Food

Pesto lends both colour and flavour to this meal-in-a-bowl. You can easily customize this recipe to match your own personal tastes by replacing the broccoli and spinach with your favourite veggies.

This is a colourful and unique appetizer that will get your guests talking! By baking the pumpkin and prepping the sauce in advance, it comes together quickly; make this the first dish on and off the barbecue for grill night or before Thanksgiving dinner.

Your guests won’t be able to get enough of this delicious dip; good thing it’s a cinch to prepare! It’s also a refreshing sandwich spread and pairs beautifully with goat cheese.    

This curry is the colour of sunset with the taste of the tropics; it’s a bowl of comfort packed with only plant-based goodness. Serve over brown basmati rice with sautéed greens or a side salad.

This “feel-good” soup is aromatic and chock full of protein and fragrant Asian flavours. It’s the perfect antidote for a miserable cold—or just miserably cold weather!

When you pack napa greens with plenty of Asian flavour and then slather on a hoisin glaze, you end up with a dish that takes ye-olde cabbage rolls to the next level. You can also use Savoy cabbage and ground turkey for the rolls.      

When you have to get dinner on the table fast, this hearty, easy-to-prepare soup is the perfect solution. Simply add a tasty side salad and loaf of fresh whole grain bread and you’ve got a nutritious meal the whole family will love.

The intense sweetness of kabocha (aka Japanese pumpkin) squash marries perfectly with the slight bitterness of kale in this antioxidant-rich soup. What’s more, the smidgen of cream lends a smoothness to its flavour that simply oozes comfort.

Here’s how to turn cabbage into a whole new vegetable. Blasting it in the oven magically transforms it into a sweet-tasting gem with a silky texture. Say hello to your new favourite side dish.        

These latke-like pancakes manage to be both homey and sophisticated. The lively curry-infused cashew sauce ensures each bite is health promoting. For gluten-free pancakes, use brown rice flour or an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend.

Red cabbage may seem like an odd addition to a puréed soup, but when blended with sweet pear, red wine, and fennel seeds, it becomes spoon and slurp worthy. Each bowlful is only made better when garnished with tangy goat cheese and crunchy pomegranate seeds.

Crispy red cabbage leaves serve as an ultra-healthy stand-in for tortillas for these seasonally inspired tacos. If desired, chicken can be the protein of choice instead of turkey, while the salsa can also be made with a not-too-ripe pear.

The addition of sour cream lends a lovely creaminess to this “super-green” vitamin- and mineral-rich soup. In addition, roasting zucchini brings out the vegetable’s natural sweetness and enhances the soup’s flavour.        

Buttery roasted squash, sweet figs, salty olives, and a creamy dressing team up for a salad that explodes with exciting flavour and texture. All components can be made and chilled separately in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. For added protein, include some roasted chicken.

If you are somewhat meh about veggie burgers, these are sure to perk up your palate. Highly flavoured dark patties and a smoky pepper sauce offer a feast for the eyes, plus body benefits courtesy of sky-high fibre levels.

Consider these a cross between biscuits and muffins. The great thing about baking them in muffin cups is you don’t have to worry about rolling out the dough and then cutting it into circles. The chia-thickened blackberry jam offers a healthier spread option than typical sugar-laden jams.

The tag team of black lentils and sweet potatoes creates a satisfying dish that is jam-packed with heart-friendly and hunger-squashing fibre. Any leftovers of the lentil mixture are a great dish on their own served as a healthy lunch.

If looks could kill, this dish would be doing hard time. Buttery salmon, an umami-sweet carrot sauce, and fetching black rice team up in this swoon-worthy dish.

Homemade salad dressing should be an integral part of everyone’s cooking repertoire—the basic formula is easily adjusted based on what you have in the cupboard. The nutty flavour of pumpkin seed oil combines beautifully with peppery arugula.

This is one-pot comfort cooking at its finest! A new twist on the classic shepherd’s pie, this casserole is sure to become a favourite midweek meal.

A quick homemade mole style sauce adds an extra punch of flavour to this south-of-the-border savoury cobbler. Feel free to replace the shredded turkey with roasted chicken or cubes of sautéed tofu or tempeh.  

This breakfast casserole is sure to brighten up your morning meal. Not only does the sunny colour of sweet potatoes add to the appeal of this dish, but they’re also packed with vitamin A, an antioxidant powerhouse.

This vibrant Spanish-inspired casserole is sure to get a rousing olé from around the dinner table. To round out the meal, serve with a leafy green salad dressed in a simple lemon juice and olive oil vinaigrette.  

You will never know that there is not an ounce of dairy in this comfort-food classic. Dairy-Free Cheese Sauce 2/3 cup (160 mL) raw unsalted cashews 1/2 cup (125 mL) grated carrot 1 cup (250 mL) boiling water 1/4 cup (60 mL) nutritional yeast 2 Tbsp (30 mL) Dijon mustard 1/2 garlic clove, minced 1 tsp (5 mL) sea salt 1 tsp (5 mL) white vinegar 1/4 tsp (2 mL) ground black pepper 1/8 tsp (0.5 mL) ground nutmeg Noodles 2 cups (500 mL) uncooked gluten-free or whole grain macaroni noodles Preheat oven to 350 F (180 C). Line large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper; set aside. To prepare cheese sauce, in blender, combine raw cashews and grated carrot with boiling water. Carefully blend until smooth. Add remaining sauce ingredients and purée until completely creamy. Set aside. To prepare noodles, bring large pot of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook according to package directions. Drain; do not rinse. Place hot pasta back in pot and stir in prepared cheese sauce. Divide mixture evenly among 6 small ovenproof 250 mL glass Mason jars. Place uncovered jars on prepared baking sheet. Bake for 15 minutes, until bubbly. Cool slightly until you can comfortably use an oven mitt to fasten lids of jars. Transfer to thermal lunch bag with a hot water bottle to keep warm, along with forks. Since there are no eggs or dairy, there is little risk of spoilage at this temperature during travel time. Serves 6. Each serving contains: 227 calories; 10 g protein; 7 g total fat (1 g sat. fat, 0 g trans fat); 33 g total carbohydrates (1 g sugars, 5 g fibre); 469 mg sodium source: "Picnic of Plenty", alive #384, October 2014