Food

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.

If you’ve never cooked with jackfruit before, prepare to be amazed. When cooked down, the immature fruit eventually shreds into tender strands reminiscent of braised beef or pork. Make sure you buy young jackfruit in brine rather than sweet jackfruit in syrup.

You might never want to go back to regular lasagna after this plant-based version. The creamy tofu-cashew ricotta with lemon zest is the perfect foil to juicy eggplant cooked with a minimal amount of oil. You should probably make two trays and freeze one for later. Or at least make a double batch of the ricotta for a high-protein snack on crackers or carrots the next day. Allergen-friendly tip If you’re avoiding cashews or soy, use cooked or canned and drained chickpeas or sunflower seeds and coconut amino or nectar in place of miso.

This simple recipe combines a creamy, dairy-free spread with the herbaceous sweetness of manuka honey. If you’re avoiding cashews, use almonds or hulled sunflower seeds instead. For a thicker “ricotta,” transfer blended cashews to cheesecloth and squeeze out excess liquid, then add more lemon, salt, and pepper to taste. Serve with crostini, crackers, or raw vegetables for even more prebiotic power.

There’s a hint of heat to these baked sweet potato fries. But don’t worry! The spice is muted by baking, leaving just a tingle on your tongue. If you’re concerned about the heat level, serve the harissa as a dipping sauce along with the pomegranate molasses, and increase the salt on the sweet potatoes by 1/4 tsp (1 mL). If you want more heat, add some extra harissa to the pomegranate molasses.

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.

This buttery salad is a tasty summer dish for any occasion. The butter beans pack a hearty hit of manganese, while adding flax provides omega-3s for a double dose of nutrients for brain health. Punch up the protein in this delicious salad, if desired, by adding chunks of tuna or salmon. Tip Flaxseed can be used in a myriad of recipes. However, because of its delicate omega-3 fatty acid content, it can easily go rancid—especially when purchased ground or as an oil. For best results, store whole flaxseeds at room temperature for up to 6 months, or freeze. Ground flax and flax oil are best stored in the refrigerator. Use within 6 months.

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 delicious meal-in-a-bowl is a bright spin on a potato salad favourite. We folded in crisp romaine and paired it with blueberries, noted for their health-giving deliciousness. Drizzled with a fresh lemon dressing, it’s bound to be a steady favourite among even the fussiest of eaters. Tip If you’re in the mood for chilled potato salad, refrigerate potatoes until cold. Then proceed with recipe, folding in crisp greens and drizzling with dressing. This salad pairs well with grilled chicken or salmon.

From fish to dark leafy greens, our spin on a light Japanese lunch is loaded with brainy ingredients. Sprinkle with peanuts—another smart food—and you’ll love the added crunch. Tip Blanching green veggies in heavily salted water retains their colour. Don’t worry about the accumulated sodium in this method, as it is drained and rinsed then squeezed, leaving you with a beautiful deep rich green gomae—without the salt—to offset the colours in the dish.    

Get your day off to a good start with these deliciously smart breakfast cakes. High in fibre and full of brilliant brain food, they’re great to eat at home with a foamed oat milk latte or to take on a mountain hike. They’re especially delicious with a smear of nut butter and a spoonful of blackberry preserves. Tip For an easy snack to go, scoop batter into mini muffin cups and bake for 10 to 15 minutes until golden and a cake tester comes out almost dry. Perfect for kids’ lunches.

Healthy snack food is the key to survival when hiking or boating. And with the focus on brain health this month, we developed a smart snack food with the quintessential ingredients for optimal brain health. Tip Indian Spiced Trail Mix is also delicious chopped and sprinkled over a salad, your favourite rice curry, or on a Buddha bowl. Jazz it up a little more by adding roasted chickpeas for additional fibre and substance.

With a blend of puckery grapefruit, peppery chives, and a hit of smoked salmon, this little starter brings a flavour explosion to the taste buds. Easy to assemble, serve it on a bed of spicy arugula for a pretty summer lunch salad that packs a wallop of brilliance. Tip Candied salmon is available in many shops and grocery stores and in a variety of flavours. We suggest purchasing a lightly seasoned candied salmon, so it doesn’t overpower the freshness of citrus and avocado

Star anise adds an exotic sweetness to the dish, which also works as a healthy dessert. You can use any kind of apple for this recipe and adjust the amount of cranberries to balance the apples’ sweetness, since there’s no other sugar added. We tried Lobo, Cortland, and McIntosh, and they all worked well.

"You’ll be dreaming of this molten caramel skillet cake with sweet cinnamon, dates, vanilla, and pecans long after your camping trip is over." Must have cooking tools You probably won’t be hiking all day with a cast iron skillet or paella pan slung over your shoulder, but if you’re car camping, our recipes will make you the gourmet hero of the trip. bowl to hold chopped vegetables or other ingredients large cooler large cast iron skillet, or a smaller skillet plus a traditional paella pan camping spatula cutting board corkscrew, or buy a twist-top bottle of wine portable campfire grill grate tongs oven mitts camping utensils, plates, bowls, and mugs  good knife Raymond swears by his bush grafting knife, a 3 in (8 cm) blade made with high-density steel. “It’s sharp but also very thick, so you can chip wood and chop vegetables with only one knife.” For a smaller knife, he likes ESEE knives, survival and military knives made for outdoor adventures: “They’re strong, sharp, and they maintain their blade.”

You might want to make a couple extra of these. As sweet potatoes cook, their sugars caramelize and ooze through the skins, combining with the smokiness of the fire for a completely addictive side dish. "As sweet potatoes cook, their sugars caramelize and ooze through the skins, combining with the smokiness of the fire for a completely addictive side dish." Safety Tips Keep it clean To keep things hygienic, Raymond has a large pot of water boiling on the fire constantly. “It’s great for tea or hot cocoa at night, but also to do the dishes or wash the kids. And whenever we add new water, we wait 10 minutes for it to be sanitized.” Prep in advance You can chop vegetables and meat in advance at home and store them in separate lightweight containers or leak-proof bags in the cooler to reduce cleanup and cross-contamination. Stay food safe Pack biodegradable soap and make sure that no bowls, cutting boards or knives are left around after touching meat or seafood. Use some frozen multitaskers Frozen peas are the perfect paella addition because they can replace some of the ice in your cooler and will thaw by dinnertime. But make sure there’s still enough ice on top of the shrimp and mussels to keep them safely chilled. While some might be uneasy bringing seafood in a cooler, Raymond says with enough ice you’ll be fine. “As long as everything is in the cooler until you need it, I’m not worried.” Pack a shovel! And the most important tip, especially with kids who tend to play around the fire: always keep a shovel nearby, just in case.

This paella is the ultimate camping meal. It’s warm and filling, and the smell will have you salivating for that first bite. While you probably wouldn’t make this unless you were car camping, lightweight dried spices and bouillon cubes simplify the packing. "This paella is the ultimate camping meal. It’s warm and filling, and the smell will have you salivating for that first bite."

The key to this simple recipe is using incredibly fresh fish so that wine, salt, and lemon enhance its flavour. While you could just cook the fish directly in the skillet or pot, sealing it in parchment paper steams the fish more gently and evenly, making it harder to overcook.

This bright orange rhizome, turmeric, is essential in Indian curries and Ayurvedic medicine, but lately it has also grown in popularity as a dietary supplement touted for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It’s most commonly found as a dried spice, but it’s also available at natural health stores as capsules or tablets, and also in ointments, energy drinks, soaps, and cosmetics, where it’s often labelled under the name of its most active compound, curcumin. The amount of turmeric in a recipe will be much less than in a pill, but whichever form you use, always buy a high quality, preferably organic, version, since some powders have been shown to contain fillers such as cassava, barley, or wheat, even when the only listed ingredient is turmeric. The trick to getting the most out of turmeric is to combine it with a fat (such as oil) and piperine, a compound found in black pepper, which can enhance curcumin absorption by up to 2,000 percent. That’s why it’s combined here with both, for a tasty snack that’s a simple way to supplement your diet.

This cooling iced tea smoothie makes an excellent afternoon snack, perfect for a calm afternoon interlude in the shade. Give this smoothie an additional boost of antioxidants by adding a teaspoon of flavonoid-rich matcha powder.

This morning-after pick-me-up packs a super-charged vitamin boost. Just one serving contains 10 g of cholesterol-lowering dietary fibre, over-the-top levels of vitamins A, C, K, and B complex, as well as potassium, magnesium, and copper.

This smoothie is proof that green is the colour of health. Soft tofu adds extra protein along with hemp hearts with their stellar source of magnesium and beneficial omega-3 fats. If you want a sweeter smoothie, you can blend in some honey.

Exercise, can do wonders for our immune system but recovery is also an essential part of strengthening your disease-fighting defenses. Try adding this omega-3 infused Citrus Ginger Shake to your fitness routine for a holistic recovery. Supplements for omega-3 oils are available in liquid and capsule form, but if you have trouble swallowing a capsule, try poking one with a pin and squeezing the contents into a delicious Citrus Ginger Shake.

Drink this tea for comforting immune support. Nettle is thought to help modulate the immune system with antiviral effects, while chamomile may help bring calm for a restful night’s sleep to give our immune system the chance it needs to regenerate.  Menthol in wild mint helps open up sinuses and calm the stomach, and a final squeeze of fresh lemon gives a boost of vitamin C.