Food

Our delicious rice side dish will complement any main course. Standard holiday fare typically includes fluffy mashed potatoes, but our rice medley is a perfect update. Bonus: it’s vegan! 

Allowed to range freely and eat grass, rather than grain, bison have less fat than their cow counterparts, and their meat is less marbled than beef, meaning that fat is easier to opt in or out of. My family’s bison and black bean stuffed peppers contain lean, ground bison and high fibre black beans, creating a healthy, hearty twist on a comfort food classic!

If you’re going to serve a salad as a main dish, it had better impress. As a celebration of enticing textures and awakening flavours, this one certainly does just that. You can use one type of microgreen for the pesto (try basil, mustard, kale, or radish) and another for the salad, such as sunflower, red cabbage, pea shoots, or arugula.

Dark delight

These are so delicious! They’re ideal hot or cold as a mezze dish, starter, snack, or spicy picnic addition. Kaffir lime leaves are commonly used in Thai, Indonesian, Cambodian, Malaysian, and Vietnamese cooking and can be sourced in frozen form quite easily from Asian grocers. They impart a very distinct citrus note unlike any other ingredient I know—just their aroma makes me hungry. Inevitably, lemongrass goes very well with them, but the sweetness of roasted carrot and the slightly bready caraway seeds just make this dish irresistible. Lime leaves are double-shaped, making them perfect to wrap around things for cooking. Otherwise, wrap a large single leaf around each carrot piece. You don’t eat the leaves, by the way … but you knew that, right?

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.

Move over potatoes and yams. There’s a new favourite on the block, and it bakes up sublimely. These rutabaga fries are a winner—they hold their shape, making them ideal for dipping. Delicious served as a side to any main course, they’re a great source of fibre, low in calories, and super-rich in potassium.

Hearty, filling, and beautifully fragrant, this is a spice-forward vegetarian version of harira, the traditional soup eaten to break the fast each day during the month of Ramadan. It’s also a staple on many menus throughout Morocco. There’s a long list of ingredients here, but don’t let that dissuade—you likely have many of them on hand. I like to introduce cilantro leaves and stems at multiple points in the cooking process for the best flavour. Also, seek out lentilles du Puy or black lentils here (or use a blend of the two); these varietals keep their shape best throughout the cooking process.

Tip

The unique mix of sweet-fiery berry sauce, meaty chicken, oozy brie, and peppery arugula makes this a grilled cheese worthy of grown-up tastes. Make it the star of lunch, or pair with a salad for a quick summer dinner.

Nutrition boost

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

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.

Refreshing flavours with a spicy zing—and, at 15 g per serving, a whopping load of protein—come together in this classic ceviche. Rockfish, often sold under the name Pacific snapper, is high in selenium—an 85 g serving provides 44 percent of the recommended daily value of the mineral, which has a role in preventing infection and cell damage, as well as in the proper functioning of the thyroid. Rockfish is also a good source of healthy omega-3 and omega-6 fats.

This frittata seems complex, yet it has a decided simplicity that makes for an exciting meal even on a busy weeknight. Whether store-bought or foraged from your lawn or local park, dandelion greens lend pesto a pleasant earthy bitterness. Spring arugula would serve well as a green substitution. Smoked salmon is a good stand-in for trout, or you can use previously cooked fresh trout or salmon.

This one-dish curry is a perfect dish to have on hand when the fire’s cozily crackling and guests are lingering. It takes just minutes to prepare and no time to cook. Serve ladled over steaming forbidden black rice, it’s comfort in a bowl. Plus, it’s low on dishes too!

A simple stir-fry is a quick and easy meal that makes the most of fresh vegetables. This spring-inspired stir-fry leans on spring onions, the first fresh snow peas, baby spinach, and fiddleheads. Szechuan (a.k.a. Sichuan) peppercorns add a layer of complexity to this dish with a pleasing citrus flavour and a slight numbing heat. They can be found in specialty spice stores, but if you can’t find them you can still enjoy the gingery-garlicky, spicy heat of the other ingredients.

Light in the backpack and easy to tote, these crispy chickpeas topping tossed greens are loaded with flavour and provide a delicious boost of energy.

DIY chickpeas from scratch

• Drain and rinse well.
• Place chickpeas in large saucepan and cover with several inches of water. Bring to a boil. Cover, leaving lid ajar, and simmer for 1 1/2 to 2 hours, or until chickpeas are as tender as you’d like.
• Season with salt only after cooking, as salt toughens beans during cooking.

If you enjoy a savoury snack, look no further than this yogurt bowl. Protein- and probiotic-rich yogurt is topped with spiced sweet potatoes, pumpkin seeds, and a drizzle of olive oil and cilantro. A little prep goes a long way toward making this a convenient and satisfying snack. Cook the potatoes in advance so the bowl can be quickly assembled at snack time.

My sister-in-law introduced us to this authentic wild rice recipe years ago, and it quickly became one of our favourites. It combines the earthy, nutty flavours of wild rice with a fresh mix of vegetables and a savoury hit of back bacon. Higher in fibre and lower in calories than traditional rice grains, wild rice is also gluten free and antioxidant rich. This pilaf is delicious whether you serve it as a hot side dish or a cold side salad.

This nourishing soup is a riot of textures and flavours. The duo of tempeh and pinto beans makes each spoonful rich in protein.

There’s nothing more alluring than the scent of garlic emanating from the kitchen. And in winter, garlic-enriched foods are even more important to our well-being. There are a multitude of reasons to embrace the humble bulb. Not just because it adds depth to a dish, but also because of its abundant health kicks. Garlic has been studied for its potential to reduce cardiovascular disease risk; for its antitumour, antimicrobial, and antiviral effects; and for its benefit on high blood glucose concentration.

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.  

Pilaf is a term liberally used to simply mean “grains cooked in broth.” There are usually onions, garlic, and spices involved, and the grains are often sautéed in butter or oil before being simmered in the liquid. This getaway-friendly version calls for dried spices instead of fresh, which you can combine in advance to save space in your bags and time in your cooking. Feel free, though, to add fresh diced onions, garlic, or other vegetables if you prefer. Toasting tips  To toast sunflower seeds, in small saucepan or skillet, heat seeds over medium heat for about 5 minutes, stirring frequently, until browned and aromatic. Remove seeds immediately from the pan so they don’t burn. Many variations for ultimate flexibility  Don’t be afraid of the long ingredient list. You can skip pretty much any of the spices––except the salt––or replace them with others that you have on hand, such as parsley, thyme, or paprika. You can also use white or tri-coloured quinoa instead of black; the dark colour gives the dish a more dramatic visual effect.  

This power bowl is overflowing with umami showstoppers. While beets and apple add a sweet element, combining umami and sweet in one dish has become a culinary trend among savvy chefs. Sourced from Canada’s East Coast, dulse is a chewy seaweed that takes on a bacon-esque personality when turned crunchy in a hot pan. But if not available, shards of hijiki or arame or even roughly chopped nori can stand in for dulse. Other grains such as sorghum, farro, freekeh, or wheat berries can work here too. Make it plant based by swapping out egg and mackerel for grilled tempeh.

Stirring cricket powder into an African stew is a natural, given that crickets were an African staple long before they became trendy in the West. Adding a couple of tablespoons to this delicious dish not only increases the protein content but also kicks up the nuttiness a notch.

Soaking time for beans