Need Some Healthy Fare?

Photo Terry Brennan, Food Styling Lara Miklasevics

Most of us could use some more veggies and healthier food in our diets. I love the State Fair foods (check out our tour of the new foods here), but then I can feel the need to have some more veggies and healthy items at home. Whether you are combating an overload of fair fare or would like to grill this weekend and make some deliciously flavorful vegetables, these Mediterranean-inspired recipes won’t disappoint.

The idea of “the Mediterranean diet” is often reduced to just a few ingredients, like olive oil, fish, and wine, but the food in the region is wildly diverse, says cookbook author Kristin Donnelly, who created these recipes for Real Food. Many countries do, however, share a common love for bold, fresh flavors—including citrus, garlic, and herbs, she adds. In the Middle East and North Africa, warm spices are brought into the mix, too.

The recipes here celebrate the region’s diversity, including Levantine spiced yogurt-marinated chicken skewers (aka Shish Tawook)—perfect for a weeknight or weekend—and the comforting Vegetable Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Prunes, inspired by Morocco. You can make them both and they go well together, too. Plus, scroll down for more recipe ideas to help you work some healthy veggies into your meals.

Vegetable Tagine with Preserved Lemon and Prunes

Makes 6 Servings

Tagine is both the name of the conical vessel Moroccan cooks use as well as the rich stews people make in them. Even if you don’t have a tagine pot, you can still recreate the magic in a Dutch oven or heavy-bottomed pan.

Soft-cooked vegetables sometimes get a bad rap, but here, they become deeply satisfying when infused with the warmly spiced sauce. The preserved lemon adds a salty, citrusy kick, and prunes bring a deep sweetness.

A sprinkle of pistachios on top finishes the dish with a welcome crunch. Serve it over couscous or fluffy basmati rice to soak up the sauce. –K.D.

Small pinch of saffron
2 tablespoons warm water
2 teaspoons ground coriander
2 teaspoons ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
¼ teaspoon turmeric
1 large zucchini
1 small sweet potato
2 medium carrots
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, chopped
4 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
1⅛ teaspoons fine sea salt, divided
¼ cup chopped cilantro, plus more for serving
2 medium tomatoes, diced
1½ cups low-sodium vegetable broth or water
1 preserved lemon, skin only, cut into thin strips
12 pitted prunes
1 (24-ounce) can chickpeas, drained
Cooked couscous or basmati rice, for serving
Coarsely chopped pistachios, for garnish

1. Heat the oven to 350°F.
2. In a small bowl, crumble the saffron into the warm water.
3. In a separate small bowl, mix together the coriander, ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and turmeric.
4. Cut the zucchini in half crosswise, and the cut each half lengthwise into 3 wedges so you have 6 long pieces.
5. Peel the sweet potato and cut it into 6 wedges.
6. Cut each carrot in half crosswise. Cut the fatter ends in half lengthwise and leave the skinnier ends whole so you have 6 long pieces.
7. In a large tagine (if you have one) or an ovenproof Dutch oven or heavy pot, heat the oil over medium heat.
8. Add the onion and garlic, add ½ teaspoon salt, and cook, stirring, until softened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the dry spices and chopped cilantro, and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
9. Add the tomatoes and stir until they start to soften and break down, about 3 minutes. Add the vegetable broth, saffron water, preserved lemon peel strips, prunes, chickpeas, and ½ teaspoon salt, and bring to a boil, then turn off the heat.
10. Arrange the zucchini, carrots, and sweet potato in an alternating pattern on top of the other vegetables. Spoon a little bit of the sauce on top, then sprinkle with the remaining ⅛ teaspoon salt.
11. Cover your tagine and transfer to the oven. Cook for 30 to 40 minutes, until the vegetables on top are soft.
12. Garnish with pistachios and the remaining cilantro and serve hot with cooked couscous or rice.

Cook’s Note: If you would like to add chicken, use a 14-ounce can of chickpeas and add in 1½ cups cooked rotisserie chicken at the same time.

Photo Terry Brennan, Food Styling Lara Miklasevics

Shish Tawook

Makes 4 Servings

Shish Tawook, which translates to chicken skewers, is a beloved dish in the Levant part of the Mediterranean. The chicken typically has a garlicky, lemony yogurt marinade that caramelizes beautifully when grilled, thanks to the addition of tomato paste. The spices vary from cook to cook. Using a charcoal grill will bring an added depth of flavor to these, but you can also cook them indoors with a grill pan or under a broiler. You can serve the chicken tucked into a warm pita or over a bed of fluffy rice. A drizzle of creamy tahini sauce, some crisp cucumber slices, and a sprinkle of fresh cilantro pull everything together. –K.D.

For the Chicken
½ cup plain 2% fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup fresh lemon juice
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
3 tablespoons tomato paste
6 large cloves garlic, minced or finely grated
1 tablespoon sweet paprika
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon fine sea salt
½ teaspoon allspice
½ teaspoon cinnamon
¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1½ pounds boneless skinless chicken thighs or breasts, cut into 1½-inch pieces

For Serving
½ cup well-stirred tahini
¼ cup warm water, plus more as needed
¼ teaspoon salt
Warm pita or cooked rice
Sliced cucumber and chopped cilantro, for serving

1. For the chicken, in a large bowl, whisk together the yogurt, lemon juice, olive oil, tomato paste, garlic, paprika, cumin, ginger, salt, allspice, cinnamon, and black pepper.Add the chicken and toss until the pieces are well coated with the marinade.
2. Refrigerate the chicken for 2 to 4 hours. (You can skip marinating, but the chicken will be less tender and flavorful.)
3. Light a grill over medium-high heat, preheat a grill pan, or light a broiler on high.
4. If you’re going to use the broiler, line a baking sheet with foil, then set a rack on top.
5. Thread the chicken onto 6 to 8 metal skewers so that as much surface area of the chicken pieces will be exposed to the heat as possible. (No need to scrape off the marinade.)
6. Oil the grill grates or rack.
7. If you’re grilling the chicken, set the skewers on the grates and grill, turning occasionally, until the marinade looks dry all over and blistered or charred in spots and the chicken is cooked through, 6 to 8 minutes. If it looks like the marinade is burning, reduce the heat to medium.
8. If you’re using the broiler, arrange the skewers on the rack and set under the broiler about 3 inches from the heat. Broil until the marinade on top looks dry and the chicken is blistered in spots, about 4 minutes. Move the skewers around as needed to help the chicken cook evenly. Flip the skewers and cook until the other side also looks dry and blistered in spots and the chicken is cooked through, about 4 minutes longer.
9. For serving, in a bowl, whisk together the tahini, warm water, and salt. Whisk in a little more water as needed to create a sauce that’s just pourable.
10. You can either make wraps with the pita or serve the chicken over rice. Drizzle with the tahini, top with cucumber and cilantro, and serve.

Nutrition Information
• Vegetable Tagine (per serving, tagine only): Calories: 200, Fat: 6g (Sat: 1g), Cholesterol: 0mg, Sodium: 590mg, Carb: 33g, Fiber: 7g, Sugar: 13g, Protein: 5g
• Shish Tawook (per serving, chicken with tahini only): Calories: 520, Fat: 34g (Sat: 5g), Cholesterol: 95mg, Sodium: 810mg, Carb: 18g, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 5g, Protein: 38g

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