Food

Here’s a delicious method to tenderize chicken that’s simple to boot! It’s also great for a crowd—simply double or triple the recipe. Be sure to pass on any remaining wheat beer for the chef to wet his whistle while he works ... over the barbecue.

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This delicious soup is chock full of vegetarian goodness and packed with hearty flavours. The harissa spices heat the taste buds in a myriad of ways, but the true depth of flavour comes from soaking dried chickpeas in witbier, a delicious brew that’s beautifully smooth and refreshing.

Tips

• Dried harissa spice is a blend of cumin, chilies, coriander, garlic, mint, caraway, cayenne, and salt. It’s found in gourmet food shops or well-stocked grocery stores. Also available online.
• Cooking chickpeas from scratch is well worth the effort, given the results. Double or triple the quantity, adding plenty more water for soaking and cooking. Drain and spread out on a cloth-lined baking sheet. Blot dry and freeze in small containers. Perfect for soups, hummus, or tossed into salads or stir-fries. Don’t forget to add baking soda to the water when cooking, as this helps tenderize the chickpeas.

This fresh and simple dish is perfect for late spring and early summer. A quickly seared tuna loin is melt-in-your-mouth juicy, can be cooked in minutes, and goes a very long way. With the ale-spiked dressing, this dish goes well with a craft lager laced with Citra hops and orange peel.

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Burgers are a perennial game-day favourite, but not always a nutritional win. Root for the healthier team by swapping out beef for salmon and cheese slices for a velvety feta yogurt sauce. And then finish everything off with a stack of veggies. To let all the other flavours and textures shine through, consider subtracting the bun. For burgers, panko bread crumbs or quick-cooking oat flakes can be used as a replacement for almond flour.

Top a small pita with mozzarella, chicken, and other pizza favourites, then broil, and you have a fun and breezy meal that’ll satisfy any sports fan—even during periods of defeat. No need to tip the delivery guy. And the ingredients can easily be scaled up to feed a big crowd. Small naan bread or even split English muffins can also be used as a pizza base.

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.

These taco-inspired lettuce wraps are full of vibrant flavour tempered by subtle heat, all topped off with a zingy tomatillo salsa. Shredding the chicken helps to make a small quantity of chicken feed a crowd, and the texture pairs well with the light wrapper. The bright salsa features heart-healthy tomatillos, which contain phytochemicals called withanolides, which studies have found can help inhibit cancer cell growth.

Burst cherry tomato, spinach, corn, and tuna (or salmon or chickpea) pasta with fresh chili and olive oil makes for a warm-weather, southern Italian-style pasta that’s light, fresh, and endlessly adaptable.

A fresh lunch inspired by the warmer weather, all components of this dish can be made ahead, even packed for Mom and her family to take on a Mother’s Day picnic. The bowl gets glam with the addition of microgreens (or sprouts), heirloom veggies, and meaty halloumi cheese.

Get ready to impress with this unique twist on a classic Ukrainian dish. It contains all the ingredients you’d find in a traditional borscht, minus the broth, elevating it from a winter staple to a perfect springtime dish that highlights feathery, flavourful dill and all the hearty vegetables you can handle.

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.

Poaching is a tried-and-true healthy method of cooking protein because no fat is needed during the cooking process. You can, however, add as much or as little flavour to your cooking liquid as you like to maximize taste. Though simple, this chicken is the perfect vessel for a vibrant take on a herby gremolata sauce.

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.

Tourtière is, for me, the dish that best represents Québec. It can be traced back to the 1600s, and there’s no master recipe; every family has their own twist. Originally, it was made with game birds or game meat, like rabbit, pheasant, or moose; that’s one of the reasons why I prefer it with venison instead of beef or pork.

My love of artichokes continues with this classic recipe, one of the best ways to eat this interesting, underrated, and strange vegetable. Frozen artichoke hearts are a time-saving substitute, though the flavour and texture of fresh artichokes are, by far, much superior and definitely preferred.

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.

Who says meatballs are just for pasta and red sauce? These curry fish balls are an exciting focal point for this salad inspired by traditional Asian flavours. The raw greens and herbs deliver freshness to the salad, while the sweet and nutty-tasting black rice adds a visual pop. If you can’t use black rice, long-grain brown rice can stand in.

The sweet-tart warm blueberry dressing is a wonderful counterpoint to the earthy elements of this simple yet satisfying salad. All the cooked elements of this salad—berry dressing, chicken, and farro—can be prepared ahead of time and then assembled for a quick weeknight meal. If farro is not available, other grains, including spelt berries, sorghum, or quinoa, can be used.

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.

Carrots, whose earthy sweetness is intensified in the oven, are an inspiring and eyesome stand-in for grains in this lively gluten-free version of a classic Lebanese side dish. You can serve the tabbouleh salad on a bed of freekeh or quinoa for a more substantial dish. If za’atar is not available, you may season the carrots with Italian seasoning or herbes de Provence.

With very little effort, chicken drumsticks are transformed into a fun and flavour-filled tasty treat! Enjoyed hot or cold, these meaty lollipops pack well and are fantastic on their own or will complement just about any side dish.