Made from chickpea flour, chickpea pasta has a similar taste and al dente texture to regular pasta, but with a lot more dietary fibre and protein. That makes it a healthy base for this colourful vegetable-forward pasta salad with tasting notes of the sunny Mediterranean. Hummus serves as a surprising backbone to a creamy dressing. Stir it up When preparing chickpea pasta, stir it a couple of times during the first minute of cooking and then start taste-testing the noodles a couple of minutes before you hit the recommended boiling time on the package. They can turn mushy quickly. And expect a lot of foam, so skim it off with a spoon, as needed, during cooking.

The idea is pretty simple: start with adding a dressing to a jar and then layer on various ingredients such as crisp veggies, buttery fish, and greens. Bingo … salad in a jar that’s ready to go when you are, with not a limp green in sight. Perfect for weekday lunches and healthy quick dinners. Wild salmon or Arctic char are good stand-ins for rainbow trout. Lentil love When preparing lentils for a particular dish, consider adding extra to the pot of simmering water. Cooked lentils freeze well and can be used as an easy plant-based protein addition to future salads.

Inspired by its creamy Italian cousin, this vegetarian take on panna cotta swaps out the cream and gelatin for coconut milk and agar agar. Odourless and tasteless, agar-agar is a plant-based thickener derived from seaweed. It’s also a wonderful source of iron, fibre, and magnesium. If you plan on transporting these desserts, pour panna cotta into small jam jars. Once set, screw lids on top and place garnish in separate container. Once you reach your destination, simply garnish and serve.

This happy jumble of vegetables is not only beautiful to look at but also scrumptious. Try to use a rainbow of different colours for the most striking salad presentation. Feel free to replace the dried apricots in the dressing with another dried fruit you may have on hand. Dried cranberries, dried cherries, or golden raisins are all delicious alternatives.