Health Conscious

It’s August in Ontario, meaning tomatoes, corn, and zucchini are at their best. This salad makes the most of our late summer harvest. We are adding crispy cranberry beans for a proteinpacked crunch that is gluten-free, low fat, and delicious flavour. These addictive beans also make a great snack. I like to throw them into a bowl with roasted nuts and dried cranberries.

Loaded black bean nachos are such a crowd-pleaser! They are easy to make and great to put out for a game night or Superbowl party. You just layer all the ingredients in a sheet pan, bake and enjoy. Customize the toppings to your liking. These nachos are vegetarian and are high in fibre and low in saturated fat.

Couscous is an ingredient that cooks in just five minutes, making it a great choice for a cold, make ahead salad! This Mediterranean inspired salad features white kidney beans, tomatoes, fresh basil and an easy balsamic dressing. Whip this up in just 20 minutes for any last minute summer barbecues.

Pasta and beans with mussels, "Pasta fagioli e cozze" in Italian, is a traditional Neapolitan pasta dish that pairs beans and mussels in a "soupy" pasta dish. Absolutely comforting and fabulously delicious.

Roasted red pepper and white bean dip is an easy, flavourful and healthy appetizer. The dip is slightly sweet and smoky from the red peppers and pairs well with the crunchy pita chips. Serve it as an appetizer for guests or enjoy as a healthy snack anytime.

These black bean and rice stuffed peppers are a vegetarian spin on a classic. Sweet bell peppers are stuffed with a hearty and healthy black bean, tomato and rice filling and topped with cheddar cheese. This meal is ready in under an hour and a great make-ahead dish that also freezes well.

The mild flavour of the couscous and black beans is punctuated by roasted sweet potato, kale, feta cheese, toasted almonds, and red onion. So many healthful and delicious ingredients are packed into this hearty salad. It's a super food city!

You can’t go wrong with a fresh and bright quinoa salad with kidney beans, fresh corn, tomatoes and feta cheese. This is the perfect recipe to make on the weekend and enjoy for lunches throughout the week.

You have everything in one dish with this White Navy  bean and Tuna salad. Beautiful earthy starch from the beans, richness from the tuna, freshness comes in with chopped green onion,  and a simple lime olive oil dressing with salt and pepper gives us enough acidity and velvetiness to make this salad shine. Craving something healthy, bright and oh so flavourful, then this salad is for you!