Baked beans are a popular traditional comfort food in North America and the British isles. Even those who profess not to care for beans likely enjoy a healthy helping once in a while, even if they are often consumed from a can. But they're one of the easiest way to cook beans at home, and I have many recipes for baked beans that appear from time to time on my table. This latest version is sure to become a favorite. Here I've added some red pepper with the beans and for the seasoning, a good dose of sweet paprika, chili powder, and fresh mint. For a smoky version, use smoked paprika instead. Economical, healthy, hearty, and easy to prepare, most of the cooking time is hands-off as the beans simmer in the oven. I served them with cornbead muffins and a barley soup for a complete and nourishing dinner.

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This very easy-to-digest split mung bean and rice dish is incredibly simple to make, with only a handful of ingredients and hardly any preparation. And when it comes to rice and earthy dal, you aren't sacrificing any flavor either. Pure comfort food, any split dal may be used in place of the mung beans, such as toor dal or red lentils, though I enjoy the sweet earthy flavour of split mung, otherwise known as moong dal. You can even omit the step to soak the dal and rice, though for digestive ease, I do recommend you soak for at least one hour, but if you are really pressed for time, simply rinse and proceed with cooking the dish. Serve with a vegetable side and Indian flatbreads for a complete meal.

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I have long made an effort to incorporate a wide variety of vegetables in my dinners on the grounds that every vegetable offers its own unique nutritional profile in addition to flavor. But I admit that broccoli doesn't feature as often in my meals as it ought to given its status as one of the top nutrient-dense vegetables—and it's not that I don't love its taste, especially when cooked. But it does have a stronger flavor than many vegetables, and I've just never figured out as many things to do with it. But craving an Asian-style fried rice, broccoli seemed like a perfect fit with the robust flavors of toasted sesame oil, sriracha sauce, and tamari sauce that I planned on using. So were the succulent chunks of fried tempeh I added, a protein-rich traditional Indonesian food made from fermented soybeans that has an appealing nutty flavor when fried but which absorbs almost any flavors you would like to add to it.

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These crispy kale squares, adapted from Power Hungry: The Ultimate Energy Bar Cookbook, have quickly become my absolute favorite breakfast option, although they are also a good choice for a mid-morning or afternoon energy fix. Made with crispy roasted kale, seeds, oats, some puffed cereal, nut butter, and goji berries, they are power packed with not only good energy-inducing nutritional ingredients but with an enticing combination of textures and flavors that are really quite varied and unique. Although they take a little more effort than many of the energy bars I have featured on Lisa's Kitchen, they are most certainly worth the effort and yield enough to last for a least a week. You will be glad that you took the time, and you'll find yourself making them again and again.

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