salmon. You’ll love this quick salad stunner in the heat of summer, though it can be made all year long with its season-less ingredients. Skip stodgy potato salad at your next picnic and use this creamy coconut dressing to coat roasted or steamed baby new potatoes instead.

This master recipe is the base for the dressings on the following four summertime salads. Tangy, bright, and perfectly sweet, this dressing tastes as good in a bowl of plain leafy greens as it does in our imaginative salads. This makes approximately 1 cup (250 mL) dressing, enough for 2 Tbsp (30 mL) per individual salad. Employ this dressing as a dip for raw veggies, drizzle onto grilled fish, toss with pasta, and more—the sky is the limit with this Master Vinaigrette!

Undeniably, watermelon is one of summer’s quintessential fruits. So when grilling season is in full swing, be sure to grill watermelon. Grilling gives it an almost meaty texture that makes this ruby fruit a standout addition to a salad.

Bright pink and subtly sweet, this cream soda-inspired infusion is bursting with vanilla flavour. It makes the perfect treat on a hot day. Pitting cherries doesn’t have to be a messy chore. Remove cherry pits almost effortlessly by pushing a drinking straw down through the top of the cherry. This will push the pit out of the bottom.

These basil-heavy savoury crepes are restaurant worthy, but rest assured they aren’t a high-flying kitchen feat. For a vegetarian version, try stuffing them with chickpeas and spinach. The batter can be mixed together up to 24 hours in advance if covered and chilled. Garnish with basil microgreens, if you like.

Flower Power

Broccoli stalks are often neglected (or thrown out!), but they’re worthy of a little attention. Spiral slicing or cutting them into matchsticks turns the stems into sturdy, crispy noodles.

Tips

• Use broccoli stem peels in soup stock or stir-fries.
• Use reserved broccoli florets in soups, pastas, stir-fries, and side dishes, or cook and add to this salad for a double broccoli feature.

For the ultimate food waste-reducing (and shockingly pink) snack, this dish uses all the parts of the beet. The healthy baked falafel incorporates the sturdy beet greens, and the tangy magenta hummus (perfect for dipping or dolloping) uses the beetroot.

Tip

Kale stalks add creaminess and body to your morning smoothie, eliminating the need for a dairy base of milk or yogurt. For an extra boost, save and freeze kale stalks from your everyday cooking, and throw a few extras into this or any smoothie recipe for a (free!) nutrition enhancer.

Tip:

This spicy, vegetable- and fruit-packed (peels and all!) treat works as well for a whole grain dessert as it does for a breakfast muffin. For dessert, garnish with a dollop of Greek yogurt and jam, or frost with your favourite cream cheese icing to elevate these for afternoon tea.

Tips

• Bake the batter in a loaf or round cake pan for a different presentation. For loaves and cakes, bake for 40 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in centre comes out clean.
• Reserve leftover orange pulp for smoothies.

Don’t throw away those celery leaves—they’re packed with punchy celery taste and can be used in place of many savoury herbs in cooking. In this pesto recipe, celery leaves are blended with parsley and then tossed with simple sweet potato gnocchi for a surprisingly sophisticated dinner.

Additional tips

• Bake leftover sweet potato peels for crispy sweet potato skin “fries.”
• Freeze raw gnocchi on tray, transfer to container, and store for up to two months in freezer; boil from frozen.
• Freeze pesto in ice cube tray, unmould, and store in container in freezer for up to two months; defrost before using.

This makes a big batch of burgers—great for stocking the freezer! Or make a half batch if cooking for a smaller crowd, and use up the leftover berry barbecue sauce for all your grilled favourites, even pizza. Tip: Freeze leftover 1/2 cup (125 mL) berry barbecue sauce. Mix with cream cheese for a sandwich spread or mayo for a burger condiment.

Classic dishes such as gazpacho are like rock stars. They don’t fade away, they just reinvent themselves. Case in point, this beet version is luscious and sweet and only gets better when adorned with a basil-infused sauce. If the soup thickens up too much upon resting, simply stir in additional broth or water.

Get Saucy

These ready-to-go frozen smoothie packs are the perfect way to keep your cool and flood your body with a bounty of nutrients. Many people overlook the punchy flavour that fresh herbs such as basil can add to frosty smoothies. This deliciously thick drink is also a good way to help your muscles recover after a spirited workout. If the frozen contents freeze together, be sure to break up the bundle before adding to blender to allow for easier blending.

Protein Power

Kick up your lunch routine with these open-faced sandwiches that feature fetching stacked colour contrasts. More proof that basil and tomato are a dynamic duo. Eating toast was never so exciting.

Dry Matter

This beautiful springtime salad makes a great side dish for grilled fish and chicken. Lightly sauté—almost steam— the chard to keep it on the crunchy side instead of braising it completely. This will keep the colour light and bright.

This is a great addition to an alfresco lunch or a light and lovely afternoon snack. Sumac gives this salad a pop of peppery bright flavour that brings out the sweet fruitiness in the berries. The cucumbers temper the heat in the spicy almonds. Tip: Persian cucumbers are small and thin-skinned, and with fewer seeds than English cucumbers. Substitute one large English cucumber for three Persian ones.

Spice it up!