Puneeta @MapleandMarigold

This dish – roasted turkey breast, made incredibly juicy when simmered in coconut milk and whole spices – is perfect for small gatherings and to bring us joy, even in these difficult times. With roasted turkey breast, oven-braised in coconut milk and simmered with whole spices, this dish is a wonderful combination of flavours and showcases local Canadian foods immersed in the flavours of India. That combined with more coconut milk later in the cooking stage makes this dish really shine. Add to that the inflammation-reducing qualities of coconut milk, fresh vegetables and whole spices and this dish is fabulously flavourful and so good for our health.

This warm spicy drink is my go-to comfort beverage (after turmeric milk) and the aroma of spices will uplift your senses too. Do you boil milk with tea leaves,” or are you in the “Boil water with tea leaves and add milk at the end? If ever there was a drink that perfectly represented the multi-faceted, multi-coloured culture of India, Masala Chai would be that drink. my mom’s Masala Chai recipe.

As if the pandemic were not bad enough, we are bombarded with images of devastating forest fires, terrible hurricanes, melting ice in the Arctic, hottest temperature recorded in Death Valley, locust plagues destroying crops globally, the list goes on. But if we focus on the small steps, individual actions, and their impact on the community around us, the village in which we live, we can change the world. Food insecurity is an ugly side-effect of the pandemic, and families are being forced to use food banks in growing numbers. Change that statistic by shopping only when you absolutely need it, reduce what you bring in, use what you have, and reduce what you throw away.

Here I share with you tips for shopping and cooking with apples, simple steps to make apple sauce and an apple hack that you wouldn’t believe. As a part of the Ontario Apple Growers’ Pen Pal programme, I was partnered with Leslie Balsillie of The Fruit Wagon, Canada’s southern-most orchard. Like many farmers, they grow a variety of fruits and vegetables like peaches and beans, beets, cucumbers, eggplant, garlic, various greens, sweet peppers, tomatoes, squash and zucchini. During the summer and early fall months, they also run a roadside fruit wagon where people can stop by and pick up local, sustainably grown produce from their farm.