Food

A cool vegetable antipasto tops a warm cumin-spiked fingerling potato, combining the sensations of hot and cold in one delicious bite. Note that you will need to

These steamed dumplings are a scrumptious take on their Asian cousins. A relative of the turnip family, broccoli rabe has long, thin leafy stalks topped with small florets. Very low in calories, this star green gets a nutritional high-five for being an excellent source of vitamin K, iron, and calcium.

When the classic cherished flavours of pizza meet pasta you have a recipe for a lunch that will garner you praise from your school-bound tykes. To up the nutritional ante, consider serving the pasta mixture on a bed of spinach.

Frittatas are ideal for leftovers, but slipping a slice between two pieces of whole grain bread makes it portable and a great way to break out of the turkey and cheese sandwich rut. Frittatas are highly customizable based on preferred tastes or what you have in your crisper that needs to be used up. For example, you could use cooked shredded sweet potato or red bell pepper instead of broccoli.

Bored with basic chicken? It may seem counterintuitive, but simmering chicken alongside berries produces tender meat that is further enhanced by a complex sweet sauce that’s sure to become a family favourite.

Sometimes the best way to spend a Sunday is making an incredible pot of homemade chili to serve with fresh bread. With each day that goes by throughout the week, the flavors meld, becoming better and better. This recipe requires a bit of effort, but it’s really worth it.

Bean there, done that

Up in smoke

The cornerstone of Mexican cuisine and famously complex, mole sauce typically takes days to prepare. This recipe cuts down on the prep and cooking time significantly, yet still yields a deeply flavourful, chocolate-kissed sauce that perfectly complements roasted butternut squash, earthy black beans, and zesty pickled onion.

Look for whole grain farro, which leaves the germ and bran intact, for this satisfying porridge that’s sure to kickstart your day. While the cooking time is longer than for pearled or semi-pearled varieties, you’ll get more nutrition. Take the time to enjoy the delicate scent of cardamom and ginger wafting through your kitchen as you prepare this.

If breakfast oatmeal is your jam, you’ll happily spoon up this oat-infused hearty chili. It comes together quickly enough to add to your weeknight dinner routine, but soaking the steel-cut oats ahead of time is key to having them cook more efficiently. Toppings run the gamut of avocado, sour cream, broken tortilla chips, cilantro, or grated cheddar. 

The sunny side of these mini-sized egg cakes? They offer up a savoury way to work more protein and vegetables into snack time. Serve at room temperature or warm in the microwave. When grated, sweet potato cooks in a flash to quickly infuse these baby frittatas with lofty amounts of immune-enhancing beta carotene. 

Both black cod and turbot have incredibly tender, buttery texture and rich flavour that pairs perfectly with miso and maple. The main differences are that turbot is usually less expensive and it’s thinner, so it cooks a little quicker. Both are usually sustainable and come from Canada or the US. 

Now that kimchi has hit the mainstream, it’s time to work its umami-fiery crunch into more of your cooking repertoire, including this punchy salsa that adorns a plant-based tempeh filling that brings even more umami oomph to the table. Served in fresh-tasting lettuce leaves, the whole dish is a riot of appetizing colour. For taco night, you can also scoop everything into warmed corn tortillas.

In April, we’re coming to the end of the season for Belgian endives, but if you haven’t already indulged, it’s a great time to take advantage of this bounty. Braising is a delicious way to cook this slightly bitter leaf, also called witloof or chicory. In this dish, its slight bitterness is perfectly complemented by the sweet braising liquid of orange, honey, and mustard before being given a dash of licorice flavour with a sprinkling of tarragon.  

Bracing horseradish, beets, lemon, and yogurt are my preferred pairing with gravlax, all working to cut its richness for an immensely satisfying picnic meal. When you shake your salad jar or toss it all up in a bowl to serve family style, the flavours weave together, creating something brand new.

Tip

Also called alaria and resembling pappardelle pasta noodles when rehydrated, lightly vegetal wakame is what you’re most likely to finding floating in miso soup, but it can also be the starring green in a riff on pesto. Slather the seaweed pesto between meaty slabs of tofu and you’ve got a hearty vegan main dish. The briny pesto can also be dolloped on grain bowls, grilled steak, or cooked fish.

Tip

Steamed and cooled in-season asparagus is a great alternative to other dippers for scooping up this tangy dip. When eaten raw or just slightly cooked, asparagus supplies the prebiotics to help nourish the beneficial bacteria in your digestive tract supplied by yogurt. Look for thicker asparagus spears for easier dipping.

Great white

Tabbouleh recipes come in all different forms. We love this one with its blending of Middle-Eastern cultural flavours: a blended and creamy tahini dressing enhanced with roasted garlic flavours and drizzled over an interesting ancient grain with fresh herbs. All totalled? Refreshingly chill as a main or a side dish.

Tips

• For a speedier dish, soak grains for a couple hours before cooking.
• If khorasan kernels are not available, substitute with wheat, rye, or spelt berries, or any type of gluten-free grain like buckwheat groats, millet, or quinoa.

Beer and chili are a classic flavour combination that is hard to beat. Smoky chipotle chilis in adobo sauce are available in the Latin section of better grocers. Because a little goes a long way, consider freezing leftover chipotles for future use.

A tagine is a North African stew that gets its name from the conical clay pot in which it is cooked. However, you don’t need a tagine to make this—a large wide saucepan or Dutch oven will do the trick. Using bone-in chicken thighs is a time-saver, as they cook faster than typical stewing meat—plus the bones add flavour without extra fat.

Far from a tedious undertaking, making your own tortillas assures your taco night will be as fresh and flavourful as possible. Used to make authentic Mexican tortillas, masa flour is a corn flour that has been soaked in lime, dried, and then ground into a powder. You want at least four tortillas for each person, so make additional batches if necessary. Tortillas can be reheated as needed in the oven.

This colourful salad is nutrient dense, yet light—the perfect springtime meal after a winter of heavier fare. You can replace the turkey breast cutlets with firm tofu to create a vegan entrée.

This is a great spicy dish that’s quick to put together for a casual company meal if you have some canned (or frozen, cooked) black eyed peas and smoked tempeh at hand. Cornbread, tortillas, crusty bread, or steamed brown rice all make great go-withs, along with a big green salad. This can feed a crowd, but leftovers are a bonus for school or work lunches, or you can freeze them for another meal.

Simple poached eggs are lent an elegant cachet by the addition of a flavourful balsamic reduction and roasted cherry tomatoes. Resting on a nutritious bed of Swiss chard, this über healthy meal is easy to prepare and makes the perfect quick lunch or dinner.