Food

Half the family says chicken and the other half says, “No!” Here’s a delicious alternative that will please both vegans and the fussiest of carnivores: squash—crusted and baked to perfection—served with a vegan kale and romaine Caesar salad. Once they’ve tried it, it’ll be a go-to favourite for everyone on both sides of the food divide.

Tip

When people think of split pea soup, they often think robust and hearty European fare that’s swimming with ham. Well, step out of that mindset. This split pea soup is a delicious vegan alternative with amazing Indian spices. We’ve given it an exceptional boost with crisped tempeh croutons. It can’t get any tastier—and the nutritional boost is worth making a massive batch to add to any recipe, salad, or stir-fry.

Tips

• This delicious split pea soup is equally good with stirred in spinach, kale, or Swiss chard.
• Soaking split peas overnight reduces your cooking time from almost 2 hours down to 40 minutes. Alternatively, you can substitute split peas with urad dal and further reduce your cooking time

Tabbouleh recipes come in all different forms. We love this one with its blending of Middle-Eastern cultural flavours: a blended and creamy tahini dressing enhanced with roasted garlic flavours and drizzled over an interesting ancient grain with fresh herbs. All totalled? Refreshingly chill as a main or a side dish.

Tips

• For a speedier dish, soak grains for a couple hours before cooking.
• If khorasan kernels are not available, substitute with wheat, rye, or spelt berries, or any type of gluten-free grain like buckwheat groats, millet, or quinoa.

The flavour is in the dice. The smaller the dice, the more exacting the flavour. In this tasty concoction, the gentle sautéing of the finely diced vegetables, also known as soffritto, coupled with a splash of white wine and fresh herbs is just the base needed to carry this lovely vegan dish to flavourful heights.

Tip

Plenty of yum here! Enjoy a delicious vegan loaf that will satisfy even the most dedicated meat eaters in the group. The texture coupled with a combination of smoky flavours, apple and lemon, gives it a delicious fulfilling note that’s perfect for all taste buds. Enjoy it with a drizzle of creamy mustard sauce and a side order of slaw.

Tip

This soup is the perfect tool to get your kids to eat a variety of vegetables, because it’s chock full of so many of them. The combination together provides an earthy, yet not overpowering flavour. You’ll feel good knowing your kids are getting a megadose of vitamins and minerals essential to ward off the common cold and flu, and fibre for a healthy digestive system. If you don’t have butternut squash on hand just swap in sweet potato instead.

Tip

This creamy avocado pasta salad is a favourite for lunches in my home or for quick and easy dinners. It’s packed with flavour, and it’s both creamy and crunchy. If you plan on making this for the whole family, just double the recipe.

Tip

These are a perfect meal prep addition to your sunny mornings or even a tasty treat that will keep you glowing! Packed with colourful flavonoids and anti-inflammatory compounds, this tropical gem is sure to make you shine all season long.

Bonus tip

This simple and healthy soup, made creamy without any dairy, is a family favourite.

Bonus tip

So smooth, so rich, and so creamy, you’ll find it hard to believe it’s not dairy! Toasted hazelnuts and coconut are bound together by sweet dates, creating the perfect nutty and gluten-free base that’s then topped with a dreamy layer of tangy blackberry decadence. These bars are easy to make and store well in the freezer for up to a week. Enjoy at room temperature or frozen—they’re delicious either way!

This all-plant sheet-pan fajita spread made with tofu is the ultimate in easy dishes to serve a crowd. It requires minimal prep time and minimal kitchen tools, which also makes for minimal (a.k.a. quick) cleanup. Be sure to serve it with an array of different accompaniments. Good ideas include corn tortillas, refried beans, mashed avocado, diced tomato, salsa, cilantro, and sour cream.

This take on “Texas Caviar” with the addition of quinoa lends an added punch of protein. It’s full of antioxidant-rich red vegetables and is a great source of iron, potassium, and dietary fibre. Savour it like a salad, spoon it over tacos, or scoop it like salsa; the variety of textures, flavours, and subtle spice makes this a party-perfect dish.

Calling all chocolate lovers: make this show-stopping but very achievable dessert to impress Mom. A press-in crust, whipped coconut cream, berries, and flaky salt to top it all off take the chocolate “dream” pie to the next level.

More fun than a side salad, it’s a spread of the good stuff in a burst of glam colour, with two dipping sauces: one sweet for the fruit and one savoury for the veggies. What’s more, this arrangement of produce will double as your tablescape. Don’t forget to use Mom’s favourite fruits and veggies! Below are some suggestions to get you started.

For the savoury-loving Mom, these tartines are quick to prepare and look fabulous on the brunch table. A refreshed take on the now-classic avocado toast, they’re perfect on their own or paired with a colourful smoothie, tofu scramble, and fresh fruit salad.

A sweet sauce with punchy balsamic vinegar. Perfect over ice cream, yogurt, or cakes, it’s also magnificent drizzled over meats such as duck or pork, or as a condiment for cheese. Convert it to a dressing with a few tablespoons of olive oil and pair it with peppery arugula.

This sauce has enough heft to dress up cabbage or broccoli salads, or to be used as a dipping sauce for vegetables or meats. Ginger and miso lend bright zing and luscious umami flavour.

Chimichurri is so much more than a condiment; it’s a bold, punchy sauce that can elevate your dish to “favourite” status. It possesses strong flavours combined with clean oregano and parsley, pungent garlic, and tangy vinegar. Creamy butternut squash is simply a vessel for this divine condiment.

This savoury salad is a perfect lunch all on its own or as an accompaniment for a show-stopping dinner. Cilantro, a complex, pungent herb with citrus undertones, is the star of this dish, no longer just a garnish. Serve this salad at room temperature or cold—and prepare to discover the versatility of cilantro.

Tomatoes and basil are a match made in heaven. This recipe features this classic combination with a fun twist. Edamame pasta is packed with protein and is the perfect vessel for this simple sauce. Slow roasting the tomatoes gives this sauce a creamy mouthfeel without the cream. This dish is very forgiving, so get creative and use as few or as many tomatoes as you like.

Move over lettuce, there’s a new leafy green in town, and this one is packed with flavour. This salad is loaded with fresh, leafy herbs and crisp, crunchy vegetables. Toss them together with this light vinaigrette to highlight the subtle sweetness and allow the beautiful freshness of these herbs to shine through as the star of this dish.

Black, pearly lentils serve as a springboard for a highly nutritious salad that seems more sophisticated than its ease of prep would suggest. You want a lot of broccoli in this dish, so if only small heads are available, use two bunches. French green lentils also hold their shape with cooking, so they would be an adequate substitution for black lentils.

This plant-based BLT pasta salad recipe is an exciting twist on the classic sandwich. There’s no actual bacon here, but that’s hardly a missed omission. Packed with smoky tempeh, warm tomato dressing, and creamy avocado, it hits all the flavour and texture pleasure points. It’s a great dish to bring to a potluck as a vegan-friendly main. For a simpler preparation, look for tempeh that is pre-flavoured.

Decadent and rich, this picnic-packable bar will satisfy anyone’s sweet tooth. A hearty mixture of oats and nuts is bound together with sweet dates and maple syrup, creating a tasty base that’s topped with a luscious layer of decadent, rich, and dreamy chocolate.