Food

Wild rice has a nutty flavour that complements light creamy desserts and adds great texture and nutritional value. The berries are chock full of healthy antioxidants.

Fresh basil’s unique aroma and flavour envelop juicy nectarines in this delightfully sweet summertime crumble. Other summer fruits, such as peaches or strawberries, can be substituted for the nectarines. For a truly decadent dessert serve the crumble warm with fresh whipped cream or vanilla ice cream!

Surprise, you can turn to kebabs for a fun dessert that plays by the nutritional rules. Grilled bananas are a taste revelation, but you can apply the same concept to other fruits such as mangoes, nectarines, peaches, and plums.

Need a quick sweet treat to combat the balmy summer heat? Then look no further! With a little preparation this dessert comes together in two minutes.

Just one bite of this dreamy dairy-free dessert will have you singing words of praise for the avocado. Botanically classified as a fruit, avocados are a good source of fibre, protein, and heart-healthy fats. So go ahead and indulge in this frozen treat.    

The bright flavour of lemon, sweet sun-kissed blueberries, and the unexpected crunch of poppy seeds will make this sweet treat a summer staple in your freezer. The hardest part is waiting for it to freeze!

This surprisingly delicious combination utilizes the natural sweetness of carrots and apricots to make a frozen indulgence that is chock full of vitamin A.

This raw frozen treat is reminiscent of a much loved chocolate hazelnut spread in taste but without all the refined sugar and artificial flavours. Try folding in some cacao nibs and chopped cherries for an added burst of flavour and crunch.

Mexican chocolate is known for combining warming spices with dense cocoa, transitioning perfectly into the season of cinnamon-spiced everything. Normally, flan contains a far greater amount of sugar, making this a lighter yet still indulgent-feeling dessert or snack option.

Olive oil cake is a traditional Italian dessert that beautifully showcases the fruity characteristics of olive oil, which lends moisture and richness. Combined with pears and thyme, this dessert looks and feels sophisticated while retaining its old-world, rustic charm. Tip: Replace pears with apples, plums, apricots, or peaches as the seasons change.

Butter is replaced in the classic chocolate chip cookie with a touch of fruity olive oil. Loaded with almonds and dark chocolate chips, and accented with orange, it’s a snack worthy of your cookie jar. Tip: To make these cookies nut free, replace almonds with toasted pumpkin seeds or sunflower seeds.

A flavourful whole grain crust is enhanced with olive oil and coconut, contrasting perfectly with a creamy yogurt and berry filling. It’s all drizzled with honey (buy a local variety, if you can) for a healthier take on pie. Tip: Adding a spoonful of cocoa to both the crust and yogurt filling is an ideal switch-up for the chocolate lover.

This recipe highlights just how versatile your slow cooker can be. Moist and fudgy, this cake makes a sweet pick-me-up or a decadent dessert garnished with coconut whipped cream and a sprinkle of dark chocolate shavings.      

No one will know that these decadent-tasting chocolate cakes are infused with lentils. In fact, the moisture they provide lets you cut back on the amount of fat needed. If needed, you can make the cakes using a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend instead of whole wheat pastry flour.

Grilling fruits concentrates and caramelizes their natural sugars, making them sweeter. You can also use apricots, nectarines, or peaches. Add a dollop of Greek yogurt instead of ice cream, or top the crisp with Lemony Banana Ice Cream.

Lemony Banana “Ice Cream”

From coast to coast to coast, Canada is home to a number of wild berry varieties. Many, like mulberries, even grow in urban backyards. Berries are one of the easiest wild foods to locate during the summer months—a very good thing, as you’ll want to make these fudgy blondies more than once. Use the wild berries available in your neck of the woods such as wild blueberries, Saskatoon berries, mulberries, or salal berries.

Look for the chocolate mint variety of fresh mint at your local garden centre, or use any variety of fresh mint you can find. Chocolate mint has a built-in chocolate flavour, making it fantastic for desserts featuring this classic, refreshing combo. TIP: Elevate this chocolate mint fudge by serving a square on a dessert plate; garnish with fresh berries and a sprig of mint.

This cloudlike dessert comes together in under an hour and gives ice cream a run for its money. A tangy, light yogurt mousse is topped with a floral lavender- and thyme-infused strawberry jam, and garnished with (surprise!) black pepper. If you’d like a bit of crunch, top with chopped pistachios or almonds. TIP: Use any soft summer fruit to make this quick jam. Consider using plums, apricots, raspberries, or blueberries.

Consider this cooling basil- and lime-infused panna cotta after a spicy Thai curry. If it’s available to you, employ Thai (purple) basil for the zippiest result, though regular basil works just as well. Agar is a tasteless seaweed derivative that sets liquids much like gelatin, but is suitable for plant-based diets. It is available at many health food stores. TIP: A lemon and thyme version of this versatile panna cotta, garnished with fresh raspberries, would be equally stunning.

Tarragon has a gentle licorice-like taste, marrying well with succulent summer berries in this berry slump. Underscoring the licorice notes is a crumble topping boosted with anise seeds. It’s as delicious for dessert as it is the next morning for breakfast. Tarragon can be replaced with basil or half the amount of thyme.

Moist, chewy, and quite irresistible, these sweet blondies can be indulged in with impunity. The surprising inclusion of white beans adds protein and heart-healthy fibre, and it makes these squares the perfect guilt-free snack. If you’re not an apricot lover, don’t fret. You can use many jam and dried fruit substitutions to make these scrumptious blondies, such as

• strawberry jam and dried strawberries
• blackcurrant jam and dried blackcurrants
• cherry jam and dried sweet cherries (not the sour variety)

A hot bath of spiced red wine gently cooks seasonal pears into a tender, glimmering fruit dessert fit for any crowd. Baking tip: Testing for doneness

• In desserts using firm fruit, such as pears and apples, insert tip of paring knife into centre of fruit; it should easily yield with little force.
• In cakes and quick breads, a toothpick inserted in the centre should come out clean.
• In brownies and squares, a few damp crumbs clinging to the inserted toothpick is what you’re after.

Enjoy this red and white holiday galette, including whole wheat crust, as an elegant plated dessert or teatime treat. Grass-fed butter is used as an omega-3-rich alternative to conventional (grain-fed) butter in the pastry.

Baking tip: Working with pastry

Chia seeds, cocoa, and coconut milk combine to make a dessert-worthy and omega-3-packed instant pudding. There’s no heat required, and the recipe can be adjusted to suit your mood with more or less sweetener, a pure vanilla version, or crushed raspberries folded in for a fruity switch-up.

Tip