Food

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.

No berry story is complete without a reminder about how to make easy jam in minutes. Chia Fruit Jam to the rescue. The rich berry taste isn’t trivialized by massive amounts of sugar, thanks to the chia seeds that give body and thickness. Furthermore, you can use either fresh or frozen fruit to whip this goodie up in minutes. In our recipe, we suggest adding a little honey or maple syrup for sweetening.

This burger is a longevity powerhouse. Loaded with beans, greens, sweet potatoes, and pepitas, it’s the perfect example of a blue zones-inspired twist on a classic American comfort food.

This recipe will certainly turn some heads with the look, smoky smell, and amazing flavor of a proper Texas BBQ! You can tweak the seitan by adding some blended tofu or blended beans into the wet mixture; this will give the brisket a less crumbly texture.  

Savory, smoky BBQ sauce has a slew of uses in plant-based cooking. Spread it on sandwiches instead of ketchup or slather it on your favorite plants toward the end of grilling. Most BBQ sauces start with a base of ketchup, but we’re not crazy about the corn syrup in ketchup. We use tomato paste as a base and build up the flavors from there.

Meaty king oyster mushrooms make this dish a win-win for meat eaters and plant eaters. The mushrooms have long, thick stems that you slice into thick strips, skewer, then roast to make satay. Yes! A creamy, gingery peanut sauce brings it all together.

Cottage cheese, large flaked oatmeal, and eggs blended together is the simplest trio for fluffy golden cakes. Top with a glossy berry compote. This is such an easy recipe—and a great start to any summer day!

This refreshing take on salsa has just the right ingredients to make it delicious served with any dish. We’ve developed it for crusted chicken, but it’s equally delicious tumbled over cedar-planked salmon, pan-fried paneer, or on thick grilled slices of butternut squash.

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!

The fusion of sweet, salty, and tart is an explosion of the senses. When prolific blackberries are in season, there is an unlimited collection of dessert recipes. We’ve taken this to a new level by marrying it with a salad and studding it with crumbled feta and toasted pine nuts. Sweet. Savoury. Nutty. Yummy!

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.

SMOKE SHOW

The flavorite  Grilling vegetables is as simple as adding a little bit of oil and some flavorings to your favorite veggie mixture. Even simpler, use flavored oils, available at many specialty shops, to add major wow factor.

Stay frosty  To achieve a frosted look, garnish the tart with fresh fruit and place it in freezer for 5 minutes. Once removed and exposed to room temperature, the fruit will achieve a delectable frosty look.  

Here’s a nutritional upgrade of the iconic cold- and flu-fighter soup that offers a fiery Asian twist. The searing serrano chili pepper is a smaller and more potent version of the jalapeno. If you want your soup to pack more of a punch, include more serrano seeds.

Impress your guests with salmon, smoked urban style at home. Enjoy it with fresh-from-the-oven baked bannock and homemade aioli or on top of a crisp salad.

The humble parsnip gets an upgrade with this colourful fall-inspired salad.

This make-ahead version of chicken soup is just what the doctor ordered. The dried spices and noodles make for the perfect Mason jar care package for a sick friend in need. Feel free to swap in or out any dried spices you’d like. Add a gift tag with instructions for the giftee to simmer the contents of the jar in 3 cups (750 mL) boiling water until noodles are soft, and you’ll be all set. To make the soup more substantial and satisfying, you can suggest adding diced chicken or vegetables to the broth and a dash of lemon juice. Otherwise, they can just enjoy the slurpable noodles in their stomach-soothing broth.   Pass da pasta   This recipe calls for egg noodles because they cook quickly without leaching too much starch into the broth, which would end up muting the broth’s flavour. You can also use quick-cooking ramen or buckwheat soba, or any spiral-shaped pasta, which look best in the gifted Mason jar.   Lemon aid   Dried lemon peel adds flavour without adding sodium. If you know your giftee will make the soup right away, add a few strips of freshly peeled lemon zest instead. Or give them a lemon along with the Mason jar, so they can add some zest and fresh juice themselves (and save the rest of the lemon for tea with ginger and honey).   Look for bouillon powder without MSG or other preservatives. Better yet, look for powdered bone broth, which will give the purest chicken flavour along with collagen, amino acids, healthy fat, and an array of minerals, just like a homemade chicken broth.  

This recipe skips the MSG often found in restaurant pho and uses a traditional and punchy dipping bowl of kaffir lime, salt, and pepper instead. You can dip pieces of chicken before slurping mouthfuls of noodles followed by spoonfuls of warming broth, so that the tail end of lemony, salty chicken flavour seasons each mouthful.

This one-pan dish is the perfect combination of caramelized vegetables, tender lentils, and juicy pomegranate seeds, all drizzled with an addictive lemon sauce. You can use canned, drained lentils instead of dried, but if you start boiling dried lentils before you chop the vegetables, it’ll take about the same amount of time as using canned in the end. Feel free to punch up the vinaigrette with 1/2 tsp (2 mL) minced fresh ginger, garlic, or Dijon mustard. Time-saving and big-batch baking Freeze any leftovers or double the recipe and freeze in a freezer-safe, oven-safe casserole dish. To reheat, bake from frozen in preheated 375 F (190 C) oven for about 30 minutes, until hot. Drizzle with vinaigrette. Shopping local If COVID-19 has taught us anything about food security, it’s that buying local matters. Buying local means being less dependent on imports. More money stays in the local economy and can be directed into public services, including hospitals and schools, via taxes. And on the environmental side, while Canada has plenty of large-scale monocrop farms, by supporting small-scale organic farms you’ll help encourage biodiversity, improve soil quality, and put your money where your mouth is by supporting a model of sustainable agriculture for future generations.

These burgers have an addictively crispy outside and are soft and chewy inside, with plenty of protein from cooked black beans. You can use commercial gluten-free panko or bread crumbs or make your own by grinding a few pieces of bread in a food processor. You can also replace panko with bought or homemade almond meal. To make it yourself, simply grind whole peeled almonds or almond slivers to a coarse powder. This makes a big batch of burgers, so freeze any ungrilled patties on plates or baking sheets so they don’t stick together and then transfer them to freezer-safe containers. To cook from frozen,  bake for 30 minutes at 375 F (190 C) then broil for a few minutes on each side to crisp exterior.

Like pancakes, these savoury Italian flatbreads take time, but make a large batch, and freeze the leftovers and you’ll have them ready to reheat whenever you’re craving them. They’re great substitutes for tacos, wraps, or individual pizzas with whatever toppings you like. High-protein chickpea flour adds a nutty flavour, and a quick fermentation adds a gentle sourness, which also makes it more digestible. But don’t worry if you don’t have time to leave the batter overnight; just whisk together the chickpea flour and water immediately before cooking. Aquafaba is the leftover liquid from cooking chickpeas and some other beans. You can use the drained liquid from a can of chickpeas or reserve the liquid from cooking dried chickpeas that you soak overnight and boil the next day.

The filling options for these sweet crepes are endless, from sliced fruit to melted chocolate to sweetened chestnuts and beyond. Keep things kid-friendly with a simple drizzle of maple syrup. Or marinate a handful of fresh or frozen berries in 1/4 cup (60 mL) rum or sweet local liqueur for at least 30 minutes before serving. For a luxurious French variation, flambé a pan of folded, buttered crepes with a splash of cognac—the liqueur of choice for traditional Crepes Suzette. If using eggs, use just 1 1/4 cups (310 mL) milk. If using ground chia or flaxseed, use full 1 1/2 cups (350 mL). Batch cooking Double the recipe and freeze leftovers between layers of parchment paper for the next time you feel like crepes but don’t feel like making them from scratch. Skillet skill The pan needs to be hot enough and the batter thin enough to create air bubbles on impact or crepes won’t cook through properly. There’s no need to regrease the skillet after each crepe, unless crepes are sticking to the pan.