Food

Spring is the season for asparagus. The tender green shoots popping out of the soil in early spring are especially prized for their fleeting seasonal appearance. Asparagus is extremely versatile, offering flavour to every recipe. For this recipe, you can make an authentic pizza dough or use a ready-made dough; you can also substitute with a gluten-free alternative base.

This speedy, yet versatile supper can be on the table in 15 minutes. Lemony fresh and full of new baby spinach and mint, this dish is “pucker-up” tasty. Great as a main dish, it also works well as a starter. You can also easily add grilled asparagus or broccolini to up the green nutrient quotient.

This stir-fry comes together in under half an hour, which makes it the perfect fast food after a workout (especially if you serve it over quinoa!). Feel free to customize the heat level in the dish by adding more chili flakes as desired.

Socca is a savory chickpea pancake enjoyed as a street food snack in Nice, France. Here, we’ve repurposed it as a protein-rich pizza base. You could choose to top it like a classic pizza, but this fresh take makes eating your greens a whole lot more interesting.

Skip the drive-thru and turn to everyday pantry ingredients to make your very own plant-based, fast food-inspired burger. Vegans, vegetarians, and omnivores alike will find something to love at first bite, no matter how you top your patty. Swap the lab coat for an apron and cook up a batch of these crowd-pleasers tonight.

This is a spinoff of a typical borscht soup common in Eastern Europe. It’s perfect for the end of the cold winter season and provides a flavour step into spring while still holding the flavours of winter roots.

Studies are proving that eating plant foods rich in colours of the rainbow—from dark blue and purple to green, yellow, orange, and red—is the key to good nutrition. Take butternut squash as an example. Its brilliant orange colour indicates it’s chock full of carotenoids, bioflavonoids, and vitamin C, essential to decreasing the risk for certain diseases, including cancer and heart disease.

Our rainbow salad pretty much covers all the colours of the rainbow. Chock full of healthy ingredients, it’s a bell ringer that’ll satisfy the fussiest of eaters. Grilled prawns top the dish with a light drizzle of tahini dressing laced overtop. Heart-healthy antioxidants with enormous eye appeal and delicious flavour—what more do you need in a dish?

This dish is a satisfying “bowl-in-one” supper. It’s low in calories, high in fibre, and a valuable source of vitamin C, manganese, and B6—all helpful antioxidants. Bake squash ahead, following our helpful tips, for an easy weekday meal.

The “Gina Mullin Challenge” at the International Society of Neurogastronomy Symposium is an event where two teams of neuroscientists and chefs compete, Iron Chef-style, to make dishes that appeal to people with taste challenges, such as chemotherapy patients. The event’s namesake, Gina Mullin, remarked at our first competition that sometimes when she got a craving for something, in the time it took to prepare it, the craving would be gone. Montreal’s Chef Fred Morin won the first competition by preparing a simple but very rich potato soup as a base and offering numerous add-ins. He thought, and the chemo patients agreed, that having this flavorful base and accoutrements in the refrigerator to speed up the preparation was a winning idea. This Super Umami Risotto follows Morin’s logic. Preparing the risotto through the third addition of liquid and then refrigerating it would also allow for quick preparation with endless flavor possibilities. What makes something taste umami—that so-called “fifth taste” that’s super meaty and savory? The answer largely lies in an amino acid called glutamate, which binds to specific receptors on our tongues. That’s why this recipe calls for dried shiitake mushrooms. They’re significantly higher in glutamate than fresh! And while personalization options are limitless with this risotto (most vegetables can be diced and included in the sauté), additions that significantly increase the umami are asparagus and spinach.

This soothing winter dish will satisfy all ages with its smooth comforting flavours. We added frozen peas for colourful fibre, but you can also use other favourites such as broccoli florets, sugar snap peas, or spinach.

Grains and cabbage are in this season. We’ve paired spelt berries with cabbage and toasted quinoa for a surprisingly upscale result. For this recipe, bypass the packaged shredded cabbage—it just won’t have the same results, or the price value. The trick? Buy a half or quarter head of cabbage and shave it ultra thin on a mandoline.

This salad is amazingly versatile—and delicious. It’s all about the dressing, and knowing what to pull together to complement the dressing is simple. Start with a benign base such as couscous, rice, or orzo pasta; add some greens such as spinach, kale, chard, or collards; and sprinkle with a combination of toppings from your pantry. Drizzle with delicious creamy tahini dressing, and it all comes together—tastefully and beautifully.

This is arguably one of the most comforting winter soups to savour. It’s simple to make and full of flavour, and it’s practically a meal in a bowl. Throw in some toasted pepitas  for a little added crunch and protein.

This deeply spiced take on chili con carne awakens taste buds with its punchy flavors. It’s made with highly digestible cooked vegetables and vegan proteins, along with a unique spice blend for warmth and nourishment.

Harissa is a North African spice paste that’s now readily available in stores, but it’s so easy and much more affordable to make at home. It’s commonly stirred into stews, soups, and the like, but it shines when turned into a sauce for pasta. Cut and Paste You’ll have leftover harissa paste that you can stir into soups, stews, and curries; use to infuse veggie burgers with flavor; toss with roasted vegetables and roast for a spicy side; or stir into hummus or yogurt for a dip with a difference.

Bold flavors, adaptable add-ins, and irresistible comfort food appeal make this a winter weeknight winner. Warming curry powder, chili, turmeric, and ginger add depth to seasonal vegetables and legumes for a stew that’s delicious over rice or served in a bowl with naan for dipping (or both!). Leftovers can be packed up and enjoyed for tomorrow’s lunch.

Ayurveda focuses on balance, and there’s no better way to eat in equilibrium than with this warming blend of textures and flavors. Here, roasting brings out the naturally sweet qualities in carrots and asparagus, both served up with warm grains and tamarind-infused chickpeas. You Do You Bowls are infinitely adaptable. Roast whatever veggies are fresh and in season, change up chickpeas for white beans, and replace grains with cauliflower rice—there’s no wrong way to enjoy a bowl.

Saag paneer is a heady stewed spinach dish flecked with cubes of squeaky fresh cheese. This interpretation skips the cream, butter, and cheese while amping up the spices for an Ayurvedic and vegan-friendly comfort food dinner.

Roasted veggies are the quintessential warming dish for a cold night. We chose cauliflower to embellish the delicious ACV-laced sauce. But any roasted root and/or toasted grain will complement the sumptuous apple cider vinegar tahini drizzle.

Probiotics are an essential element to a healthy-gut meal. We’ve tossed our healthy cabbage salad together with a dressing of probiotic apple cider vinegar. ACV keeps your digestive system running smoothly and maintains the healthy bacteria in the gut. TIP: For a delicious added heat, use Fire Cider Vinegar.

Lentils are so versatile that they can play a starring role in a wide variety of dishes. With this recipe, they can be considered a main course, since the recipe contains a delicious combination of ingredients that fills all the requirements for a balanced dish. Tip: We chose red Russian garlic for this recipe because it has big, juicy cloves. But any fresh garlic will do. Every region has their specialty cultivars. Did you know? Mustard has been used as a spice for more than 5,000 years. Although it’s a minor crop in Canada, we are the world’s largest mustard seed producer and exporter. Canada accounts for 80 percent of the world’s lentil production. They’re an economical source of protein and chockablock full of healthy vitamins.

Given that wild rice is an iconic product grown in Manitoba, pulling it into a festive menu was simply too important not to include. Plus, the nutritional benefits outweigh many alternatives—especially with the addition of turmeric. This delicious rice is nutty, a bit sweet, a bit savoury, and a bit tart; paired with high-in-antioxidant berries and a delicious lacing of fresh herbs, this is a perfect side dish for the Three-Way Mixed Holiday Grill. Tip: Locally grown turmeric? Although turmeric originated in India, it’s widely cultivated around the world in mostly tropical and subtropical regions. But industrious farm hobbyists are beginning to successfully grow turmeric in Canada. With the right climate and proper care, it’s showing some success in areas where climate is warmer.

With so many different dietary preferences, it can be a bit of a challenge to meet the protein requirements at the dinner table. That’s why we adopted a mixed grill for the main dish in our holiday menu. We embraced organic firm tofu for the vegans, organic chicken rather than a full-sized turkey, and pasture-raised pork tenderloin rather than ham to create three mains starring one delicious marinade. Why press your tofu? Pressing tofu removes any excess liquid, regardless of how firm it is, to enhance its spongelike ability to soak up flavour. For a how-to on pressing your tofu, check out alive.com and search “Cooking with Tofu,” where you’ll find plenty of other useful tofu tips as well. Tip: Another option for a delicious main is coho or sockeye salmon. Brush generously with our maple syrup marinade and bake at 400 F (200 C), skin-side down, in a large roasting pan for 15 to 20 minutes, depending on thickness, until flesh is almost opaque when tested with sharp paring knife.