Food

This energy-packed mixture of oats, hemp hearts, and peanut butter is studded with hazelnuts, ginger, and cranberries and is also flavoured with piney juniper. Rolled into a log and cut into slices, it’s a sweet visual play on a cured sausage. Not only does it make a brilliant dessert, but it’s a great pack-along for a walk in the forest.

Forest meets field in this hearty, and flavourful, dish of Brussels sprouts that’s perfect for winter weather. Loaded with zingy freshly grated ginger; kissed with sweet orange; and finished with a delicious topping of sweet, toasted walnuts and tart, dried cranberries.

This winter stew has a thin, light broth that’s full of rich flavour sure to warm you up on a chilly day. Compared to beef, elk has a slightly richer, sweeter taste and is also leaner and higher in protein. This dish leans into that sweet taste with meatballs flavoured with cumin, paprika, and cinnamon, briefly seared, and then allowed to gently simmer in a broth with carrots, celery, and onion. 

When we think of food from the forest, wild mushrooms are often the first ingredient that springs to mind. Indeed, the forest offers plenty of options in both spring and fall. For this recipe, we use a medley of wild mushrooms in season, such as chanterelles, pine mushrooms, or lobed oyster mushrooms. The mushrooms are seared and finished with sherry vinegar to bring out their umami flavour and served atop a rich bean stew.

These hearty chops are ample and satisfying, and just one is a plentiful serving per person. Here, venison’s traditional forest pairing with juniper is combined with other flavourful aromatics, like cloves, allspice, and star anise, to create a subtle and fragrant combination. Venison is a lean, nutritious meat and, because it has less fat than beef, it’s best served medium rare.

Traditionally, tandoori chicken is cooked in a clay oven heated by charcoal or wood, called a tandoor. When cooking, juices from the chicken would drip onto the hot charcoal, giving the meat its unique smoky flavour. A simple tandoori marinade infuses chicken with aromatic flavours in this creative twist on a popular and tasty Indian dish. Juicy and mildly spiced chicken is the perfect flatbread topper to complement the vibrant and delicious, sweet and spicy layers of flavours. To make it a quick-and-easy assembled meal, prep all the ingredients a day ahead when marinating the chicken. 

Aromatic spices quickly come together in a nutty and mild vegan curry, deliciously rich in flavour and creamy perfection. Abundant in nutrients and anti-inflammatory properties, not only is this saucy dish palate pleasing, but it’s also a good source of beneficial brain-boosting power. Perfectly pairs with basmati rice or warmed naan—and even better the next day!

Coconut milk adds a creamy richness to this vegan take on a traditional saag paneer. Fragrant spices are combined with seasonal greens and roasted tofu in a nutritious, flavourful stew-like dish that’s abundant in iron and antioxidants, and as full of flavour as it is vibrant in colour! Dial the heat of spice up or down with the amount of added green chili. Serve piping hot on its own or enjoy with your favourite side.

Vibrant cilantro chutney brings heat and lime tanginess to balance out the delicious earthy flavour of these creamy sweet potato patties. Crisp on the outside and packed full of fibre and antioxidants, hemp hearts and chickpea flour add extra protein to these nutritious and savoury snacks. Delicious served hot with chutney, they’re also a welcomed addition to a green salad or wrap.

Sweetened with a dash of maple syrup or honey, this fragrant and warming hug in a mug is perfect on a cold fall morning―or any time of day. Top with a sprinkle of cinnamon, slip in an extra slice of ginger, or add more black pepper for a spicier chai. This dairy-free aromatic coffee-shop favourite is simple to make and easily customized any way you like it!

It’s time to mussel up your holiday meals. The quick-cooking shellfish adds a meaty element to this elegant, yet uncomplicated, stew. Shelling the mussels saves your dinner company from some potentially embarrassing table splatter. The stew really should be served with a good crusty bread.

Flaky, tender, and creamy, these plant-based crab cakes are the answer to a no-fish main on your holiday table. The seaweed pesto adds an unmistakable taste of the sea. Heart of palm, a vegetable harvested from palm trees, serves as a plant-based stand-in for crab meat with its texture and appearance. You can find it in the canned vegetable aisle of most grocery stores. Wakame can replace dulse for use in the pesto. 

This hearty dish brings together the best of both potato gratin and seafood casserole. Sustainably sourced smoked Atlantic mackerel, high in heart- and brain-benefitting omega-3s, is paired with a rich creamy sauce, peas, and a mashed potato crust. It’s also a main dish that can be prepared ahead of time and simply reheated in the oven before serving. Swap out the mackerel for fillets of smoked wild salmon, if you prefer.

Lightly battered, pan-fried perch from the cool Great Lakes is a simple, yet elegant, recipe that showcases the delicate flavour and texture of the fish. It’s made extra special when topped with a vibrant and refreshing herb sauce. You could think of this as a healthier ―and more sophisticated―take on fish and chips. You could also make this recipe with tilapia, pickerel, rockfish, or red snapper.

Oven steaming a delightful piece of wild-caught salmon in parchment sachets (en papillote is the French term for cooking food in a parchment packet) takes the worry out of serving a dry, overcooked fish dinner. Plus, it’s a simple process that leaves you more time away from the kitchen to mingle with family and friends. Adding a colourful root vegetable slaw and horseradish-infused butter sauce makes the meal worthy of a special occasion and fit for the season.

Meaty halibut is gently cooked in a port-cranberry poaching sauce, with hazelnuts bringing a slight bitterness to the dish. Cod or haddock can serve as stand-ins for halibut.

Pickling, which is preserving food in a brine or vinegar solution, is more than a form of food preservation. It’s a way of transforming garden-fresh vegetables, like green beans, into crunchy, tangy side dishes and condiments. Refrigerator pickles are safely preserved through a combination of the pickling-liquid acidity and the cold-storage temperature of your refrigerator. Szechuan pepper has an exotic, hot flavour that punches up this bean pickle. As the cell walls of the beans continue to soften over time, it becomes easier for the flavours to move into the pickles; for this reason, it’s optimal to let the pickled beans sit in the fridge for a few days before you use them.

In India, chutney is the condiment of choice. Their sweet-savoury, tart-spicy balance adds intrigue to many dishes. This light, fresh chutney is a great way to maximize end-of-season peaches before they fade away from markets. The flavour will develop and become even more balanced if you wait at least a week before using it. Add the chutney to grilled cheese, roasted chicken or pork, pan-seared tempeh, and cooked grains. It’s also terrific with soft, mildly pungent cheeses like brie.

This tangy and chunky relish comes together in a snap. It adds fresh flavour and eye appeal to a variety of dishes. To maintain the freshness of corn, use raw kernels and let the warm pickling brine do its work. Corn and pepper relish can be used to add summery flair to burgers, sandwiches, tacos, fish, scrambled eggs, grain bowls, tortilla chip dip, and salads―it’s great in both leafy green salads and pasta salads. The relish is not recommended for freezing as the texture will suffer.

Jam excels at preserving the tastes of the season, but why should berries have all the fun? Using the same principles of other small-batch jams, juicy peak-season tomatoes are cooked with a little sugar, fiery chipotle pepper, and caramel-y balsamic for a chunky savoury-sweet jam that’ll give you the taste of summer well into sweater-weather season. Serve the jam on crackers with sharp cheddar cheese, use it as a sandwich spread or burger topping, add it to omelettes and frittatas, or try it as a way to spice up tacos and pizza. 

Tapenade is an olive-based spread or dip hailing from the Provence region in France. It’s bold, zippy, briny, and salty. It can wear many hats, including being made with the season’s plentiful beets and carrots. Whisk a couple dollops of tapenade into a vinaigrette, use as a fanciful sandwich spread, serve as part of a picnic charcuterie, or fold into bean salads.

Rich, fudgy, and full of warming spice, these maple-sweetened blondies sneak in roasted squash and tahini for a dessert that feels both cozy and nourishing. 

Crispy-edged, juicy chicken thighs simmered in a silky cider-mustard pan sauce bring savoury warmth and just the right amount of indulgence to this health-forward dish. 

Creamy roasted white beans and jammy caramelized onions wrapped in a flaky crust, finished with a swipe of bold cranberry chili jam—rustic, hearty, and quietly packed with protein and flu-fighting nutrients.