Food

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. 

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.

This healthy ice cream comes together in minutes and satisfies when you’re craving a cooling post-workout treat. Tip: This easy ice cream can also be turned into popsicles. Simply use a little more liquid to create a softer consistency that can easily be poured into popsicle molds. Freeze until solid and enjoy as a grab-and-go treat.

Star anise adds an exotic sweetness to the dish, which also works as a healthy dessert. You can use any kind of apple for this recipe and adjust the amount of cranberries to balance the apples’ sweetness, since there’s no other sugar added. We tried Lobo, Cortland, and McIntosh, and they all worked well.

"You’ll be dreaming of this molten caramel skillet cake with sweet cinnamon, dates, vanilla, and pecans long after your camping trip is over."

These naturally sweet Mexican-style popsicles have no sugar added, but you’d never know it! When you use overripe mangoes, the fruit will already be sweet enough. Don’t be scared off by black spots on the outer skins or if they feel a bit soft. These are the ones you want, since they’ll be the sweetest and juiciest inside.

This delightful tart is filled to the brim with “bumbleberries.” Not to mislead, though: there is no such thing as a bumbleberry. It’s actually a mixture of fruits and berries that some suggest originated in the Maritimes. In our version, we’ve combined blueberries, raspberries, and blackberries. But any mixture will do. Enjoy this summertime treat!

Fruit buckles are a quintessential old-fashioned favourite. We’ve produced a more rustic version of the old classic using oats and oat flour but with all the familiar flavours. Cut the buckle into squares and top with a generous scoop of your favourite vanilla ice cream or alternative.

Breakfast meet dessert. Dessert meet breakfast. This decadent tasting, yet still nutritious, way to kick off your day is a celebration of all things chocolate and a perfect excuse to dust off that waffle maker. Consider topping with dollops of thick yogurt and fresh berries. Batter using egg whites is best made shortly before making the waffles, but extras can be chilled for up to one day. Not all cacao powder is created equal. Your best buy for health benefits is “natural” or “raw” cacao powder over “Dutch processed” (often spelled “cocoa”), which uses alkalization to mellow out the flavour but also damages precious antioxidants. No buttermilk in the fridge?  A quick fix is to stir 1 Tbsp (15 mL) freshly squeezed lemon juice or distilled white vinegar into each cup of regular milk and let stand for 5 to 10 minutes. When it’s ready, milk will be slightly thickened, and you’ll see small curdled bits. You can also mix 3/4 cup (180 mL) plain yogurt or sour cream with 1/4 cup (60 mL) water to thin, then use as you would buttermilk. No oat flour in the larder?  If you have rolled oats on hand but no oat flour, you’re in luck. You can whiz up oat flour by blending rolled oats in a food processor or high-powered blender until a fine powder forms. A single cup (scooped and levelled) of old-fashioned or quick-cooking oats yields just over 1 cup (250 mL) oat flour.  

This cake is not too sweet, not too rich, but still offers all the comfort (hello, maple syrup and warming spices) you want when finishing off a festive meal. Plus, there is no refined sugar in sight. If serving those with food sensitivities, you can try making the cake with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend and melted coconut oil. Flour power  Compared to regular whole wheat flour, spelt flour often produces cakes, scones, and muffins that are more tender and with greater nutritional virtues than all-purpose white flour.  

In this dessert, tangy raspberries are blended with avocado into a luxuriously refreshing mousse. The result is a treat that’s packed with heart-healthy fats and blood sugar-stabilizing nutrients. Whenever possible, make it with organic ingredients

Holiday nog holds a special place in our hearts. For many, it is the epitome of Christmas and brings back memories of holiday parties through the years. Well, don’t worry, dear friends. Just because you’re avoiding eggs doesn’t mean you have to forgo your favorite holiday drink. Using the magic of cashews and coconut cream, we’ve recreated a holiday nog that is every bit as luscious as the nog you grew up drinking. It’s redolent of the cozy flavors of winter recipe | Toni Okamoto & Michelle Cehn  

If you are new to the world of plant-based baking, you may hear the word “aquafaba” and wonder what it’s all about. Aquafaba is that liquid you find canned legumes, most commonly chickpeas, soaking in. It works wonders as an egg substitute in virtually any baked good recipe, especially when you need to create a frothy or foamy yummy substance. This pie has a light and fluffy topping that is perfectly torched, and a rich, tart-yet-sweet filling that is completely addictive. I promise you will come back not only for seconds, but for thirds and fourths! recipe | Doug McNish Author’s tip  Everyone should get a kitchen torch because … using a blowtorch is awesome to create depth of flavor and caramelization in so many dishes.        

Who says granola needs to be served in a bowl with a spoon in hand? This adorable dessert plays by the nutritional rules and requires no apology for going from hand to mouth. The seedy granola cups can also serve as a make-ahead breakfast.

These are the perfect grab-and-go breakfast, on-the-run snack, or post-workout nosh. This recipe makes a lot of large cookies, but fear not: They freeze beautifully. This means they’ll be close at hand when a cookie craving strikes.

The simplicity of this layered dessert hides its deeper and more complex aromatic flavours. A cherry compote subtly scented with rose makes an exquisite combination with cardamom yogurt and a topping of ground pistachios and dried rose petals. When buying rose petals, look for dried ones grown for edible use.

Chef Gentile shares a method to make homemade almond milk with equipment found at home in this recipe, but you can use a cold-press juicer instead if you have one. Take care when sweetening with stevia: it is 150 times sweeter than sugar. Excerpted with permission from 21 of Canada’s greatest chefs present Inspired Cooking, benefitting InspireHealth Supportive Cancer Care (Fresh Air Publishing).

The ultimate raw cheesecake is a snap to make thanks to inherently creamy raw cashews. While this recipe takes a bit of time to create, it’s mostly hands-off. Garnish with sliced fresh strawberries or your favourite fruit. Tip: Make snack-sized cheesecakes in paper-lined muffin tins; they’re perfect for packed lunches or plated desserts.

Fill this free-form rustic tart with your favourite combination of seasonal fruits, from sweet berries in the spring, juicy stone fruits in the summer, apples, pears, and dates in the fall, to pumpkin, sweet potatoes, and squash in the winter.

Cook’s Tips:

Packed with antioxidants and a vegetal sweet flavour, matcha is all the rage these days among tea aficionados. Outside of the mug, it can also be a way to add a “wow, look at that” green hue to desserts. This bark is a great way to satisfy crunchy, creamy, and sweet cravings after a day of Earth Day festivities.

Make the grade

Like other nuts and seeds, sesame seeds are known for containing phytosterols, which are known to lower LDL (bad) cholesterol. If you want to try something extra special, drizzle these squares with some melted vegan dark chocolate.

Slightly sour with a marbled ruby interior and berrylike flesh, blood oranges peak in early spring. In this Silky Chocolate Blood Orange Cheesecake, they’re paired with rich chocolate and creamy cashews for a perfectly sweet, seasonal ending to any spring feast.

Out for blood (oranges)