Food

Make a big batch of this on a Sunday afternoon and then reheat portions throughout the week. Using a slow cooker lets you cook hands free, so you aren’t spending all your spare time in the kitchen. Plus, it fills the house with an aroma similar to apple pie! Steel-cut oats are a good source of fibre and will help keep you feeling fuller longer.

A wonderful choice for those who generally proclaim not to like fish, rockfish fillets are very lean with a mild flavour and a firm texture once cooked. Cooking en papillote is a technique in which food is wrapped in a parchment or foil parcel and baked. Let diners cut open the parcels themselves, as half the fun is revealing the beautifully cooked contents at the table.

Tip

Poaching is a tried-and-true healthy method of cooking protein because no fat is needed during the cooking process. You can, however, add as much or as little flavour to your cooking liquid as you like to maximize taste. Though simple, this chicken is the perfect vessel for a vibrant take on a herby gremolata sauce.

Fried rice is the epitome of Chinese fast food. Too bad it’s rarely more than prodigious amounts of greasy white rice flecked with a meagre amount of vegetables. This rendition ups the health ante with a generous amount of vegetables and brown rice. The key to great fried rice is to use cold rice, preferably a day or two old.

Serves 4

This delicious salad of fresh in-season strawberries, farro, almonds, feta, and crisped prosciutto bathed in a honey and Dijon dressing is much more than just eye candy. It’s a perfect entrée for impressing a lunch gathering among friends.

This recipe is so versatile it works well for lunch, brunch, or dinner. Feel free to substitute any greens you have on hand, depending on what’s in the garden and what’s in season. You might even try zucchini or asparagus tips. Healthy versions of frozen potatoes are now available in the natural foods section of large supermarkets. They are trans fat free and come pre-seasoned with herbs, yet provide the zinc and vitamin C of fresh potatoes. To reduce chopping, use minced garlic in oil found in jars in the produce section.

Heavy cream, butter, Parmesan, and a grand serving of refined pasta team up to make alfredo a dish where the calories can add up faster than snowflakes in a blizzard. This lightened-up whole grain version is just as creamy and rich-tasting without the avalanche of calories. And unlike its restaurant counterpart, it includes vegetables for a splash of colour and some nutritional do-goodery.

Adding farro, with its nutty bite, is a delicious and convenient way to increase your soup’s fibre and nutritional value. This hearty soup is the perfect remedy to a cold January day. Lemon and chervil add a bright contrast to the fibre-packed earthy flavours.

Add a little of the exotic to your dinner table with these delectable Indian-influenced kebabs. The happy yellow hue of the kebabs comes from turmeric, which contains a compound called curcumin. Curcumin has been shown to have powerful antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties.

Tips

• It’s important to prepare wooden skewers for cooking by submerging them in warm water for about 30 minutes before threading on ingredients. This minimizes the risk of them catching on fire while kebabs are cooking.
• These kebabs also turn out great cooked under the broiler. Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and broil, flipping over once, until shrimp are cooked through, about 3 minutes per side.

Little known outside of Greece, this fisherman’s soup is lighter than its French counterparts bouillabaisse and bourride.

Lentils and rice create a delicious hearty salad, containing healthy amounts of protein, fibre, and vitamins. The vinaigrette dressing is an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids, thanks to camelina oil.

Cooking the salmon and vegetables en papillote (French parlance for something cooked and served in a paper wrapper) traps steam to add moisture and guarantees you’ll be relishing perfectly tender veggies and melt-in-your-mouth fish. Finishing it off with a sweet-savoury blackberry sauce adds a surprise element to the dish that makes it oh-so-summery.

Nutrition boost

How to turn a turkey burger into something your backyard guests will swoon over? Spread on this smoky berry sauce that offers a sweet heat and a wonderful counterpoint to turkey. A bit of goat cheese helps infuse the meat with creamy moisture, which is especially important if you’re using lean ground turkey breast.

Meatballs are for spaghetti

Think of this guise of quesadilla as gussied-up scrambled eggs that don’t require a fork. Serve with sour cream that has been perked up with lime zest or hot sauce. Eaters will appreciate if you also put a bowl of salsa on the table.

Who knew cauliflower could be transformed into a rich, creamy pasta sauce without the heavy caloric cost? Want it vegan? Try swapping out Parmesan for nutritional yeast and use coconut milk in lieu of evaporated milk. Heat leftovers in a skillet over medium-low heat with some additional evaporated milk to restore their creamy goodness.

This Indian-style flatbread is delicious as an accompaniment to a meal or on its own as a snack. The addition of spinach provides a good source of vitamin A and iron. If you are short on time, omit the filling and cook the bread on the stove while dinner is simmering or baking away.

Makes 8 paranthas

Serves 4

If a falafel and burger had a love child, this would be it. The result of this hybrid is a vibrantly coloured, complex-flavoured veggie burger you’ll flip over. You can also serve them between toasted hamburger buns with toppings such as sliced cucumber, sliced tomato, and arugula. 

Beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre and folate, a nutrient thought to reduce homocysteine levels in the blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid that, at high levels, is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Beans are an excellent source of cholesterol-lowering soluble fibre and folate, a nutrient thought to reduce homocysteine levels in the blood. Homocysteine is an amino acid that, at high levels, is associated with an increased risk of heart disease and stroke.

Use any kind of pasta, but for a special treat try something interesting from a gourmet pasta maker.

A different take on a mole sauce! Chocolate will deepen the flavour of the tomatoes and create a glossy darker sauce that pleases both the eyes and the taste buds.