Eye for a Recipe

This recipe from allrecipes.com is healthy, fast, tasty and baked on a single baking sheet. Place salmon and vegetables on the sheet pan and drizzle with a lemon-maple-garlic-cumin sauce. Bake until the salmon is just cooked through and the vegetables are tender. Serve with additional sauce.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Use freshly squeezed lemon juice and pure maple syrup. Check the hot pepper flakes and cumin to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents.

Place ingredients on baking sheet and drizzle with sauce

Sheet-pan salmon and bell pepper dinner

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil

4 (3 ounce/85 g) fillets salmon fillets

2 red bell peppers, chopped

1 yellow bell pepper, chopped

1 onion, sliced

Sauce

6 tablespoons (90 ml) lemon juice

3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil

2 tablespoons (30 ml) water

1 tablespoon (15 ml) maple syrup

5 cloves garlic

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) salt

1 ½ teaspoons (7.5 ml) red pepper flakes

1 teaspoon (5 ml) ground cumin

½ bunch fresh parsley, chopped

1 lemon, sliced

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Grease a sheet pan with 2 tablespoons (30 ml) olive oil or cover the pan with non-stick aluminum foil.

Place salmon fillets, red and yellow bell peppers, and onion on the prepared sheet pan.

Combine lemon juice, 3 tablespoons (45 ml) olive oil, water, maple syrup, garlic, salt, red pepper flakes, cumin, and parsley in a small bowl. Drizzle 2/3 of the sauce over the ingredients on the sheet pan.

Bake in the preheated oven until salmon is cooked through and flakes easily with a fork, 10 to 15 minutes.

Serve with lemon slices and remaining sauce. Serves 4.

From allrecipes.com

This soup from NYT Cooking is soothing, delicious and perfect for a fall supper. Toast garlic slices and set aside. Brown ground pork, add broth, water and seasonings and simmer for about eight minutes. Add greens, ginger and onion. Ladle the soup over cooked and drained rice noodles and garnish with the toasted ginger, more onion and cilantro.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

Check the hot pepper flakes to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. I used Imagine Organic stock and tamari instead of soy sauce.

Pork noodle soup with ginger and toasted garlic

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons (45 ml) neutral oil, grapeseed, vegetable or canola

8 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 pound (454 g) ground pork

1 ½ teaspoons (7.25 ml) red-pepper flakes, plus more to taste

Kosher salt and black pepper

4 cups (1 L) chicken broth

3 tablespoons (45 ml) soy sauce or tamari, plus more to taste

1 large bunch pea leaves or spinach, thick stems removed, leaves coarsely chopped

1 tablespoon (15 ml) finely grated fresh ginger (from about a 1.5-inch/3.8-cm piece)

6 ounces (170 g) rice noodles (thick- or thin-cut), cooked and drained

½ medium red, yellow or white onion or 3 scallions, thinly sliced

1 cup (250 ml) cilantro, leaves and tender stems, coarsely chopped

Preparation:

Heat vegetable oil in a large, heavy-bottomed pot over medium.

Add garlic and cook, stirring occasionally, until the slices become nicely toasted and golden brown, 2 or 3 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove garlic and set aside.

Add pork and red-pepper flakes to the pot, and season with salt and pepper. Cook, using a wooden spoon or spatula to break up large pieces, until the pork is well browned and in small bite-size pieces, 5 to 8 minutes.

Add chicken broth, soy sauce and 4 cups (1 L) water. Bring to a simmer and cook for about 5 to 8 minutes or so, until the pork is very tender and the broth tastes impossibly good. Give it a taste and season with salt, pepper, red-pepper flakes and soy sauce, if you want. Add pea leaves, half of the onion slices and all the ginger. Stir to wilt the leaves.

To serve, ladle soup over noodles and top with remaining onion, cilantro and toasted garlic. Serves 4-6.

NYT Cooking

I love pasta salads and this one from Half Baked Harvest is full of my favourite ingredients: fresh herbs, Parmesan cheese, pine nuts, roasted red peppers, artichoke hearts, sun-dried tomatoes, deli meat, fresh mozzarella and arugula. This salad, which can be made ahead, is bursting with flavour and would make a great lunch or light dinner. Cook’s note:  I used prosciutto instead of salami.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Eden Organic red wine vinegar, Unico artichoke hearts, Unico roasted red peppers and Savor sun-dried tomatoes. All are additive-free. Genuine prosciutto and Parmesan are additive-free—look for the cheese’s name stamped on the rind. Check the pine nuts to make sure they don’t contain preservatives. Tre Stelle fresh mozzarella is additive- and colour-free.

Toss warm pasta with dressing and basil

Add remaining ingredients and top with arugula and basil

Antipasto pasta salad with herby Parmesan vinaigrette

Ingredients:

1 pound (454 g) short cut pasta

1/3 cup (82 ml) extra virgin olive oil

¼ cup (60 ml) champagne or red wine vinegar

1 small shallot, grated

1 tablespoon (15 ml) fresh thyme leaves

Zest of 1 lemon

¼ cup (60 ml) grated parmesan cheese

2 tablespoons (30 ml) toasted pine nuts, finely chopped (optional)

1 pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Kosher salt and black pepper

2 cups (500 ml) fresh basil leaves, roughly chopped

2 roasted red bell peppers, sliced

1 jar (14-ounce/396 g) marinated artichoke hearts, drained

½ cup (125 ml) oil packed sun-dried tomatoes oil, drained and chopped

4 ounces (113 g) spicy salami, thinly sliced

8 ounces (226 g) fresh mozzarella or buffalo mozzarella, torn

1-2 cups (250-500 ml) baby arugula

Preparation:

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Boil the pasta to al dente, according to package directions. Drain.

Meanwhile, to a large serving bowl, add olive oil, vinegar, the shallot, thyme, lemon zest, parmesan, pine nuts (if using), and a pinch each of crushed red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper. Add half the basil and the hot pasta and toss vigorously to combine.

Add the bell peppers, artichokes, sun-dried tomatoes, salami, mozzarella, and half the arugula, tossing to combine. At this point, the salad can be served warm or cooled and kept in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.

To serve, bring the pasta to room temperature. Top with the remaining arugula and basil. Season with freshly cracked pepper and salt. Serves 6.

From Half Baked Harvest

This recipe from allrecipes.com is a lovely way to cook fish. Sauté onions, garlic and tomatoes. Stir in wine, olives, capers and hot pepper flakes. Bring to a simmer and add the fish. Cover and gently simmer for about 10 minutes, or until the fish is just cooked through. Remove fish, add butter to the sauce, simmer for a few minutes, stir in cilantro and serve the sauce over the fish. I used branzino fillets, but you could use any firm whitefish.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used a white wine from Frogpond Farms that had a sulfite level of less than 10 parts per million. I used President’s Choice garlic stuffed green olives and Unico capers—both are additive-free. Check the hot pepper flakes and the butter to make sure they don’t contain colour.

Sauté onion, garlic and tomatoes before adding fish.

Sea bass with tomato and caper-olive sauce

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons (30 ml) extra virgin olive oil

1 ½ cups (375 ml) thinly sliced white onions

2 tablespoons (30 ml) minced garlic

4 cups (1 L) seeded, chopped plum tomatoes

1 ½ cups (375 ml) dry white wine

⅔ cup (165 ml) sliced stuffed green olives

¼ cup (60 ml) drained capers

⅛ teaspoon (0.6 ml) red pepper flakes

4 (6 ounce/170 g) fillets sea bass

2 tablespoons (30 ml) butter

¼ cup (60 ml) chopped fresh cilantro

Preparation:

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Sauté onions until soft. Stir in garlic, and sauté about 1 minute. Add tomatoes and cook until they begin to soften. Stir in wine, olives, capers, and red pepper flakes. Heat to a simmer.

Place sea bass into sauce. Cover, and gently simmer for 10 to 12 minutes, or until fish flakes easily with a fork. Transfer fish to a serving plate and keep warm.

Increase the heat and add butter to sauce. Simmer until the sauce thickens. Stir in cilantro. Serve sauce over fish. Serves 4.

From allrecipes.com

This excellent baked pasta from NYT Cooking combines sausage with spices, tomatoes, pasta and lots of cheese. Brown the sausage and add spices. Stir in the tomatoes and simmer. Add the pasta, then remove from heat and top with the cheese. Bake until the pasta is cooked and then run under the broiler for a few minutes to brown the top.

Avoiding Additives and Preservatives

I used Free From hot Italian sausages and Unico tomatoes. Check the spices to make sure they don’t contain colour or anti-caking agents. Look for fresh mozzarella and ricotta without additives or preservatives. Genuine Parmesan cheese is additive-free – look for the name stamped on the rind.

Brown sausage

Add spices and tomatoes and simmer

Stir in pasta and add cheeses

Bake until pasta is tender and then brown under the broiler

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons (45 ml) extra-virgin olive oil

¾ pound (340 g) bulk hot or mild Italian sausage (pork, chicken or turkey)

4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced

1 teaspoon (5 ml) dried oregano

½ teaspoon (2.5 ml) fennel seeds, coarsely crushed

Pinch of red-pepper flakes, plus more for serving (optional)

1 (28-ounce/793 g) can whole peeled tomatoes with their juices

1 (14-ounce/396 g) can crushed or strained tomatoes

2 bay leaves

Kosher salt

12 ounces (340 g) dried pasta, such as small shells, farfalle or other shaped pasta

8 ounces (226 g) fresh mozzarella, torn into bite-size pieces

6 ounces (170 g) whole-milk ricotta (about ¾ cup/187 ml)

⅓ cup (82 ml) grated Parmesan

¼ cup (60 ml) basil leaves

Black pepper, for serving

Preparation:

Heat oven to 425 degrees F (218 C). Heat oil in a 12-inch (30-cm) ovenproof skillet over medium-high. Crumble sausage into skillet, using a spoon to break it into small pieces. Cook until starting to brown, stirring occasionally, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in garlic, oregano, fennel seeds and red-pepper flakes (if using) and cook another 1 to 2 minutes.

Stir in whole tomatoes and their juice, using a spoon to break them up. Add crushed tomatoes, bay leaves and 2 teaspoons (10 ml) salt, and bring to a simmer. Simmer for 10 minutes to thicken slightly.

Stir in pasta and 1 cup (250 ml) water and return to a simmer. Continue to simmer for 2 minutes, stirring frequently to make sure pasta doesn’t stick to the bottom of the pan. Remove from heat, pluck out the bay leaves, and fold in about a third of the mozzarella.

Top pasta with remaining mozzarella and dollops of ricotta. Sprinkle with Parmesan, then transfer to oven. Bake until pasta is tender when poked with a fork, and cheese is bubbly and lightly golden, 18 to 22 minutes. (If you’d like a more deeply browned topping, run the pan under the broiler for 1 or 2 minutes.) Remove from oven and let cool slightly before serving. Top with basil, plenty of black pepper, and more red-pepper flakes, if you like. Serves 4.

From NYT Cooking