Eye for a Recipe

This beef stir-fry from Canadian Living gets dinner on the table in a hurry. Whip up the sauce stir-fry the beef and bok choy, toss and serve. Cook’s note: When stir-frying, cook the meat in batches instead of all at once. If you crowd the pan, the meat will steam instead of browning.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use tamari instead of soy sauce, because it uses alcohol as a preservative instead of sodium benzoate. Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and an all-natural peanut butter.

Slice beef into strips

Chop bok choy

Combine sauce ingredients and warm on top of stove

Beef and bok choy satay

Ingredients:

3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil

Half onion, minced

1 clove garlic, minced

1 tbsp (15 ml) sodium-reduced soy sauce

2 tsp (10 ml) smooth peanut butter

1 tsp (5 ml) lemon juice

1 tsp (5 ml) packed brown sugar

400 g beef eye round oven roast, cut in scant ¼ -inch (0.6 cm) thick slices

¼ tsp (1 ml) salt

2 heads Shanghai bok choy, cut in 1-inch (2.5 cm) chunks

1/3 cup (75 ml) torn fresh cilantro

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped unsalted peanuts

Sliced red finger chili pepper (optional)

Preparation:

In small saucepan, heat two-thirds of the oil over medium heat; cook onion, garlic, soy sauce, peanut butter, lemon juice and brown sugar, stirring, until smooth and thickened, about 3 minutes. Set aside.

Sprinkle beef with salt. In large nonstick skillet or wok, heat half of the remaining oil over medium high-heat; sauté half of the beef and bok choy until golden, about 3 minutes. Repeat with remaining oil, beef and bok choy.

In large bowl, toss beef mixture with sauce to coat. Sprinkle with cilantro, peanuts and chili pepper (if using). Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

This recipe from Canadian Living calls for udon noodles — thick white flour noodles used in Japanese cuisine — but any long pasta goes well with this medley of seafood and vegetables.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the seafood has no sulfites added and that the scallops are dry – meaning they are untreated with preservatives and sear well. I can’t find additive-free oyster sauce, so I have included a recipe below.

Use the larger, "dry" scallops and pat the seafood dry with a paper towel before cooking

Cook the seafood and set aside

Stir fry remaining ingredients and add the seafood back in to heat through

Stir-fried seafood noodles

Ingredients:

4 tsp (18 ml) vegetable oil

225 g jumbo shrimp, (21 to 25 count), peeled and deveined

225 g jumbo scallops, (20 to 40 count), patted dry

1 tbsp (15 ml) minced peeled fresh ginger

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 pkg (each 200 g) fresh udon noodles

4 heads Shanghai bok choy, (about 450 g total), cut in ½ -inch (1 cm) wedges

2 cups (500 ml) sliced stemmed shiitake mushrooms

1 sweet red pepper, thinly sliced

2 green onions, sliced diagonally in ½ -inch (1 cm) thick pieces

2 tbsp (30 ml) oyster sauce (see recipe below)

¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper

Oyster sauce

1 ½ tbsp (25 ml) soy sauce

1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar

1 ½ tsp (7 ml) cornstarch

Preparation:

Pat shrimp and scallops dry with a paper towel. In large nonstick skillet or wok, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; cook shrimp and scallops, stirring frequently, just until shrimp are pink and scallops are opaque, about 3 minutes. Remove to plate; set aside.

In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium-high heat; cook ginger and garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 1 minute. Add noodles, bok choy, mushrooms, red pepper, green onions and 2/3 cup (150 ml) water; cook, stirring, until noodles are softened, about 4 minutes. Add shrimp, scallops, oyster sauce and pepper; cook, stirring, until combined. Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

This recipe is quick, tastes good and is fun to eat! Whip up a peanut sauce, sauté shrimp, garlic, ginger, bok choy and scallions (the recipe also calls for carrot and bean sprouts, which I omitted) and serve in a lettuce wrap topped with chopped nuts. Cook’s note: Boston lettuce may work better than iceberg.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use an all-natural peanut butter and fresh lime juice. Use tamari instead of soy sauce, which contains sodium benzoate. Look for frozen shrimp with no added preservatives

Peanut-lime sauce

Saute the shrimp and set aside

Stir the shrimp back in to heat through

Spoon into lettuce, wrap and enjoy!

Ingredients:

Peanut-Lime Sauce

3 tbsp (45 ml) smooth natural peanut butter

1 tbsp (15 ml) lime juice

1 tbsp (15 ml) sodium-reduced soy sauce

1 tbsp (15 ml) liquid honey

1 clove garlic, minced

pinch pepper

Lettuce Wraps

1 large head iceberg lettuce

2 tsp (10 ml) vegetable oil

225 g extra-jumbo shrimp, (about 16 to 20 count), peeled and deveined

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tsp (5 ml) minced fresh ginger

2 large heads Shanghai bok choy, thinly sliced

1 carrot, cut in matchsticks

pinch each salt and pepper

1 cup (250 ml) bean sprouts

1 green onion, sliced

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped roasted unsalted peanuts

Preparation:

Peanut-Lime Sauce: In bowl, whisk together peanut butter, lime juice, soy sauce, honey, garlic, pepper and 2 tbsp (30 ml) water. Set aside.

Lettuce Wraps: Halve and core lettuce; gently separate 8 large leaves, trimming if necessary to make 5-inch (12 cm) lettuce cups. Set aside.

In large nonstick skillet or wok, heat half of the oil over medium-high heat; cook shrimp, turning occasionally, until pink and opaque throughout. Remove to cutting board; halve lengthwise. Set aside.

In same skillet, heat remaining oil over medium heat; cook garlic and ginger, stirring, until fragrant, about 20 seconds. Add bok choy, carrot, salt and pepper; cook, stirring, until tender-crisp, about 2 minutes. Stir in bean sprouts, green onion and shrimp.

Spoon shrimp mixture into lettuce cups. Drizzle with sauce and sprinkle with peanuts. Serves 4.

From the May 2015 issue of Canadian Living

This delicious stir fry from Epicurious.com combines steak, vegetables and noodles with a tangy sauce. The recipe calls for soba (buckwheat) noodles, but you can use any long noodle. I also substituted red pepper for the carrot.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the almonds for preservatives. I make my oyster sauce from scratch (see recipe below) and use tamari instead of soy sauce. Marukan rice vinegar and Emile Noel sesame oil are additive free.

Fry the steak

Saute the vegetables

Add the sauce

Steak and Noodle Stir Fry

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) sliced almonds

8 ounces (250 g) soba (Japanese-style noodles), spaghettini or spaghetti

Kosher salt

1 teaspoon (5 ml) plus 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil

12 ounces (375 ml) skirt or flank steak

Freshly ground black pepper

2 scallions, whites and greens separated, chopped

4 medium garlic cloves, chopped

1 tablespoon (15 ml) grated peeled ginger

2 heads baby bok choy, quartered

1 medium carrot, peeled, thinly sliced on a diagonal

3 tablespoons (45 ml) oyster sauce (see recipe below)

3 tablespoons (45 ml) reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons (45 ml) unseasoned rice vinegar

1 tablespoon (15 ml) toasted sesame oil

Oyster sauce

1 ½ tbsp (25 ml) tamari

1 tbsp (15 ml) sugar

1 ½ tsp (7 ml) cornstarch

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Spread out almonds on a small rimmed baking sheet; toast, tossing occasionally, until golden brown, 8-10 minutes. Let cool and set aside.

Cook noodles in a large pot of boiling salted water, stirring occasionally, until al dente. Drain; rinse to cool and set aside.

Heat 1 teaspoon (5 ml) vegetable oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Season steak with salt and pepper and cook until charred in spots, about 4 minutes per side for medium-rare. Let rest 10 minutes. Thinly slice against the grain.

While steak rests, wipe out skillet and heat 3 tablespoons (45 ml) vegetable oil over medium heat. Add scallion whites, garlic, and ginger. Stir until softened, about 1 minute. Add bok choy and carrot. Cook, tossing occasionally, until crisp-tender, about 4 minutes.

Whisk oyster sauce, soy sauce, vinegar, sesame oil, and ½ cup (125 ml) water in a small bowl. Add to vegetables; bring to a simmer. Fold in scallion greens and reserved almonds and noodles. Serve steak with noodle stir-fry. Serves 4.

From Epicurious.com

I had never tried daikon radish before, but this recipe from Lucy Waverman inspired me to give it a try. It looks like a large, white carrot, but tastes like a mild radish. It added great flavour and crunch to this chicken stir-fry.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use tamari instead of soy sauce, because it uses alcohol as a preservative, not sodium benzoate. Look for a balsamic vinegar with only naturally occurring sulfites.

Daikon looks like a large white carrot

While the chicken marinates, prepare the daikon, carrots and bok choy

Brown the chicken

Cook the daikon and carrots until tender-crisp

Cook the bok choy until it wilts and return the chicken to the pan

Chicken with daikon radish

Ingredients:

2 tbsp soy sauce

½ tsp minced ginger

½ tsp sugar

8 oz (250 g) boneless, skinless chicken breast

Finishing Sauce

1 tsp chopped ginger

1 tsp chopped garlic

1/4 cup chopped shallots

1 tbsp soy sauce

2 tsp black or balsamic vinegar

½ tsp sugar

Stir-Fry

1 lb (500 g) daikon radish, peeled

2 medium carrots, peeled

6 cups baby bok choy

2 tbsp (30 ml) vegetable oil

¼ cup finely chopped green onions

Preparation:

Combine soy sauce, ginger and sugar in a bowl. Slice chicken in half horizontally and then into thin strips. Add chicken to the marinade and let sit for 30 minutes. Drain chicken and discard remaining marinade.

Stir together ginger, garlic, shallots, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar in a small bowl and reserve. Cut daikon in half lengthwise, if large. Slice in thin slices (1/8 inch) on diagonal.

Cut carrots the same way. Divide bok choy into leaves.

Heat a wok or skillet over high heat until pan is very hot. Add oil and heat again. Add chicken and cook, stirring until slightly undercooked, 1 to 2 minutes. Remove to a plate and reserve. Add daikon and carrots. Stir-fry until slightly softened, about 2 minutes. Add bok choy and stir-fry for 2 to 3 minutes longer – until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Return chicken and toss with vegetables. Pour sauce over, tossing everything together.

Bring to boil and cook for 1 to 2 more minutes or until chicken is cooked through. Serve immediately scattered with green onions.

From Lucy Waverman