Food

This buttery salad is a tasty summer dish for any occasion. The butter beans pack a hearty hit of manganese, while adding flax provides omega-3s for a double dose of nutrients for brain health. Punch up the protein in this delicious salad, if desired, by adding chunks of tuna or salmon. Tip Flaxseed can be used in a myriad of recipes. However, because of its delicate omega-3 fatty acid content, it can easily go rancid—especially when purchased ground or as an oil. For best results, store whole flaxseeds at room temperature for up to 6 months, or freeze. Ground flax and flax oil are best stored in the refrigerator. Use within 6 months.

Star anise adds an exotic sweetness to the dish, which also works as a healthy dessert. You can use any kind of apple for this recipe and adjust the amount of cranberries to balance the apples’ sweetness, since there’s no other sugar added. We tried Lobo, Cortland, and McIntosh, and they all worked well.

"You’ll be dreaming of this molten caramel skillet cake with sweet cinnamon, dates, vanilla, and pecans long after your camping trip is over." Must have cooking tools You probably won’t be hiking all day with a cast iron skillet or paella pan slung over your shoulder, but if you’re car camping, our recipes will make you the gourmet hero of the trip. bowl to hold chopped vegetables or other ingredients large cooler large cast iron skillet, or a smaller skillet plus a traditional paella pan camping spatula cutting board corkscrew, or buy a twist-top bottle of wine portable campfire grill grate tongs oven mitts camping utensils, plates, bowls, and mugs good knife Raymond swears by his bush grafting knife, a 3 in (8 cm) blade made with high-density steel. “It’s sharp but also very thick, so you can chip wood and chop vegetables with only one knife.” For a smaller knife, he likes ESEE knives, survival and military knives made for outdoor adventures: “They’re strong, sharp, and they maintain their blade.”

You might want to make a couple extra of these. As sweet potatoes cook, their sugars caramelize and ooze through the skins, combining with the smokiness of the fire for a completely addictive side dish. "As sweet potatoes cook, their sugars caramelize and ooze through the skins, combining with the smokiness of the fire for a completely addictive side dish." Safety Tips Keep it clean To keep things hygienic, Raymond has a large pot of water boiling on the fire constantly. “It’s great for tea or hot cocoa at night, but also to do the dishes or wash the kids. And whenever we add new water, we wait 10 minutes for it to be sanitized.” Prep in advance You can chop vegetables and meat in advance at home and store them in separate lightweight containers or leak-proof bags in the cooler to reduce cleanup and cross-contamination. Stay food safe Pack biodegradable soap and make sure that no bowls, cutting boards or knives are left around after touching meat or seafood. Use some frozen multitaskers Frozen peas are the perfect paella addition because they can replace some of the ice in your cooler and will thaw by dinnertime. But make sure there’s still enough ice on top of the shrimp and mussels to keep them safely chilled. While some might be uneasy bringing seafood in a cooler, Raymond says with enough ice you’ll be fine. “As long as everything is in the cooler until you need it, I’m not worried.” Pack a shovel! And the most important tip, especially with kids who tend to play around the fire: always keep a shovel nearby, just in case.

This bright orange rhizome, turmeric, is essential in Indian curries and Ayurvedic medicine, but lately it has also grown in popularity as a dietary supplement touted for its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. It’s most commonly found as a dried spice, but it’s also available at natural health stores as capsules or tablets, and also in ointments, energy drinks, soaps, and cosmetics, where it’s often labelled under the name of its most active compound, curcumin. The amount of turmeric in a recipe will be much less than in a pill, but whichever form you use, always buy a high quality, preferably organic, version, since some powders have been shown to contain fillers such as cassava, barley, or wheat, even when the only listed ingredient is turmeric. The trick to getting the most out of turmeric is to combine it with a fat (such as oil) and piperine, a compound found in black pepper, which can enhance curcumin absorption by up to 2,000 percent. That’s why it’s combined here with both, for a tasty snack that’s a simple way to supplement your diet.

This cooling iced tea smoothie makes an excellent afternoon snack, perfect for a calm afternoon interlude in the shade. Give this smoothie an additional boost of antioxidants by adding a teaspoon of flavonoid-rich matcha powder.

This smoothie is proof that green is the colour of health. Soft tofu adds extra protein along with hemp hearts with their stellar source of magnesium and beneficial omega-3 fats. If you want a sweeter smoothie, you can blend in some honey.

Any of these quick dips would be great on their own. But if you put them together, you have something that’s way more than the sum of its parts. Lentils are a fabulous source of vegan protein. Just 1 cup of cooked lentils has a whopping 18 g of protein. Get ready, set, dip!

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.

Eating a rainbow of colourful foods, including dark blue and purple, is essential to good health. Considered the king of antioxidant-rich foods, the rich blueberries in this delectable tart are especially amazing health givers.

Just as cacao adds depth to mole sauce, it works wonders here too, bringing complexity, richness, and a pleasant, subtle bitterness to this comforting soup. A cool garnish of sour cream and mint provides a stunning contrast. Tip Adding salt to onions as they sauté helps draw out water so onions soften more efficiently.

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.

These are so delicious! They’re ideal hot or cold as a mezze dish, starter, snack, or spicy picnic addition. Kaffir lime leaves are commonly used in Thai, Indonesian, Cambodian, Malaysian, and Vietnamese cooking and can be sourced in frozen form quite easily from Asian grocers. They impart a very distinct citrus note unlike any other ingredient I know—just their aroma makes me hungry. Inevitably, lemongrass goes very well with them, but the sweetness of roasted carrot and the slightly bready caraway seeds just make this dish irresistible. Lime leaves are double-shaped, making them perfect to wrap around things for cooking. Otherwise, wrap a large single leaf around each carrot piece. You don’t eat the leaves, by the way … but you knew that, right?

I love this dish for its great flavor, but also for its visual impact on the table. It is a perfect example of the senses working in union. You can’t hide the wonderful visual effect of the dish and then the joy of eating the textural contrast between the pieces of beetroot and the smooth yogurt. The chili provides a background lift, while the toasted caraway provides a second tier of bready flavor over the beetroot’s earthy sweetness. This recipe was extracted from Cooking for the Senses: Vegan Neurogastronomy by Jennifer Peace Rhind and Gregor Law, published by Singing Dragon. Order your copy at singingdragon.com.

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.

I love these cookies because I always have the ingredients on hand to make them. Plus, since they’re so easy to make, they’re a great way to get my daughter involved in the kitchen. Raisin the Bar These cookies taste just as yummy with raisins if you don’t want the refined sugar in chocolate chips.

This pasta salad is a favorite for lunches in my home—or for a quick and easy dinner. It’s packed with flavor, and it’s both creamy and crunchy. That’s thaw-some In a hurry and don’t have time to let the corn thaw? Place the frozen corn in a small bowl, then boil some water in a kettle and pour it over top of the corn. Drain the water as soon as the corn is thawed.

This soup is the perfect way to get your kids to eat a boatload of veggies. You’ll feel good knowing they’re getting a megadose of vitamins and minerals essential to ward off the common cold and flu, as well as fiber for a healthy digestive system. If you don’t have butternut squash on hand, just swap in sweet potato instead. Smooth Move If you have little ones who are just learning to eat or kids who love pureed soups, simply remove the bay leaf, pop this soup into a high-powered blender, and blitz until smooth and creamy.

This simple and healthy soup, made creamy without any dairy, is a family favourite. Bonus tip Freeze extra servings of this soup for another day.

These are a perfect meal prep addition to your sunny mornings or even a tasty treat that will keep you glowing! Packed with colourful flavonoids and anti-inflammatory compounds, this tropical gem is sure to make you shine all season long. Bonus tip For turmeric lovers, sprinkle a little more turmeric in between the layers.

This creamy avocado pasta salad is a favourite for lunches in my home or for quick and easy dinners. It’s packed with flavour, and it’s both creamy and crunchy. If you plan on making this for the whole family, just double the recipe. Tip If you don’t have frozen corn on hand, you can swap in frozen peas instead. In a hurry and don’t have time to let the corn thaw? Place the frozen corn in a small bowl, boil some water in the kettle, and pour it overtop; remove the water as soon as the corn is thawed.

This soup is the perfect tool to get your kids to eat a variety of vegetables, because it’s chock full of so many of them. The combination together provides an earthy, yet not overpowering flavour. You’ll feel good knowing your kids are getting a megadose of vitamins and minerals essential to ward off the common cold and flu, and fibre for a healthy digestive system. If you don’t have butternut squash on hand just swap in sweet potato instead. Tip If you have little ones who are just learning to eat or kids who love puréed soups, simply pop the whole soup into a high-power blender until smooth and creamy. If you plan on doing this, just remember to remove the bay leaf as it’s meant just to simmer in the soup.

Why the name? All vegetables are botanically related! This salad fills you up with positive energy!