Food

This stir-fry comes together in under half an hour, which makes it the perfect fast food after a workout (especially if you serve it over quinoa!). Feel free to customize the heat level in the dish by adding more chili flakes as desired.

Socca is a savory chickpea pancake enjoyed as a street food snack in Nice, France. Here, we’ve repurposed it as a protein-rich pizza base. You could choose to top it like a classic pizza, but this fresh take makes eating your greens a whole lot more interesting.

These satisfying two-bite snacks are perfect any time of day. Feel free to serve them with your favorite dipping sauce. (But hey: The coconut-lime one here is a winner. Just sayin’!). Green peas are one hardworking legume. They’re loaded with vitamins, high in fiber, and a good source of protein.

Spring is the season for asparagus. The tender green shoots popping out of the soil in early spring are especially prized for their fleeting seasonal appearance. Asparagus is extremely versatile, offering flavour to every recipe. For this recipe, you can make an authentic pizza dough or use a ready-made dough; you can also substitute with a gluten-free alternative base.    

This speedy, yet versatile supper can be on the table in 15 minutes. Lemony fresh and full of new baby spinach and mint, this dish is “pucker-up” tasty. Great as a main dish, it also works well as a starter. You can also easily add grilled asparagus or broccolini to up the green nutrient quotient.  

Our delicious quinoa salad knows no bounds—and it’s a substantial meal in a bowl. Here, we’ve paired it with crisp radicchio, spring radishes, and fresh dill and then topped it all off with sliced avocado and almonds. 

If there was ever an excuse to eat dessert for your health, this tasty little frozen pudding morsel ticks the box. Some studies show matcha has a very high concentration of antioxidants and may reduce the risk of heart disease and stroke, aid in weight loss, and strengthen the immune system. It’s also being studied for its anticancer properties. What better reason is there? 

Our healthy appetizer is loaded with goodness. From the creamy pea pesto to tumbled toppings, its eye-candy appeal will lure the fussiest of eaters. Fresh spring herbs coupled with mouth-puckering lemon juice pop with flavour. We’ve suggested scooping into endive leaves, but you can also spread it on crispy baguette toasts for a quick and easy first bite. Dig in and enjoy!  

Grab a spoon (yes, a spoon!) and dig into this vibrant and refreshing smoothie bowl. It’s your answer to the 10-minute breakfast and getting in a veggie serving before noon. You can blend in either a raw or cooked beet, with the latter being a better option if you’re using a blender without much horsepower. Granola or muesli is another topping option.   

Here’s a smoothie that even Bugs Bunny would go crazy for. This fetching bright orange drink blends a winning combo of sweet veggies and fruit, creamy cashew butter, tangy yogurt, and lime zest into a nutrient-packed smoothie that doesn’t hold back on flavour. Bonus: both orange bell pepper and carrot contain a surfeit of beta carotene, an antioxidant that is converted to vitamin A in the body and functions to improve bone, eye, and immune health.

Got extra greens in your crisper? Blend ’em up with some frozen fruit, nutty hemp hearts, and spicy ginger for a satiating and refreshing smoothie that is ultra-nutritious. The silky tofu provides a shot of plant protein, but we promise that its beany flavour disappears in the mixture.  

In the perfect game of hide-and-seek, you’d never imagine that this thick and creamy smoothie contains cauliflower. We’re willing to bet on that. Along with avocado and banana, frozen cauliflower simply creates a fudgy body. Dare we say, this delicious smoothie could stand in for dessert. If you wish, you can reduce some of the liquid and serve as a smoothie bowl with your favourite toppings.

This drink is almost too pretty to sip. And even better, it sneaks in a serving of antioxidant-rich red cabbage, which adds to this smoothie’s stunning shade without making it taste too, well, cabbage-y. In this drink, it’s blended with tangy kefir, sweet-tart blueberries, and chia seeds, which supply ample amounts of fibre and heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids.

There’s plenty of yum in these bliss balls. We added mushroom powder to the mix, as it contains a host of nutritional benefits. In this recipe, we upped the nutritional quotient by using chaga mushroom powder, which is touted as a wonder food with numerous health benefits. Other beneficial mushrooms available as a healthy powder can also be used in this recipe.

There’s nothing like a little spring chicken to satisfy the palate in springtime. This lemony coconut broth with sliced, lean chicken breast and fresh, crunchy garden peas is the quintessential warming dish that’s also perfect for boosting your immune system. The ginger and Thai chilies pack a healing wallop if spring showers have slowed you down. 

Filled with layers of crunchy chocolatey granola, creamy yogurt, and sweet-tart berries, this parfait will leave Mom feeling like she’s spooning up a special dessert for brunch. Once the granola is made, the meal practically makes itself. The granola can be prepared up to three days in advance, but the parfait is best assembled shortly before eating so the granola remains crunchy. Up-and-coming date syrup lends the granola a caramel-like sweetness, but you can swap in maple syrup if needed.

Forget flipping individual flapjacks; this pancake-banana bread hybrid lets you get everything on the table at once. Perfect for languid weekends, both wedges of the pie and the blueberry sauce reheat well for busy weekday breakfasts. For the most banana flavour, you’ll want to use fruit with plenty of brown spots on the skin. Almond flour infuses the pancake pie with a nutty taste, but if it’s not available you can replace it with more oat flour. 

Featuring tortillas and eggs adorned with salsa, huevos rancheros (rancher’s eggs) are a typical breakfast served at Mexican farms. Here’s another way to do the famed breakfast dish: bundling up ingredients and baking them into individual egg cakes makes it easy to serve a satisfying early-day meal in a flash.

With this premade breakfast loaf, you need not hover over a pot of simmering grains in the morning to serve up oatmeal. Grated carrot adds moisture, while the tender apple topping shows you’re willing to go to the extra effort to satisfy Mom’s palate. Both the loaf and apple topping can be made at least three days in advance. If following a gluten-free diet, use oats and oat flour that are certified gluten free.loa

Sweet and savoury at once, this whimsical play on a breakfast classic proves salad also deserves a spot on a morning menu. The toasted bread, sausage, and dressing can be made up to 2 days in advance, so Mom need not wait around to luxuriate in this delicious brunch on her special day. These days, there are good vegan sausage options if any family members are following a meat-free diet. Look for bread and sausage options with lower sodium numbers.

As spring herbs start to grow, it pays to let a few flower. Most herb flowers are edible and add great eye appeal and flavour to dishes. This savoury flatbread can be thrown together with premade flatbread, but I urge you to try making your own, as it’s easy—and so delicious.

The ubiquitous dandelion is entirely edible. When picked small, and unopened, the flower buds have a surprising sweetness, reminiscent of honey. Young greens are also tasty either raw or steamed, and dandelion petals are great for a colourful garnish. While dandelions are rather easy to come by, make sure to harvest them only from organic gardens. 

This unique grain-free granola is paleo, vegan, and free of refined sugars. For a quick and simple breakfast, try serving this sprinkled over yogurt and garnished with fresh seasonal strawberries.   

Fresh Johnny Jump-Ups have a mild minty flavour that brings a brightness to recipes. While this recipe is a terrific light lunch or dinner side dish, it also works well as an appetizer for a crowd when served with warm pita bread to spoon up the garlicky yogurt and greens.