Eye for a Recipe

This colourful salad is a great side dish with any grilled meat, fish or seafood. Zucchini and peppers are grilled or broiled and then tossed with cooked Israeli couscous, olives, sun-dried tomatoes, red onion and basil. Unlike regular couscous — small grains of durum wheat — Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped in tiny balls, about the size of small peas. The cooking method is different too; to make regular couscous, you usually boil liquid, add the couscous, turn off the heat and let the couscous steam and absorb the liquid. To cook Israeli couscous, which is called Ptitim in Israel, you add the pasta to boiling water, reduce the heat and simmer until the pasta absorbs the liquid.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Sun-dried tomatoes and olives may contain preservatives. I use Mediterranean Organic sun-dried tomatoes and Pilaros black olives.

Grill or broil colourful vegetables

Mix with cooked Israeli couscous

This is a great side dish with grilled seafood, fish or meat

Ingredients:

1 cup (250 ml) Israeli couscous

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped sun-dried tomatoes in oil, plus 2 tbsp reserved oil

1 tsp (5 ml) Maldon sea salt

1 yellow zucchini, sliced into 1/8″ (0.3 cm) thick rounds

1 green zucchini, sliced into 1/8″ (0.3 cm) thick rounds

1 red pepper, thickly sliced

1 orange pepper, thickly sliced

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

¼ cup (60 ml) pitted and chopped kalamata olives

¼ cup (60 ml) red onion, finely diced

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh basil

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook Israeli couscous for 12 minutes or until tender to the bite. Drain well, place in a large bowl and toss with sun-dried tomatoes, reserved oil and salt. Stir occasionally until cool. Meanwhile, heat the barbecue to medium. Toss all the vegetables with olive oil, salt and pepper.

Grill until vegetables are tender and lightly charred. Allow to cool slightly and chop into 1/4″ (0.6 cm) dice. Stir into the couscous along with the olives, red onion and basil. Serve warm or at room temperature. Serves 6.

From Style at Home

This very easy recipe from the May 2015 issue of Bon Appetit yields great results. Marinate chicken thighs in vinegar, brown and bake. Meanwhile, sauté radishes and mustard greens in butter, dress with vinegar and garnish with fresh tarragon. Cook’s note: if you can’t find mustard greens, use kale or Swiss chard.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure you use butter with only one ingredient: Cream.

Sauteed radishes have a mellow flavour

Wilt the greens slightly

Vinegar-marinated chicken with buttered greens and radishes

Ingredients:

2 pounds (900 g) skin-on bone-in chicken thighs

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

¼ cup (60 ml) plus 1 tablespoon (15 ml) distilled white vinegar

1 tablespoon (15 ml) vegetable oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) unsalted butter

8 radishes, quartered, halved if small

1 bunch mustard greens, leaves torn

4 tablespoons (60 ml) tarragon leaves, divided

Preparation:

Season chicken with salt and pepper and place in a large baking dish. Pour ¼ cup vinegar over chicken and let sit 15–20 minutes. Remove chicken from marinade and pat skin dry. Reserve baking dish (no need to wipe it out).

Preheat oven to 400°F (204°C) Heat oil in a large skillet over medium. Working in batches, cook chicken, skin side down, until skin is golden brown and crisp, 8–10 minutes; turn and cook until other side is just browned, about 4 minutes. Transfer chicken to reserved baking dish; reserve skillet. Bake chicken until cooked through and an instant-read thermometer inserted into thickest part registers 165°F (74°C), 10–12 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat butter in same skillet over medium-high. Add radishes, season with salt and pepper, and cook, stirring occasionally, until radishes are browned and tender, about 5 minutes. Add mustard greens and toss to coat; season with salt and pepper. Cook, stirring occasionally, until mustard greens are just wilted, about 2 minutes (they should still have some spring in their step). Add 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) tarragon and remaining 1 Tbsp.  (15 ml) vinegar; toss to combine.

Serve greens and radishes with chicken topped with remaining 2 Tbsp. (30 ml) tarragon. Serves 4.

From the May 2015 issue of Bon Appetit

This recipe from Real Simple is quick, healthy and fun to eat. A mixture of soy sauce and brown sugar does double duty as a marinade for the salmon and dressing for the tacos. While the salmon is marinating, mix up the mayo, slice the cucumbers, cabbage and scallions. Then just sear the salmon, warm the tortillas and dinner is ready.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I use tamari instead of soy sauce because it used alcohol as a preservative, not sodium benzoate. I can’t find Sriracha without additives, so I combined Tabasco original hot sauce with Hellman’s mayo. Read the label on the tortillas to make sure they are all-natural.

Baby cucumber slices, shredded cabbage and chopped scallions add flavour and crunch to the tacos

Sear the salmon and pull into chunks

Seared salmon tacos

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons (45 ml) low-sodium soy sauce

1 teaspoon (5 ml) brown sugar

4 6-ounce (170 g) pieces boneless, skinless salmon fillet

2 tablespoons (30 ml) canola oil

Kosher salt

¼ cup (60 ml) mayonnaise

2 teaspoons (10 ml) Sriracha

2 baby cucumbers, sliced

¼ red cabbage, shredded (2 cups/500 ml)

½ cup (125 ml) sliced scallions

8 small flour tortillas, warmed

Preparation:

Combine the soy sauce and brown sugar. Pour half the dressing into a large bowl and add the salmon. Let marinate for 10 minutes, tossing occasionally. Reserve the remaining dressing.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Remove the salmon from the marinade and season with ½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) salt. Cook in the skillet until opaque throughout, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Break into large pieces.

Combine the mayonnaise and Sriracha.

Divide the Sriracha mayonnaise, salmon, cucumbers, cabbage, and scallions among the tortillas and drizzle with the reserved dressing. Serves 4.

From Real Simple

This pasta dish from Martha Stewart Living is quick and tasty. Roast eggplant and tomatoes, sauté some sausage meat and then combine with cooked pasta, olives and cheese. Cook’s note: Smaller Japanese eggplants are best for this dish; if you can’t find them, slice a larger eggplant crosswise and then cut into coin-sized pieces.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use sausage and olives with no additives or preservatives and cheese that does not contain colour.

Roast the eggplant and tomatoes

Remove sausage meat from casings and saute

Penne with roasted eggplant, tomatoes, sausage and olives

Ingredients:

4 cups (1 L) cherry tomatoes, preferably a mix of red, orange, and yellow

4 Japanese eggplants, cut crosswise into ½ -inch (1.27 cm) rounds

4 cloves garlic, smashed and peeled

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pound (450 g) penne

4 links sweet or hot Italian sausage, casings removed

1 cup (250 ml) pitted Kalamata olives

½ cup (125 ml) grated Pecorino Romano, plus more for serving

Small fresh basil leaves, for serving

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Divide tomatoes, eggplants, and garlic between two rimmed baking sheets. Drizzle with oil; season with salt. Toss to combine, then spread in a single layer. Roast until eggplants are tender and browned in spots, about 25 minutes.

Bring a large pot of water to a boil; add salt. Cook pasta 2 minutes less than instructed on package. Drain, reserving 1 cup (250 ml) pasta water.

Meanwhile, heat a large saute pan over medium-high. Cook sausage, breaking it into small pieces, until browned, 10 to 15 minutes. Add reserved pasta water; cook, scraping up browned bits from bottom of pan, until almost evaporated.

In a large bowl, combine eggplant mixture, sausage, olives, pasta, and cheese. Season with salt and pepper. Top with basil and serve immediately, with more cheese alongside. Serves 4.

From the March 2015 issue of Martha Stewart Living