Eye for a Recipe

Keema is a traditional South Asian meat dish and this version from Nigella Lawson is made with ground turkey. It’s quick, easy and satisfying — perfect for a weeknight supper over steamed rice.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Make sure the rice wine has all-natural ingredients. I used Thai Kitchen brand red curry paste and tamari instead of soy sauce.

Marinate ground turkey

Saute peas and onion

Add turkey and cook until done

Serve over rice and sprinkle with cilantro

Ingredients:

1 lb. (454 g) ground turkey

12 green onions, chopped

2 cups (500 ml) frozen peas

2 teaspoons (10 ml) peanut oil

4 tablespoons (60 ml) rice wine

4 tablespoons (60 ml) cilantro, chopped

Sauce

4 tablespoons (60 ml) gochujang (red pepper paste)

2 tablespoons (30 ml) honey

2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice wine

4 tablespoons (60 ml) soy sauce

2 teaspoons (10 ml) garlic, chopped

Korean Rice or Basmati or sushi rice

Preparation:

In a large bowl whisk together sauce ingredients, stir in ground turkey.  Set it aside to marinate for about 5 minutes.

Heat a wok or large skillet on high.  While it’s heating up pour boiling water over peas in a strainer or colander.  When the wok is hot, add the oil and stir in the onions and peas.  Stir fry for about 3-4 minutes.

Add the turkey with it sauce and stir fry until no longer pink.  About 5 minutes.

Add 2 tablespoons (30 ml) rice wine with a little water to get all the juices left in the marinating bowl and add to the wok.  Continue to cook for a couple of minutes.

Serve over rice and top with cilantro. Serves 4.

From Nigella Kitchen

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

Smoked salmon, sour cream with chives, a crispy potato cake — this simple but rich and satisfying combination would be a great dish to make for your valentine this weekend.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use butter that does not contain colour and make sure the sour cream is additive-free. Look for naturally smoked salmon.

Grate the potatoes and toss with butter, flour, salt and pepper

Press the potato mixture into a heavy skillet

Cook until browned on one side, then flip and cook until done

Skillet Rösti with Smoked Salmon

Ingredients:

½ cup (125 ml) melted unsalted butter, divided

1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil

3 russet potatoes, peeled, grated and squeezed dry in clean tea towel

2 tbsp (30 ml) flour

½ tsp (2 ml) kosher salt

¼ tsp (1 ml) black pepper

3 tbsp (45 ml) snipped chives, plus more for garnish

1 cup (250 ml) sour cream

Generous 9 oz (275 g) smoked salmon or smoked trout or gravlax

Preparation:

Add 1 tbsp (15 ml) melted butter and 1 tbsp (15 ml) vegetable oil to 8-inch (20-cm) skillet and heat over medium heat.

Add grated potatoes to a large bowl and toss with remaining melted butter, flour, salt and pepper. Toss until well combined.

Tip mixture into hot pan and press down firmly with hand or spatula to help it form a solid cake. Cook over medium heat for 5 to 6 minutes or until it is golden brown underneath (you can check the colour by gently lifting up the edge of the rösti with a spatula, but don’t do this too early as the rösti may come apart).

When nicely browned on the bottom, loosen rösti from the pan with spatula and slide it onto a plate (remember, the skillet handle will be hot). Place another plate on top and holding both plates together, flip them over. Carefully slide browned-side-up rösti back into the skillet and continue cooking for 6 to 7 minutes more, or until golden brown on bottom and cooked through. Remove from heat and slide rösti onto a serving plate.

Stir chives into sour cream.

Top warm rösti with curls of smoked salmon and dollops of chive sour cream, plus more chives for garnish if you please. Serves 2-3

From Food and Drink