Health Habits

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Posts Tagged ‘agave’

Autumn Tagine with Spiced Couscous

November 28th, 2008

Autumn Tagine with Grilled Chicken

Sick of turkey yet? Need a little breather from the winged one? Then you must try this recipe out. Not to worry, it’s still in line with the season since it’s full of autumn veg and cinnamon accents, which are just brilliant at this time of year. And it’s a great dish to warm your bones, esp. for all of you experiencing signs of winter. Wonder when that will kick in here in Los Angeles….

What exactly is this dish you ask? A tagine is a North African dish (typically Moroccan) of spiced meats and vegetables prepared by slow cooking ingredients together usually in a tagine (clay pot). Of course a saute pan works as well. By using this method of slow cooking the flavors will marry together and you’ll end up with a fantastic flavorful dish.

RECIPE: Serves 8
2 cups butternut squash – peeled, seeded & diced into 1″ cubes
3 cups Japanese eggplant, sliced diagonally into 1″pieces
2 cups red onion – diced into 1″ pieces
3 garlic cloves – minced
2 tbsp. fresh ginger – grated
2 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. chili powder
1 cup frozen peas
2 cups fresh cauliflower florets
2 tbsp. olive oil
S&P to taste

3 cups vegetable broth
1 stick cinnamon or 1-2 tsp.
2 tbsp. agave / honey
2 tbsp. lemon juice
1 tbsp. lemon zest
2 tbsp. fresh chopped cilantro

1 tbsp. chopped mint for garnish

TAGINE DIRECTIONS:
Combine the squash, eggplant, onion, cauliflower, peas, garlic, ginger, cumin, chili powder, S&P and olive oil in a large mixing bowl and toss together. Mix well.
Pre-heat a large saute pan. In 3 batches, saute the veg mix until lightly browned, approx 3-4 mins. per batch. Remove each sauteed batch to another mixing bowl and repeat browning process until completed. When all the veg have been browned return the entire batch back to saute pan. Add broth, cinnamon (stick or powdered), agave, lemon juice and zest and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 20 mins. stirring occasionally. Taste and season with S&P. Just before serving remove cinnamon stick and stir in cilantro.

COUSCOUS RECIPE:
1 cup dry couscous
2 1/2 vegetable broth / water
1/2 tsp. saffron treads
1 stick cinnamon or 1-2 tsp.
1/2 tsp. salt

COUSCOUS DIRECTIONS:
Follow the method on the box for cooking instructions. Add the cinnamon, salt and saffron as the liquid is heating. You would typically add the saffron in along with the broth at this stage, which allows the flavor and color to emit into the liquid. The Missus was in charge of making the couscous and didn’t realize this and added in the saffron along with the dry couscous. By doing it this way, you won’t get the color or the full flavor of the saffron so she learned the hard way! That of course, is the beauty about cooking–trial and error is the only way to learn.

Autumn Tagine with Tofu

Once the dry couscous has been added it’s very important not to play around stirring it until you’re ready to use otherwise you’ll have lovely big lumps of couscous in your dinner. Fluff very gently with a fork when ready to serve.

PROTEIN OPTIONS: Here’s where you can make it your own and vary it the next time you make it.

Vegetarian: Add diced tofu
Non-vegetarian: Add chicken or shrimp or even sliced turkey if you’ve still got a hankering for it.

If you guys have any suggestions for recipes or even want to request I use a particular ingredient in a recipe give me a shout. For more healthy recipes and cooking tips be sure to head over to the healthyirishman.com.

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Cornish Game Hen with Orange Balsamic Glaze

November 21st, 2008

The holidays are just about here and for most of you that means one thing, turkey. By the time Christmas gets here most of you will have had turkey soup, turkey sandwiches, turkey stew, need I go on? I thought it might be nice to give you an alternative as well as making the flavor a little different. I served this with baked yam wedges and steamed broccoli for a nutritious simple meal.

RECIPE: Serves 6-8
4 Cornish game hens
1 orange (4 quarters)
2 cups low-sodium chicken broth
S&P

Glaze recipe:
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1/2 tsp.ground ginger
1 cinnamon stick
1 tbsp. agave (natural sweetener)

Yam recipe:
2-3 yams
drizzle of olive oil
1/2 tsp. paprika
squeeze of lemon juice
S&P

Broccoli (add a squeeze of lemon juice when cooked)
DIRECTIONS:
Begin by putting all the glaze ingredients in a small saucepan and on medium low heat, reduce it to about half, about 20 minutes. Be careful not to have the heat too high as the sauce will evaporate too quickly and you won’t get the intense flavor desired. Once the glaze is ready, put it in a bowl and refrigerate until needed. I always try to have the glaze done ahead of time so that when it’s cooling the flavors with marry together better. The glaze should be completely chilled before basting the chicken.

Next pre-heat oven to 380 degrees.
Rinse and pat dry the chicken. Season with S&P inside and out and stuff bird with 1/4 fresh orange. Lay chickens on roasting tray and brush with glaze all over the flesh. You’ll be basting again so use about 1/2 and keep the remainder for the next session. Pop them in the oven. Once the tray is level on your oven shelf pour enough broth into pan with the birds, coating the bottom of the pan without overflowing. This is a technique I love to use with all white meat i.e. chicken, turkey, pork. You’ll find that these meats in particular are very lean so there isn’t enough fat to keep the meat moist. By using this broth technique the broth will evaporate while roasting and create steam in the oven to help keep the meat juicy.

You’ll be cooking the birds for approx. 1 hour or until internal temp. of 160 degrees but note you’ll be re-glazing at the halfway mark with the remainder of the glaze, approx. 30 minutes into cooking.
The way I check to see if the bird is cooked all the way through is to cut the skin between the breast and the drumstick and if the juice runs clear you’re in good shape.

While the birds are cooking, prepare the yams by cutting into wedges. Think steak cut chips. In a mixing bowl toss yams in a tbsp of olive oil, S&P and paprika. Spread onto foiled oven tray. These will take about 20 minutes so time accordingly with the birds. Squeeze fresh lemon juice over potatoes just before serving. NOTE: Always let the cooked birds rest for 10 min after cooking. This allows the meat to relax after the intense heat of the oven and ensures the juices will stay in the bird (and not on your cutting board) when you carve them up.

I love using game hens for a couple of reasons mainly due to the light flavor and the fact that they cook relatively quickly. I’m a breast man myself (now now) and both turkey and chicken breast are packed with protein 26 grams and 24 grams per 3 oz skinless portion, respectively and both are also low in calories and cholesterol. Perhaps that’s why I eat so much of them on a daily basis, alternating of course!

Orange Balsamic Glazed Chicken with Baked Yam Wedges and Steamed Broccoli

To see more of my recipes and learn about me and my healthy food philosophies head over to www.thehealthyirishman.com.

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Tags: agave baked yams health healthy eating healthy recipe The healthy Irishman

Pan Seared Sea Bass with Herbed Quinoa & Baby Carrots

November 14th, 2008

4 servings
RECIPE:
4 x 4oz portion sea bass or firm white fish
S&P

QUINOA:
1 cup quinoa
2 cups chicken/vegetable broth
2 cloves garlic – minced
1/4 cup shallot – finely diced
1/4 cup red pepper – finely diced
2 tsp. fresh chives – finely chopped
1 tsp. fresh thyme – chopped
zest of 1/3 lemon
1 bay leaf

BABY CARROTS:
2 bunches baby carrots (approx 6 per person)
1/2 tsp. agave
1/4 tsp. curry powder
2 tbsp. olive oil
S&P

This is a fantastic recipe which is quick and easy and most importantly healthy. It’s made with one of my favorite ingredients, quinoa, which is packed full of nutrients and is cooked very much like rice although it has more protein than most other grains.

DIRECTIONS:
Pre-heat oven to 375 degrees.
Begin by pre-heating your saute pan on full heat for 2 minutes to sear fish. In another pre-heated saute pan add 1 tbsp olive oil and saute shallots, red pepper and garlic on medium low heat for 3-4 mins or until softened. Add quinoa and saute for another 2 minutes. I like to cook it this way as it brings out a sweet nutty flavor. Add broth and bay-leaf and bring to a boil. Once boiling reduce heat to simmer, cover and cook for 20 mins. approx or until grain is tender, stirring occasionally.

Next, wash and de-stalk baby carrots. Place in a bowl along with agave, curry powder, drizzle of olive oil and S&P to taste. Roast in oven for 15-20 minutes or until caramelized and tender.

While quinoa is cooking, add a drizzle of olive oil in your other pan and sear seasoned fillets for 2-3 mins. each side or until golden brown. Remove to an oven tray for roasting. (You can actually sear the fish ahead of time and refrigerate until needed.) You’ll want to put your fish in the oven when the quinoa has been cooking for about 15 mins. and is almost tender. The fish will take about 6-7 min. in the oven and that’s it.
Hopefully everything will be ready around the same time but if it’s not don’t worry, after all it’s only food!

I hope those of you who are new to quinoa will branch out and try something new. My objective with cooking is to simplify and ‘healthify’ every day meals. Finally, eating healthy doesn’t mean eating cardboard any more! To see more of my recipes and learn about me and my healthy food philosophies head over to www.thehealthyirishman.com

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