Next week is St. Paddy’s Day so all week on my site I’ve been featuring a bunch of healthy Irish recipes. Continuing on with my Irish recipe round up…..Yep, it’s another Irish beef stew. I can’t help it–it’s in my DNA!
You’re probably familiar with my Beef & Guinness version and you may remember I made an Autumn Stew this past year. What’s the difference besides the obvious use of Guinness? Subtle differences like using more types of root veg, pearl onions and no potatoes in the stew itself (making it a perfect St. Paddy’s Paleo dish) are the main differences, which goes to show that you can take the same idea and make it different and seasonal.

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Copyright © 2010 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

There’s a lot to be said for mastering basic cooking techniques like properly grilling a steak, plain and simple. Here I’ve done just that yet to spice things up I roasted cauliflower with a little kick using smoked paprika. This might sound too basic but this is where choosing your ingredients makes all the difference. Grass-fed meats and organic produce are bursting with natural flavour. Delicious doesn’t have to mean complicated.

RECIPE:
2 x 6oz NY grass-fed steaks
1 tsp cracked black pepper (1/2 tsp per steak)
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp grape seed oil (or olive oil if preferred). Grape seed oil gets to a higher temp before burning so is ideal for searing on high heat.

1 head organic cauliflower – cut in florets
1/4 tsp smoked paprika
1/4 cup green olives – halved
1/4 tsp pepper
2 tbsp olive oil
drizzle agave or honey

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Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2010 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

Growing up in Ireland most people assume it’s all meat n veg but being an island we have amazing seafood and a lot of my training as a chef was in seafood restaurants. This is my simplified version of a bouillabaisse. Typically, and according to tradition, there should be at least five different kinds of fish (not including shellfish) in a proper bouillabaisse. That can get pretty pricey so I thought I’d use some key seafood ingredients saving money yet without compromising flavour (which I may have used for a (my) six-pack). This version is light, fresh and brothy… just the way I roll!

If you do have a craving for some good ol’ fashioned meat try my Tomato marinated Flank Steak or Citrus Fennel Crusted Pork.

RECIPE:
Serves 4

20 mussels – rinsed
20 Manila clams – rinsed
1/2 lb large locally caught wild shrimp – P&D’d (peeled & de-veined)
1 lb white fish (Pacific cod, Tilapia, Pacific halibut) – 1″ cubes
3 cups leeks (whites only) thinly sliced, washed
1 red bell pepper – small dice
3 bay leaves
1/2 tsp chili flakes
1 x 15 oz can diced tomatoes – drained
1 cup white wine (whatever’s in your glass will work) OR an 8 fluid oz bottle of clam juice*
3 cups water
about a handful of fresh basil – chiffonade
2 sprigs fresh thyme (for steaming mussels & clams)
2 tbsp olive oil

*TIP: Bottled clam juice is easily found in the States though it might be hard enough to find across the pond. Steaming the shellfish in the white wine is a great alternative for making your own clam juice.

DIRECTIONS:

Preheat large soup pot on medium heat for 1 minute. Add olive oil along with leeks, red pepper and chili flakes. Saute, stirring occasionally for 5 minutes. Cover with lid while they’re sauteing. This will keep in the moisture and help prevent them from going brown. You don’t want any colour on the leeks, just softened.
As leeks and pepper are cooking, preheat a large saute pan on high heat for 1 minute. Very carefully add mussels and clams to pan along with the wine and thyme or bottled clam juice and thyme. (Be careful of splashing the liquid.) Cover with lid and cook until all the shells are open. Give the pan a shake after 30 seconds or so to move them around. Cook for 2 minutes approx or until all the shells have opened.
NOTE: If there are any unopened or cracked shells when the majority are cooked, discard them.

Holding a colander over the soup pot drain the shellfish into the colander. This steaming liquid will be the base of your soup and it’s delicious. Add the water, bay leaves and chopped tomatoes to the soup pot and bring to a boil.
Next remove all the mussels & clams from their shells. Set the meat aside and throw away the shells or even better you could use them with your saved veg and the shrimp shells to make a seafood stock.

Add the white fish and shrimp to the soup and stir. (They’ll cook in the broth.) Once soup comes to a boil reduce heat to a simmer. Cook for 15 minutes on medium low heat.
Just before serving add all mussels, clams and fresh basil. Stir and taste. Season with S&P.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

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Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2010 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

Being in California I’m exposed to an amazing array of fresh organic fruit n veg that I wouldn’t normally get, especially back at home so I’m taking full advantage of it. One of my weekly adventures is heading to our local farmers market and seeing what’s in season and figuring out something to make with it. You might recall a few weeks back I made a Braised Beef Rib recipe using some Poblano peppers, which actually came from my garden. Turns out I really liked their charred smoky flavour so I figured I’d have another go with them. I love roasted peppers (Roast Red pepper Hummus) and funny enough I actually made this pork dish already but my photos weren’t up to par so this is round two. With a few tweaks this turned out even better than the last time.
Lucky for you I’m a shitty photographer!

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Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2010 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

You may have noticed all the different winter squash at the markets–acorn, butternut, spaghetti, kabocha, just to name a few. I absolutely love butternut squash, which is what I tend to use most often. I suppose we all tend to stick with what we know and like but lately I’ve had quite a few inquiries for what to do with a spaghetti squash, which is great because I really dig this squash too. Actually I’m really into pasta (gluten free) but I’m off heavy carbs in the evening thanks to DR, Mr. Health Habits himself with the training program I’m on so this squash, believe it or not, makes a brilliant substitute for pasta! Thought all you who are sticking to any sort of get-in-shape regiment and of course all the Paleos, would love this idea, too.

RECIPE:
Serves 2 with leftovers

1 medium spaghetti squash (preferably organic)
1 lb medium wild, locally caught shrimp (21-30’s) P&D’s (peeled & de-veined)
1 cup pasta tomato sauce (whatever you fancy)
1 tbsp capers
1/2 lemon- zested
chili flakes (as much as you can handle)

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Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2010 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

I wonder, is the Super Bowl as popular in Canada as it is here? All week I’ve posted healthy Super Bowl grub on my site but then I started thinking….if we happen to fall off the wagon a bit and chug a few unexpected beers, shouldn’t I have a ‘make-up’ recipe ready to rock for Monday? Being healthy is all about balance and planning ahead, right?

I’m still new to the Paleo way of eating but I think I’ve a good idea here. What I really try to do with food, besides creating easy healthy recipes, is to shop and eat sustainably and seasonally. With all my recipes you are encouraged to use what ever is in season in your area, which might be different than my area especially because I’m planted in sunny Southern California, as I often like to remind DR. (Better not make him too jealous or my next workout session might be brutal!)

Since the Paleo diet does not include potatoes (ouch says the Irishman) I wanted to show you an easy substitute using what I know as Celeriac, often called Celery Root. It is a kind of celery grown as a root vegetable that tastes like celery with a potato-like consistency. Common across the pond, we use as mash, in mash or even raw, grated in salads. Here’s how it stacks up against the potato:

In California we can get celeriac all year round but the season runs about October through April. As for the tomatoes, I didn’t think it was tomato season yet we received these lovelies in our CSA box. Feel free to substitute any in-season veg for the tomatoes if you can’t get locally grown tomatoes this time of year.

RECIPE:
Serves 2

2 x 4-6 oz organic/grass fed chicken breasts

1 tbsp fresh marjoram
1 tbsp fresh oregano
1 large garlic clove – minced
3 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 lemon – zested

2 medium celery roots (you’ll probably have some left overs but that’s grand!)
low-sodium chicken broth
S&P to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Begin by mixing all the marinade ingredients together in a mixing bowl. Add chicken breasts and coat. To store, either place in a Zilpoc bag or cover in a bowl in the fridge. Turn occasionally to make sure all sides are marinating.
NOTE: This can and should be done ahead of time to get maximum flavor. I would suggest marinating for at least 4 – 24 hours.

To cook celeriac:

Top and tail celery root and using a small kitchen knife carefully peel the outer layer. (Top & tail is common chef lingo, which means trim the top and bottom.)

Once all peeled roughly chop root in equal size pieces and boil in salted water (maybe a couple of teaspoons) until fork tender. Drain and return to same pot. Mash, add broth, taste & season.

I made the little blistered cherry tomato thingy by sauteing some cherry tomatoes on medium heat in olive oil under they begin to break down. Once they soften add a drizzle of red wine vinegar and a pinch of S&P. These will add a nice contrast and burst of flavor with the chicken and celeriac.

Preheat grill pan or outdoor bbq and when hot sear chicken on both sides. Cook to internal temp. 160F, 8-12 minutes approx. Let rest for 3-4 minutes after cooking before cutting.

Tasty and easy! Let me know how you got on with the celeriac. Cheers!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

Be sure to sign up for my newsletter. When you do you’ll receive a FREE Entertainment Booklet with recipes and tips for your next dinner party.

Following on DR’s recent posts on the Paleo diet we’ve decided to go the Paleo direction with my recipes from now on. Although I’m no expert in this style of food it’s kinda similar to the way I eat myself although I do love me my grains! For all you Paleo enthusiasts out there make sure you shoot me off some suggestions if you have any and we’ll go from there.

Today’s recipe is a simple little dish that I make which I have to say is pretty easy and very tasty and as you can see looks the business.

Steaming liquid:
6 fluid oz mirin
6 fluid oz sake
2 tbps fresh ginger – minced
Place all ingredients in medium saute pan. Heat gently to let the flavors infuse.

4 x 4oz black sea bass portions

Vegetable Spaghetti:
2 medium zuchini (courgette)
2 medium yellow squash
2 medium carrot
1/2 cup low-sodium chicken / veg. broth
Drizzle olive oil
S&P to taste

To Prepare: slice all veg. lengthwise, 1/8 inch thick. Once sliced cut into thin strips like, you guessed it, spaghetti. I use a mandoline which is fairly readily available in kitchen supply stores or in Asian markets. It’ll make your life a lot easier so definitely look into getting one. Once all veg. are cut keep carrots separate as they’ll take longer to cook than the others. In a medium hot saute pan add drizzle of olive oil. Saute carrots for 1 minute.
Meanwhile season your fish with salt and white pepper and add to steaming liquid and cover. Steam the fish for 10-12 mins. approx or ’til firm to touch. To check whether the fish is cooked pierce the center of the fish with a small pairing knife. Remove and, very gently touch your top lip with the knife. If it’s hot you’re good to go.
Meanwhile while the fish is cooking, in a separate saute pan, add broth & carrots and bring to boil. Once boiling, reduce to simmer for 4 minutes approx until carrots begin to soften.
Next add zucchini, squash to carrots and cover. Season to taste. You want the spaghetti to still hold it’s shape so be careful not to cook the daylights out of it. All in all the veg should take 7-8 minutes to cook.

If you’re new to cooking fish or aren’t familiar with it, black sea bass is a great fish to use. It’s a mild oily white fish that doesn’t over-cook easily. This is a great starter dish for those of you looking to branch out. You could also use any sustainable firm white fish like Pacific Halibut or Pacific Cod although the cod will cook faster so keep an eye on it.

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Enjoy.

Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2010 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

I don’t think anyone is exempt from the winter weather that’s hitting us all at the moment. Between the snow, the cold and the days upon days of rain we’re having here in LA at the minute, I thought a quick n easy soup would hit the spot. I made chicken for dinner last night and had some left over so I thought the obvious choice was to bust out a soup for lunch today and hey presto here it is. If you don’t have any leftover chicken like I did, buy a roast chicken and just use that. You’ll get a great flavour as well as having the carcass to make your stock. Perfecto! This is one of the simplest ways to make a soup as you basically just put everything in the same pot and simmer it.

Did I mention it’s flu season? A bit of homemade chicken soup and vitamin C are sure to help!

Continue reading the full recipe here and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the HEALTHY IRISHMAN Newsletter!

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Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2010 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

On a recent visit to Austin my brother-in-law gave me a packet of dried morels and asked me to create a dish for them. Though this is a dish I’ve made many many times I thought it would be the perfect recipe for the morels plus it’s fairly fool proof. (Let’s see if Ron will try his hand at cooking this!) Luckily, braising meats is dead easy, eliminates the risk of drying out meat and always adds great flavour. The key with slow cooking, as I’ve mentioned before, is layering flavours. Searing the chicken, sauteing the mushrooms, adding garlic, well you get it. The more flavours you add the more intense and tasty the end result will be. Stands to reason, right?

I recently made this for a drop-off menu (did you know I can make dinner for you and drop it off?) and they said their 2 year old loved the mushrooms (if you’re a parent, this got the tot’s seal of approval) and they said it was even better the next day. Gotta love delicious leftovers!

Continue reading the full recipe here and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the HEALTHY IRISHMAN Newsletter!

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Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2009 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

So, Christmas – Done. New Years Day -Done! Another year older and hopefully wiser.

Have you noticed all the food traditions associated with the new year? Of course my Texan Missus has hers, which involves black eyed peas and leafy greens (representing good luck, good health & good fortune), which is now a tradition I’ve adopted.

I’m thinking the feast you just had on Christmas might have yielded some leftover turkey or ham and with a lot of you in the midst of winter right now one of the easiest, healthiest & quickest meals to put together is a great big ol’ pot of soup, which is also a great way to use up the leftovers. (If you don’t have any ham check out this turkey soup recipe.) I bunged this together in about 30 minutes (hassle-free indeed) and man was it good! You’ll love how good this smells cookin’ up in your kitchen and will probably serve you well as a good hangover munchie.

Continue reading the full recipe here and don’t forget to SUBSCRIBE to the HEALTHY IRISHMAN Newsletter!

When you do you’ll receive a FREE Entertainment Booklet with recipes and tips for your next dinner party.

Fueling your body with healthy food. Fueling your mind with the wealth of health.

Copyright © 2009 The Healthy Irishman. All rights reserved

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