Food

This showstopper entree is the refreshing dish you want on your summer playlist. A combo of citrus-marinated salmon, creamy avocado, and brothy tomato hits all the right notes: sweet, creamy, fatty. Gorgeous.

Indulge in the epitome of summer sweetness with this lemon tiramisu, reimagined with wholesome ingredients for a delicious treat. Crafted with creamy cashews, organic eggs, luscious coconut cream, and the aromatic essence of real vanilla bean paste, this dessert is a harmony of flavours and textures that will tantalize your taste buds with each heavenly bite.

Heaps of saucy veggie noodles make for a satisfying summer dish. This no-boil “pasta” meal is light and refreshing, and offers a slew of nutritional benefits. It’s not great served as leftovers, so only toss the amount of veggies with hemp sauce that you are going to serve at once. The sauce and spiralized zucchini, however, can be prepared ahead of time.

Elevate your summer gatherings with this Italian pasta salad. Bursting with Mediterranean flavours and vibrant colours, this refreshing dish is a celebration of seasonal produce. Perfect for picnics, barbecues, or a light lunch on a sunny day, each forkful delivers a symphony of fresh ingredients and zesty dressing, promising to delight your taste buds!

Transport your taste buds to a sun-soaked picnic with this irresistible gluten-free focaccia sandwich. As we embrace the warmth of summer, there’s nothing quite like the comforting aroma of freshly baked focaccia paired with savoury meats and vibrant fillings. This recipe combines the rustic charm of homemade gluten-free bread with a medley of summer flavours, promising a mouth-watering experience that’s both comforting and invigorating.

Elevate your summer dining experience with a healthy twist on a classic appetizer. This grilled cacio e pepe (“cheese and pepper” in Italian) Caesar salad lends its savoury and peppery flavours to this refreshing dish. Featuring white beans and toasted whole wheat bread crumbs, this salad is an innovative and nutritious dish that not only satisfies your taste buds but also provides a wealth of wholesome benefits.

Indulge your senses in a refreshing burst of vitality with this exquisite Blackberry Bellini, a delightful beverage that combines the succulent richness of blackberries with invigorating hints of rosemary and zesty lime.

Sweet cherries are the traditional filling for clafoutis, a classic French dessert that lies somewhere between a custard and a Dutch baby pancake. For this version, we employ the flavours of Iranian sweets—rosewater, saffron, pistachios—whose flavours also work well with cherries. Call it a crossover clafoutis.

Everyone loves a burger, and turkey is a great―and healthy―option that’s also a sponge for flavour. Here, we’ve been inspired by Vietnamese flavours of mint, cilantro, fish sauce, lime, and chilies. These burgers have a nice hit of heat and are topped by a luscious slaw of cabbage and carrot with a light dressing, reminiscent of a Vietnamese-style salad.

The Cobb salad is a much-adored American classic created in 1937 at the Brown Derby restaurant in Los Angeles, owned by Robert Cobb. Using ingredients from the Spanish culinary canon gives this classic a Spanish twist while staying true to the spirit of the original. Manchego cheese and serrano ham stand in for blue cheese and bacon, eggs get a dusting of smoked paprika, and avocados are replaced with olives, while chicken is given the Spanish treatment with rubbed garlic and rosemary prior to roasting. Our salad is finished with a light and sunny orange-based vinaigrette.

For this cross-cultural take on tacos, sockeye salmon is marinated with yogurt and a fragrant but mild tandoori-style spice full of the warm flavours of cumin, coriander, nutmeg, and cardamom. After grilling, omega-3-rich salmon is enclosed in a warm corn tortilla and topped with spicy Mexican-style radishes and red onion pickled with lime juice and jalapenos for a kick of heat.

Our version of the Italian classic stays true to the simplicity of its colour palette, but instead of basil, we’ve given it an Argentine twist by drenching it in a luscious herb chimichurri. The sauce—containing parsley, red wine vinegar, olive oil and red chili pepper—is typical of Argentina but is now loved the world over and is often used as a garnish for meats and fish. It works well with flavourful tomatoes and cheese and gives a well-known classic a new outlook.

Hummus and vegetables or crackers are an easy fibre- and iron-filled snack that always helps get a party going. With the addition of black beans and bright flavours of lime, chili, and cilantro, this Middle Eastern staple gets a decidedly Mexican treatment.

Whether you call her Mom, Mother, Momma, or Mum, an afternoon tea is the perfect way to celebrate that special person in your life. It can not only be a fun and elegant occasion but also offer a wonderfully relaxed celebration.

Despite their small size, these dainty cheesecakes are bursting with bright lemon flavour. Substituting yogurt for often-used sour cream adds to the tangy taste, adds some protein, and helps cut down the fat content a bit, while the pistachios in the crust add a delicious flavour not usually found in a straight graham cracker crust. For best results, chill in the refrigerator for several hours and top with blueberries just before serving.

A touch of chocolate never goes amiss at an afternoon tea. These sweet delights are full of fibre and held together with creamy almond butter and studded with pistachios. Lightly scented with cardamom and cinnamon, they are sure to please.

Scones with clotted cream and strawberry jam are a typical afternoon tea treat. Here, we’ve given the idea a savoury-sweet twist and some added protein with this riff on a Brazilian-style cheese bun. The airy centres, like those of a cream puff, are perfect for filling with fresh strawberries macerated in balsamic and maple syrup and finished with a touch of vanilla yogurt. The light, textured buns are made with tapioca starch, so they’re suitable for those looking for gluten- or grain-free options, but everyone will enjoy the thyme and Parmesan flavour that makes a savoury complement to the sweet filling.

These bites are a vegetarian spin on two items often included in an afternoon tea—cucumber sandwiches and smoked salmon. Thin ribbons of carrot are marinated in a smoky tamari-based dressing before being formed into curls and placed on cucumber rounds topped with a thick dill-flavoured yogurt. Straining the yogurt removes excess liquid and makes it thick and creamy. Cucumbers have numerous health benefits, including for hydration and digestion; eating them unpeeled maximizes their fibre contribution.

In springtime, there are plenty of reasons to host a lunch party. Spring garden vegetables are beginning to peak. The days are getting longer. And having good friends to lunch is as good a reason as any other—especially after a few years of lockdown.

If you’re looking for a bit of nostalgia, you’re in luck: the Cosmo (a.k.a. the Cosmopolitan cocktail) is making a comeback. Although the origin story is a little fuzzy, with a number of versions claiming its invention back in the ’70s or ’80s, the Cosmo is worth reviving in this new version of fruity splendour.

Strawberry cordials are a springtime favourite; they’re refreshing and oh so pretty. Topped up with a little bubbly, you’ll want to have plenty on hand when this is being poured. 

Orange and tarragon make wonderful friends as they flavour this take on a chicken salad sandwich. Slightly bitter endives offer a great complement to the licorice flavour of tarragon and are robust enough to hold the mixture while adding a satisfying crunch. Each filled leaf contains about 20 g of protein and 40 percent of the recommended daily value of iron.

This dessert is a showstopper! Mini pavlovas with assorted fresh fruit, yogurt, and sauce make a wonderful finale to a lovely lunch. This is a healthier version that doesn’t compromise on quality. We nixed the high-fat whipping cream in favour of a thick and creamy yogurt.

Finger sandwiches are a classic component of afternoon tea, and these ones bring plenty of herby flavour to the party. Chickpeas are lightly smashed and dressed in fresh, bright flavours of cilantro, mint, tangy yogurt, earthy turmeric, and spicy paprika, before being sandwiched with pumpkin seeds and sunflower sprouts. Don’t be fooled by their small size—these sandwiches pack a hearty boost of fibre and protein and a whopping amount of iron too.