To say that it’s been hot here in Toronto this July is, as usual, a gross understatement. And when the temperatures soar like this, hydration is key. Water gets boring so this month I’m highlighting a collection of Five Fruity Aguas Frescas to keep you cool and refreshed. Aguas frescas are essentially fruit blended with water, so they are perfect thirst-quenchers when you find yourself feeling parched.

They’re also a tasty way to enjoy locally-grown fruit in season. And I ask you, who hasn’t bought a huge watermelon and then not known what to do with half of it?  My Watermelon Mint Agua Fresca provides a delicious solution to this dilemma.

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipes for these Five Fruity Aguas Frescas.

And read on for more on aguas frescas and how they:

• make excellent electrolyte beverages when summer gets sweaty,
• are perfect patio/party sippers.

I’ll sign off for summer with a link to my previous post, Tips for a Hot Bod, for my other suggestions for keeping cool. I wish you a ton of fun in the sun this summer and I’ll see you in September!

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Last month I delved into the health benefits of prebiotic foods, highlighting in-season asparagus as one delicious example. So this month I’m featuring one of my favourite probiotic foods, kimchi. I’m calling this recipe collection Kimchi x Three because I’m serving it up three ways:

1. Kimchi & Cheddar Omelette
2. Kimchi Peanut Noodles
3. Chicken & Kimchi with Quinoa

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive Kimchi x Three. And read on for more on:

• what it is,
• why it’s good for your gut health and
• how to make your own at home.

Never tried it? That’s all the more reason to add it to your shopping list! Because when it comes to keeping your gut microbiome happy, eating a diverse array of plant foods is the name of the game. And eating fermented plant foods is like winning bonus points.

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Locally-grown asparagus is finally available here in Ontario! As an asparagus afficionado, I’m super-excited. My parents used to grow asparagus in their garden and I have fond memories of my mom making the most scrumptious asparagus tarts with béchamel sauce and Swiss cheese. I’m too lazy a cook to make pastry and béchamel myself but I do enjoy dining on asparagus as often as possible while it is in season.

And one of my favourite ways to serve these verdant spears is grilled and drizzled with a garlicky dressing chock full of fresh herbs. This recipe for Grilled Asparagus & Sweet Potato with Chimichurri fits the bill.

If you aren’t a fan of sweet potato, feel free to omit it or use any other vegetable suitable for grilling.  Bell peppers, mushrooms, zucchini or eggplant work well. I also really enjoy grilling bitter wedges of radicchio and cauliflower “steaks”. If you don’t have a grill, this can be just as easily prepared with a grill pan over the stove or roasted in the oven.

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe for Grilled Asparagus & Sweet Potato with Chimichurri. And read on for more about…

• how awesome asparagus is for the health of your microbiome and gut, and
• the gazillion ways you can use chimichurri and turn this recipe into a full meal deal.

But first, I thought you (and any of my family reading this and nostalgic for my mom’s cooking) might also enjoy the recipe for my mom’s Asparagus Tarts with Béchamel Sauce. Let me know if you make them. I can be over lickety-split. 😉

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Coconut and lime is a classic flavour pairing. The acidity of the lime balances the fatness of the coconut milk beautifully. Consequently, with just two simple ingredients you can truly elevate your meal. A few decades ago I bought a book called The Flavor Bible. It chronicles the flavour pairings and other tips top chefs use to make food taste great. The entry on limes describes how acidity awakens flavours. And among all the pairings listed, the strongest recommendations included coconut/coconut milk, chili peppers and cilantro. All of these are included in this recipe for Creamy Coconut Lime Chicken, so no wonder it tastes so good!

Fish was also strongly recommended as a flavour pairing, so feel free to substitute fish or shellfish in this recipe (just be sure to adjust the cooking times). Ginger pairs beautifully, too. If you have fresh ginger on hand to grate into this dish, I’d go for it. To make the dish vegetarian/vegan, swap in chickpeas or tofu.

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe for Creamy Coconut Lime Chicken. And read on for what to look for when purchasing coconut milk and for these bonus recipes to round out the menu:

• Roasted Curried Cauliflower
• Cucumber & Lime Fresca

I hope you enjoy the recipes! And I highly recommend you have a look at the book as well. It includes “Flavour Matchmaking Charts” that are extremely handy. As the authors write, “understanding what herbs, spices, and other seasonings will best bring out the flavor of whatever it is you’re cooking is some of the most important knowledge any cook can master.”

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Feeling ravenous and want dinner presto pronto? Then this recipe for Pesto Pasta with Scallops is for you! If seafood just isn’t your thing, you could certainly substitute chicken, although it will be a little less presto pronto (given chicken takes longer to cook). The recipe calls for chickpea pasta which is much higher in protein than regular pasta. So vegetarians can simply omit animal protein altogether and add extra veggies to the pasta and pesto to boost flavour.  Cannellini or navy beans work well too.

Pesto is my saviour when it comes to getting a tasty meal on the table in a timely manner with minimal fuss and muss. You can make your own and keep it in the freezer, ready to thaw as needed. Or make your life even easier and purchase a high-quality pesto from your local market. There are so many varieties out there that you can make this with a different pesto every time to change up the flavour profile. So it’s never boring. And I love that this recipe serves three, making enough for my husband I for dinner and leftovers for my lunch the next day.

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe for Pesto Pasta with Scallops. And read on for more about:

• my favourite pesto varieties, including a nut-free basil pesto you can make yourself
• why I highly recommend you try chickpea pasta, and
• the nutritional benefits of scallops.

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Did you know that heart disease is the second leading cause of death for both men and women in Canada? February is Heart Month. It is “a time to raise awareness about the importance of cardiovascular health and an opportunity to focus on what we can do to improve our heart health” says The Public Health Agency of Canada. According to the World Health Organization, “the most important behavioural risk factors of heart disease and stroke are unhealthy diet, physical inactivity, tobacco use and harmful use of alcohol.”

So in honour of Heart Month, this recipe for Spice Crusted Salmon & Beets serves up a heaping helping of heart-healthy nutrients. And if you are time-pressed or don’t know your way around a kitchen, take heart, because it’s super simple to prepare!

To make this dish even more heart-healthy, serve it with farro either on the side or mixed in with the beets. The high fibre content of this whole grain helps reduce LDL cholesterol in your blood, lowering your risk of heart disease. You can read more about the many health benefits of farro in this previous post of mine (and here’s the link to view the recipe it features: Farro & Beet Salad).

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe for Spice Crusted Salmon & Beets. And read on to find out more about how including salmon and beets in your diet can help keep your heart in tip-top shape.

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I’ve had a penchant lately for anything peri-peri picante. Perhaps it was my friend enthusing about the delicioso food she ate in Portugal. Or maybe my daily dose of DuoLingo Spanish (porque espero visitar España en mis vacaciones) has piqued my interest in food that is muy picante.

Whatever the reason, this month I have chosen to share a recipe for Peri Peri Chicken Thighs, Chickpeas & Collard Greens. Not only does the spicy heat appeal to me in winter, this dish exemplifies what I love about all my favourite recipes. Namely:

• it’s a one-pan, all-in-one dish (no need to make anything on the side and less to clean up),
• using a pre-made spice blend gives maximum flavour for minimum fuss,
• it’s flexible (swap the chicken for fish/shellfish, or use only chickpeas to make it vegetarian/vegan),
• you can easily alter the flavour profile (use a Cajun, Moroccan, Mexican, Indian or Italian spice blend in place of peri-peri, for example),
• it’s quick enough for a workaday dinner but also interesting enough for company,
• it includes legumes which have a whole host of health benefits (more on that in this post) and
• it makes great leftovers for lunch (or even breakfast)!

Sign up to my newsletter today to receive the recipe for Peri Peri Chicken Thighs, Chickpeas & Collard Greens. For those keen to make their own Peri-Peri spice blend, I have included a recipe for that as well. Or you can simply procure some (suggestions below).  And I invite you to read on, too, if right now you are thinking “What the heck is Peri-Peri?”

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I first posted my Gourds & Goblins Menu two years ago and my readers back then deemed it a treat. I’ve exhumed it this Hallowe’en in the hope that my newer subscribers will also find it a scream. If you are seeing this again, think of it as Hallowe’en and Groundhog Day all rolled into one.

My Gourds & Goblins Menu is a Jekyll & Hyde character.

The Jekyll version is served pretty much as described in the recipes. It’s a heaping harvest helping of carbo-comfort foods featuring a gaggle of gourds (namely pumpkin, butternut squash and zucchini). But with some sleight of hand and the spooky styling suggestions at blog-bottom, you can turn it ins-Hyde-out into a fiendish feast for your ghoul-friends! It’s double, double the fun without too much toil or trouble.

Served either way, my Gourds & Goblins Menu is devilishly good at disguising veggies.

Gourds & Goblins Menu

Apéritif: Classic Virgin Sangria (Served per the recipe, it is a harmless harvest cranberry cocktail. But we musn’t forget the word sangria means bloodletting in Spanish, so take a boo at the sinister sip tips below.)

Soup: Spider Web Pumpkin Soup (I’ve dusted the cobwebs off this one from a menu I put out in pre-pandemic times. For the harvest version, omit the spiderweb. But feel free to add curry powder or cayenne if you like it hellishly hot.)

Pasta: Vegan Mac n’ ‘Cheese’ (This is devilishly good served with a tempest-tossed “blood red radicchio and endive of the world salad”. The bitter leaves are a killer counterpoint to the richness of the pasta.)

Dessert: Dark Chocolate Zucchini Cupcakes (For some, the thought of zucchini in cupcakes is scary enough. But if you dig the demonic decorating ideas down below you can make these double chocolate delights even darker. If you wish to spike the suggested whipped cream topper, I recommend heavenly Frangelico or the Devil’s rum.)

Whether cooking up the Jekyll or Hyde version, feel free to reach out if you have any questions, comments or grave concerns. I hope you enjoy goblin’ these recipes up!

Join The Nutritional Reset Community here to receive the recipes in the Gourds & Goblins Menu (as well as the recipes to come).

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