Recipes

Alice was our au pair from China, and when she joined our family she brought with her a slew of tasty dishes.

We’ve all suffered through cardboard-dry chicken breasts. We do it because periodically we commit (or recommit or re-recommit) to healthy eating. And boneless, skinless chicken breasts are a fine and filling lean protein well suited to the job.

I love every bite of the holidays. I loved the mashed potatoes and the pies and the cornbread stuffing and everything else. And I’m not going to look back with regret.

I am, however, not going to continue eating this way indefinitely. And this salad is why I’m not so sad about that.

The French love to cook fish by poaching it in a flavoured liquid, usually a combination of white wine and water, leeks or onions, and some herbs. It’s a notably lean way to roll because there’s no fat involved. And the finished product is reliably tender because it has been cooked at a low temperature.

With grocery prices continuing to rise, many Canadians are looking for ways to save on their food dollar.

Pulses, which are grown in Canada, are a great way to boost protein for not much money. Stock your pantry with a variety of beans, peas, chickpeas and lentils.

Years ago, a friend took me to one of his favourite restaurants in New York City. Dinner was fantastic, the company riveting, but what stayed with me most was dessert: maple budino. One bite and I was smitten.

Chefs are devoting entire cookbooks to creative vegetable recipes.

Yotam Ottolenghi, who has four locations of his eponymous restaurant as well as Nopi in London, England, wrote “Plenty” and “Plenty More.” His newest cookbook, “Nopi,” also contains some spectacular vegetable dishes that are served at the high-end restaurant.

Eggs for dinner! Talk about serious comfort food. And one of my favourite weeknight ways to prepare them is as frittatas.

Let’s say that one of your New Year’s resolutions is to eat healthier and lose some weight. Join the crowd, right?

Like millions of you, I am a home cook. I get dinner on the table for my family day after day. I plan the main dish, the vegetables (I always serve two so any pickier kiddos have a choice) and the sides.