Eye for a Recipe

This hearty soup from Canadian Living’s Best Soups and Stews is a perfect lunch or light dinner after you’ve been outside enjoying the wintry weather. Brown sausage, add vegetables, spices, tomatoes and stock and simmer. You can make keep this in the fridge for two days and it also freezes well.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the sausage, spices, tomatoes, chickpeas and stock for additives, preservatives and colour. I used “Free From” mild Italian sausage, Imagine stock, Blue Menu chickpeas and Unico tomatoes.

Use any kind of sausage you like

Brown sausage and vegetables

Add tomatoes, spices, chickpeas, stock and simmer

Ingredients:

1 lb. (500 g) fresh turkey sausage or any sausage you like

1 tsp (5 ml) vegetable oil

1 onion, chopped

4 cloves garlic, minced

1 large carrot, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 jalapeno peppers, sliced thinly or chopped

1 tsp (5 ml) ground cumin

½ tsp (2 ml) ground coriander

½ tsp (2 ml) paprika

¼ tsp (1 ml) chili powder

¼ tsp (1 ml) pepper

1 19 oz (540 ml) can tomatoes or chopped tomatoes

1 19 oz (540 ml) can chickpeas

3 cups (750 ml) chicken stock

¼ cup (50 ml) fresh coriander or parsley, chopped

1 avocado

2 limes

Preparation:

Remove casings from sausage; cut into slices or break into chunks. In large pot, heat oil over medium heat; cook sausage, without stirring, for 5 minutes. Add onion, garlic, carrot, and celery; cook, stirring often for about 10 minutes or until vegetables are softened and sausage is cooked through. Skim off any excess fat.

Stir in jalapeno peppers, cumin, ground coriander, paprika, chili powder and pepper; cook, stirring, for 1 minute. Pour in tomatoes (breaking up with a spoon if using whole tomatoes). Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, drain and rinse chickpeas; stir into pot along with stock and 2 tbsp (25 ml) of the fresh coriander. Cover and simmer for 20 minutes.

Halve avocado and remove pit. Cut through flesh to skin lengthwise and crosswise to dice; with spoon, scoop out cubes into bowl. Squeeze juice from one of the limes and toss juice with avocado. Slice remaining lime into 8 wedges. Garnish each serving with avocado and lime wedge. Sprinkle with remaining coriander. Makes 8 servings.

From Canadian Living’s Best Soups and Stews

This lovely salad from Style at Home is perfect for a summer picnic or buffet. Roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas are mixed with red quinoa, nuts, seeds, mint and dried cranberries, and then tossed with a harissa-flavoured dressing. This would also be a great vegetarian entrée. I omitted the pomegranate seeds.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use a mustard that does not contain sulfites or sodium benzoate, such as President’s Choice grainy honey mustard. You can make your own harissa paste (see recipe below). Check the ingredients of the chickpeas and dried cranberries to make sure they are all natural.

Rinse the quinoa well before cooking

Roast the sweet potato and chickpeas

Toast the pecans

Moroccan sweet potato, red quinoa and roasted chickpea salad

Ingredients:

For the harissa paste

2 tablespoons sweet paprika

1 chipotle in adobo, minced, plus 1teaspoon adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons ground cumin

2 teaspoons ground caraway

2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Combine ingredients.

For the dressing

¼ cup flaxseed oil or extra-virgin olive oil

2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

2 tbsp honey

1 tbsp honey mustard

1 tbsp freshly squeezed orange juice

1 tsp orange zest

2 tsp harissa paste

½ tsp sea salt

¼ tsp ground cardamom

¼ tsp cinnamon

For the salad

2 sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 3⁄4″ cubes

1 540-ml can chickpeas, drained and rinsed

½ cup beluga black lentils

1 cup red quinoa, rinsed

2 green onions, thinly sliced

½ cup toasted pumpkin seeds

½ cup chopped toasted pecan halves

¼ cup chopped fresh mint leaves + more for garnish

¼ cup dried cranberries

1⁄3 cup fresh pomegranate seeds

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 375°F. In a small bowl, whisk together all the ingredients for the honey harissa dressing.

Toss ¼ cup of the dressing with the sweet potatoes and spread out onto a parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Toss another 2 tablespoons of the dressing with the chickpeas and spread out onto another parchment paper-lined baking sheet. Place both baking sheets in the oven and roast for 35 to 40 minutes, until the sweet potatoes are tender.

In a small pot, bring the beluga lentils and 4 cups cold water to a simmer. Cook for 20 to 25 minutes, until the lentils are tender. Drain, rinse and place in a large bowl, along with the roasted sweet potatoes and chickpeas.

Meanwhile, in another small pot, bring the red quinoa and 4 cups water to a boil; reduce the heat and simmer for 12 minutes. Drain the quinoa and let dry in the sieve for 2 minutes. Add to the sweet potato mixture.

Stir in the green onions, pumpkin seeds, pecans, mint and cranberries. Drizzle with the remaining dressing and toss gently to combine. Place the warm salad on a large serving platter and garnish with the fresh pomegranate seeds and mint leaves. Serves 6.

From Style at Home magazine

This very healthy recipe from the March 2014 issue of Bon Appetit uses one of my favourite methods for cooking fish—slow-roasting in the oven. At a low temperature, the fish cooks to perfection in about 30 minutes. This all-in-one dish meal also includes chickpeas and wilted greens. The recipe called for mustard greens, but I used kale instead.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

The ingredients to check for additives and preservatives are the chickpeas, cumin, honey, Dijon and capers. I use PC Blue Menu canned chickpeas, PC Old-Fashioned Dijon and Unico capers. Use an all-natural honey and make sure the cumin does not contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Mash some of the chickpeas

Place sauteed kale on top

Place salmon on top

Slow-cooked salmon, chickpeas and greens

Ingredients:

Salmon

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil, plus more

1 15.5-oz. can (439 g) chickpeas, rinsed

½ teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 garlic clove, thinly sliced

1 bunch small mustard greens, ribs and stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

1 teaspoon (10 ml) honey

4 6-oz. (170 g) skinless salmon fillets

Vinaigrette and garnish

½ small shallot, very finely chopped

2 tablespoons (30 ml) fresh lemon juice

1 teaspoon (10 ml) Dijon mustard

½ teaspoon (5 ml) honey

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (60 ml) olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) vegetable oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) capers, rinsed, patted dry

Preparation:

Salmon

Preheat oven to 250° F (120° C). Brush a large baking dish with oil. Combine chickpeas, cumin, and 1 tbsp. (15 ml) oil in a medium bowl. Mash about half of chickpeas with a fork; season with salt and pepper. Transfer chickpea mixture to prepared dish.

Heat remaining 1 tbsp. (15 ml) oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Cook garlic, stirring, until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Add mustard greens and cook, tossing, until slightly wilted, about 1 minute. Add honey and ¼ cup (60 ml) water; season with salt and pepper. Cook, tossing, until greens are completely wilted, about 2 minutes. Transfer to dish with chickpea mixture.

Season salmon with salt and pepper; arrange over greens and chickpea mixture and drizzle with oil. Bake until salmon is opaque in the center, 30–35 minutes.

Vinaigrette and garnish

Whisk shallot, lemon juice, mustard, and honey in a small bowl; season with salt and pepper. Gradually whisk in olive oil; season with salt and pepper.

Heat vegetable oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook capers until opened and crisp, about 30 seconds; drain on paper towels.

Drizzle salmon with vinaigrette and top with capers. Serves 4.

From the March 2014 issue of Bon Appetit