Eye for a Recipe

This recipe from Canadian Living combines ground meat with cucumber, yogurt, harissa paste, honey, lemon juice, garlic, mint, coriander and cumin, yielding a flavourful and moist burger. Instead of chicken, you could use ground lamb or beef. Serve the burgers in a bun or on top of pitas with the cucumber yogurt sauce and lots of fresh toppings.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Look for plain yogurt with no preservatives and use fresh lemon juice. Check the ground cumin to make sure it does not contain colour or anti-caking agents. Ozery Bakery pitas contain no artificial colours, flavours or preservatives. Additive-free harissa is hard to find, but you can make your own; the recipe is below. La Costeña canned chipotles do not contain preservatives.

The cucumber yogurt sauce goes into the burgers and is also a topping

Top your burgers with cucumber, avocado, radishes, onion, tomatoes and feta

Grill burgers until cooked through

Mediterranean Chicken Burgers

Ingredients:

Harissa

2 tablespoons (30 ml) sweet paprika

1 chipotle in adobo, minced, plus 1 teaspoon (5 ml) adobo sauce

2 garlic cloves, minced

2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cumin

2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground caraway

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

Burgers

¼ cup (60 ml) shredded English cucumber

½ cup (125 ml) plain Greek yogurt

1 ½ teaspoon (7.5 ml) harissa paste

1 ½ teaspoon (7.5 ml) liquid honey

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) lemon juice

1 lb (450 g) lean ground chicken, beef or lamb

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 egg, lightly beaten

2 tablespoons (30 ml) finely chopped fresh mint

1 tablespoon (15 ml) ground coriander

2 teaspoons (10 ml) ground cumin

1 teaspoon (5 ml) salt

4 pita pockets

Toppings (optional)

Sliced radishes, cucumber ribbons, chopped tomatoes, sliced avocado, crumbled feta cheese, sliced red onion or fresh sprouts

Preparation:

Harissa

In a mortar, combine the paprika, chipotle, adobo sauce, garlic, cumin, caraway and olive oil and pound until a paste forms.

Burgers

Squeeze excess moisture from cucumber. In small bowl, mix together cucumber, yogurt, harissa, honey and lemon juice.

In large bowl, mix together ¼ cup (60 ml) of the yogurt mixture, the chicken, garlic, egg, mint, coriander, cumin and salt.

Shape mixture into four ½-inch (1.27-cm) thick patties (Make-ahead: Layer patties between parchment paper in airtight container; refrigerate for up to 24 hours.)

Place patties on greased grill over medium-high heat; close lid and grill, turning once, until instant-read thermometer inserted sideways in patties reads 160°F (71°C), 8 to 10 minutes.

Place pitas on grill, turning once, until warmed through, about 1 minute. Spread some of the yogurt mixture on pitas. Top pitas with patties and toppings (if using). Serves 4.

From Canadian Living

This yummy salad from Chatelaine is a great side dish for grilled meats. Roast the sweet potatoes, toss with kale, goat cheese and toasted walnuts and drizzle with a balsamic reduction. If you don’t feel like making the reduction, try a balsamic-based vinaigrette.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the canola, goat cheese and walnuts to make sure they don’t contain additives. Look for a balsamic vinegar that has only naturally occurring sulfites.

Roast sweet potatoes until tender

Kale salad with sweet potatoes and walnuts

Ingredients:

3 sweet potatoes, cut into ½ -inch (1.27 cm) pieces

2 tbsp (30 ml) canola oil, divided

¾ tsp (3 ml) salt, divided

½ cup (125 ml) halved walnuts

1 bunch kale, stems removed and roughly chopped (about 10 cups/2.5 L)

4.4 oz (250 g) package of goat cheese, crumbled

1 cup (250 ml) balsamic vinegar

Preparation:

Position racks in centre and lower third of oven. Preheat to 375F (190C). Toss sweet potatoes, with canola oil and ½ tsp (2 ml) salt on a large baking sheet until coated. Season with fresh pepper. Bake in centre of oven until tender, 25 to 30 minutes. Spread out walnut halves on a small baking sheet. Toast in lower third of oven during last 5 minutes of sweet potatoes roasting.

Boil balsamic vinegar in a small saucepan over high. Reduce heat to medium and gently boil until thickened, but still loose, about 25 minutes. It should measure about 3 tbsp (45 ml).

Massage kale using your fingertips, in a large bowl until softened. Toss with 1 tbsp (15 ml) canola oil and remaining ¼ tsp (1 ml) salt. Divide among 4 plates. Top with roasted potatoes, goat cheese, and toasted walnuts. Drizzle with vinegar reduction. Serves 4.

From Chatelaine

This is an absolutely delicious dish from The New York Times cooking site. Blanch lemon quarters and make a citrus-honey-mustard marinade. Marinate the lemon, chicken, carrots, onions, dates and thyme, preferably overnight. Then dump the whole mixture onto a baking sheet and roast. Remove the chicken pieces are they are cooked, leaving the carrots for a few minutes longer to make sure they are cooked through. Delicious served with couscous.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use freshly squeezed orange juice and a mustard with no additives or preservatives; I use President’s Choice Old-Fashioned Dijon. Dates often contain sulfites, but you can find ones that are all-natural.

After marinating, arrange chicken and vegetables on a baking sheet and roast

Sweet and spicy roast chicken

Ingredients:

1 lemon, plus 3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed lemon juice

2 ½ teaspoons (12.5 ml) kosher salt, more for pot

3 tablespoons (45 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice

4 tablespoons (60 ml) olive oil

1 ½ tablespoons (22.5 ml) whole grain mustard

3 tablespoons (45 ml) honey

1 bay leaf

½ to 1 teaspoon (2.5 to 5 ml) crushed red pepper flakes, to taste

Black pepper, to taste

1 4-pound (1.8 kg) chicken, cut into 8 pieces

3 cups (750 ml) sliced carrots (¼-inch/0.6-cm thick)

1 onion, halved and thinly sliced

⅔ cup (165 ml) sliced dates

1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh thyme leaves

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped cilantro or parsley, for garnish

2 scallions, thinly sliced, for garnish

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped toasted pistachio nuts, for garnish

Preparation:

Quarter the lemon lengthwise, removing any seeds. Thinly slice crosswise into small wedges and add to small pot of boiling, salted water. Blanch for 2 minutes and drain. Reserve slices.

In a saucepan, whisk together lemon juice, orange juice, oil, mustard, honey, salt, bay leaf, red pepper flakes and black pepper to taste. Bring to a boil and simmer for 5 minutes. Let cool.

Put chicken in a bowl and add honey mixture. Add carrots, onion, dates, thyme and blanched lemon slices. Turn mixture several times to coat. Let marinate for at least 30 minutes at room temperature, but preferably overnight in the refrigerator.

Heat oven to 425 degrees F (210 C). Transfer all ingredients, including marinade, to a sheet pan with a rim. Chicken should be skin side up. Roast until chicken is browned and cooked through, about 20 to 30 minutes for breasts and 30 to 40 for legs and wings (remove the pieces as they are done cooking). When the chicken is done, give the carrot mixture in the pan a stir; if the pan looks dry add 2 to 3 tablespoons water. Continue roasting the carrots until they are tender, about 7 to 12 minutes longer.

Spoon carrots over chicken and top with cilantro, scallions and pistachio nuts. Serves 4-6.

From the New York Times

This tasty pasta with chicken from Greta Podleski’s Yum & Yummer is made with an oven-roasted tomato pesto. Cook the chicken, bacon, pasta, peppers, onion and spinach, toss everything with the pesto and top with grated Parmesan.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Grate your own Parmesan and look for nitrate-free bacon.

Quarter tomatoes and wrap garlic in foil before roasting

Combine roasted tomatoes, garlic and other pesto ingredients in food processor and puree.

Roasted tomato pesto

Cook chicken

Cook bacon until crisp

Cook vegetables

Toss chicken, bacon, vegetables, pasta and pesto together and serve

Ingredients:

Roasted Tomato Pesto

1½ lbs (680 g) plum tomatoes, quartered

3 tbsp (45 ml) olive oil, divided

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

4 cloves garlic

1 cup (250 ml) packed fresh basil

1/3 cup (75 ml) freshly grated Parmesan cheese

¼ cup (60 ml) toasted pine nuts

Chicken Penne Florentine

12 oz (340 g) dried penne

2 tbsp (30 ml) olive oil

4 slices bacon

1 large red pepper, thinly sliced

1 medium red onion, thinly sliced

3 small handfuls baby spinach

2 cups (500 ml) sliced or cubed chicken breast

1/3 cup (75 ml) or more roasted tomato pesto

Freshly grated Parmesan cheese and freshly ground black pepper for serving

Preparation:

Roasted Tomato Pesto

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 C). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and spread tomatoes in a single layer. Drizzle with 1 tbsp (15 ml) olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Mix using your hands. Wrap the garlic in foil and place on plan with tomatoes. Roast for 45 minutes or so, until caramelized. Cool. Add tomatoes and garlic to bowl of food processor along with basil, Parmesan and pine nuts. Whirl while adding remaining 2 tbsp (30 ml) of olive oil through the feed tube. Makes ¾ cup (180 ml).

Chicken Penne Florentine

In deep, 12-inch (30-cm), non-stick skillet, cook chicken until browned and cooked through, about 10 minutes. Remove from pan and set aside.

In a large pot, cook penne according to package directions or until al dente.

While pasta is cooking, cook bacon in the same skillet you used for the chicken. When bacon is done, wipe out pan and heat olive oil over medium-high heat. Add peppers and onion. Cook and stir until vegetables are tender, about 5 minutes. Add spinach and ¼ cup (60 ml) water. Cook and stir until spinach is wilted and water has evaporated, about 2 minutes.

Reduce heat to low. Add drained pasta to skillet along with chicken and pesto. Toss until all ingredients are coated with pesto; add more pesto if you wish. Sprinkle with Parmesan and pepper before serving. Serves 4.

From Yum & Yummer by Greta Podleski