Gingerbread can be the ultimate in sweet comfort food. It has warming, fragrant spices and a deep caramel-like sweetness that can easily be imparted on a healthy bowl of oatmeal, making it more enticing on frosty, cold mornings. Steel cut oats cooked with almond milk thicken up into a dense, gooey and warm nutty-flavoured oatmeal full of fiber and protein to keep your belly satisfied and feeling full. Continue Reading →
Reindeer Cheese and Crackers
Cheese and crackers is a classic combination that appeals even to children and picky eaters alike. With just a couple extra ingredients this snack or appetizer can take on a seasonal twist and be made to resemble little reindeer. Continue Reading →
Granola Baked Apples
Baked apples were one of my favourite childhood treats, long before I started caring for healthy food. My mom used to cut out the core then stuff them with butter, brown sugar and cinnamon. While that combination is impossible to beat, I like to sometimes use granola instead for a more filling and nutritious version. Continue Reading →
Butternut Squash Bacon Spaghetti
As the temperatures drop outside the two foods I find more and more enticing are bacon and pasta- neither are traditionally regarded as the most healthy ingredients. For the bacon, a dish like this is perfect because a little goes a long way and just a few pieces infuse the whole dish with its flavour, coming up in every bite. An extra flavourful variety like Tyrolean Speck (often labelled as Tiroler Bacon), with distinct juniper undertones and a longer curing time, is ideal. Continue Reading →
Vanilla Pumpkin Steel Cut Oats with Ginger Orange Poached Pears
Steel cut oats are the culinary version of a warm cozy sweater. They are nourishing, warm and grounding and will keep one comfortably satiated for hours. This type of oats takes longer to cook than rolled oats so they are not ideal when things are rushed, but for lazy mornings spent lingering around the house, perhaps with the rain pounding or wind howling outside, they are a perfect breakfast. Once cooked they are still slightly firm, form a thick consistency and have a nutty taste that goes nicely with fruit, nuts and/or yogurt. Continue Reading →
Pancetta Pecorino Wild Rice Stuffed Portobellos
Portobello mushrooms have a meaty flesh, deep earthy flavour and their large, round shape makes them an ideal base for piling on with other ingredients. Wild rice, a black coloured and richly nutty tasting food with a deceiving name forms the base of this stuffing. While we call it rice it is actually the seed of an aquatic grass that thrives in the cold water rivers and lakes. It is rich in protein, fiber and antioxidants, plus unlike most true grains that are slightly acidic it is alkaline. Continue Reading →
Pumpkin Spice Granola
A sprinkle of homemade granola is a healthy way to liven up a bowl of oatmeal or yogurt and fruit. It adds crunch, sweetness and in this case, some fall flavours. A combination of pumpkin purée, pumpkin seeds and pumpkin spice really drive home the pumpkin theme while pecans add some richness, dried cranberries add some chewy tartness and maple syrup, molasses, vanilla and hazelnut butter flavourfully hold it all together. Continue Reading →
Rainbow Carrot and Mango Prawn Soba Noodle Bowl
Soba means buckwheat in Japanese, the naturally gluten-free whole grain that these dense, nutty flavoured noodles are made from (look for 100% buckwheat options, some contain less nutritious refined wheat flour as well). Buckwheat is a good source of fiber, minerals, B vitamins and has a notable amount of protein. The combination of fiber and protein make these noodles a lot more filling than regular white durum flour options like spaghetti even though they have fewer calories- an example of the power of nutrient density over just caloric density. Continue Reading →
Cranberry Hazelnut Mandarin Quinoa Salad
During the fall and winter I still like to have salads here and there, especially after indulgent events like Thanksgiving. During the summer, a light leafy greens based salad is perfect but in these colder temperatures switching the main ingredient to cooked whole grains anchors it down a bit, making it a more grounding option suitable for the season. Continue Reading →
Apple Pear Crisp with Pumpkin Hazelnut Maple Topping
Crisps are one of my favourite sweet comfort foods that can be pretty healthy with a few tweaks. I like to add in nut butter and maybe some nuts to the oat based topping for some extra protein and healthy fats to moderate the sugar from the fruits and slow down digestion. This keeps blood sugar levels more stable and makes the dish more filling. Since it’s October I also added in some mashed pumpkin to the topping, giving it a seasonal twist and big boost of vitamin A. Maple syrup gives it some sweetness while cinnamon and ginger add some spice. Continue Reading →