Moroccan Chicken Tagine

I use the word ‘Tagine’ very lightly in this instance as the tagine is actually the clay vessel in which the Moroccan stew is cooked in. This chicken stew is cooked with Moroccan flavours and is typically cooked in a Tagine but this recipe works very well in a saucepan or crock pot.

Ingredients:

1kg chicken thighs, bone in and skin removed

1 medium onion, diced

40g sultanas

50g dried dates

70g dried apricots

¼ pint (140ml) of water or chicken stock

½ cup of chopped fresh herbs (fennel tops, thyme, parsley and coriander)

Extra coriander for garnish (optional)

For the paste: (all heaped teaspoons unless stated otherwise)

 2 tsp garam masala

1 ½ tsp ground dried ginger (or 1 thumb-sized piece fresh ginger, chopped finely or minced)

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp garlic granules (or 3 fresh cloves, minced)

1 level tsp mustard (English is best for flavour and heat)

½ level tsp black pepper

½ level tsp salt

Fresh green chilli to taste (we used ½ small HOT chilli, chopped finely)

2 tbsp flax seed oil (plus some extra olive oil, enough to make a loose paste)

Method:

Mix all of the ingredients for the paste in mixing bowl and marinade the chicken for a minimum of 2 hours (but overnight is best).

Using a food processor or blender, make a paste from the onions, herbs and dried fruit. Preheat the oven to gas 4 (180C/350F) and in a large, oven-proof pan or crock pot, brown the marinated chicken for 5 minutes on each side over a low heat. Once browned, add the paste made from the onions and fruit along with the chicken stock. Stir everything well and place a lid on top. Once the mixture has just started to bubble and boil, place it in the oven and bake for 1 hour. Remove from the oven and allow to rest for around 5-10 minutes before serving. The sauce should be slightly thick and the meat should be ultra tender and fall away from the bone easily.

I have served the chicken with a simple bulgur wheat couscous, made with chicken stock, lemon, herbs and pine nuts.

I would love you to try this recipe and let me know what you think! It makes a regular occurance in our house and even the non-dieters can’t get enough of it!

- Alison

Gluten-free, Dairy-free, Low GI, Omea-3...Carrot Cake.

This was a tricky recipe to develop, but one that works. The oil makes it dairy-free, and when combined with the eggs make the recipe very high in Omega-3 fats. The choice of sugar and sweeteners mean that it is low-GI and then there is the addition of gluten-free flour. It is a cake for everyone! 

 I have used omega-3 eggs as these appear to arthritis friendly but because the mixture makes around 16-20 servings, you are only eating around 1/6 of an egg in each piece of cake, so ‘normal’ eggs may be fine depending on your tolerance to eggs. 

Ingredients:

• 90g light Muscavado sugar
• 40ml raw honey
• 20ml black strap molasses
• 150ml flaxseed oil (this can be expensive so you can use a mix of olive oil and flax)
• 3 Omega-3 eggs, lightly beaten
• 210g grated carrots (about 5 medium)
• 100g raisins
• grated zest of 1 large orange
• 160g gluten-free flour (can be tapioca, rice or a blend)
• 1 ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda
• ¾ cream of tartar
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon
• ½ tsp grated nutmeg (optional, but freshly grated will give you the best flavour)

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/Gas 4/fan 160C. Oil and line the base and sides of an 18cm square cake tin with baking parchment, double lining the base. I love to use silicone moulds which don’t need lining at all!

Tip the sugar into a large mixing bowl, then pour in the oil and add the eggs. Lightly mix with a wooden spoon and stir in the grated carrots, raisins and orange rind.

Mix the flour, bicarbonate of soda, cream of tartar and spices, then sift into the bowl (sifting will ensure that the raising agents are evenly mixed throughout the flour). Lightly mix all the ingredients until all the flour is incorporated and the mixture is almost runny. 

Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and bake for 40- 45 minutes, until it feels firm and springy when you press it in the centre. I test cakes my inserting a skewer in to the middle for just a few seconds, if it comes out clean then the cake is cooked throughout.

Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn it out, peel off the paper and cool on a wire rack. (You can also freeze the cake at this point.

This recipe can be adapted to make other versions such as:

·         - apple and parsnip

·         - courgette

·         - sweet potato 

Let me know of any other variations I could try and please give them a go and let me know how they turn out!

-    

    - Emma

Fish Goujons

Great for fish tacos and as fish fingers with sweet potato fries. The mustard means that you can avoid the usual egg in the bread crumbing stage and they still stick and make a great coating.

 Served with a wholemeal wrap, salad and green salsa (recipe here)

Ingredients:

2 fillets raw Pollock, cut into small thumb sized fillets  

100g breadcrumbs, around 3 slices (gluten-free or wholemeal – I used a mixture of both)

2 tbsp Dijon mustard

Flaxseed oil (or olive oil)

Salt and pepper

Method:

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 5. Blitz the bread in a food processor with a pinch of salt and pepper, set aside in a large shallow bowl.

Paint the fish liberally with mustard (you can use a brush or just a spoon for this) and place them in the breadcrumbs, rolling and turning to cover completely. Drizzle some oil on to an oven tray and place the fish on the tray, drizzling extra oil over the top.

Bake in the oven for 10-15 minutes, turning once. You can test the fish is cooked by breaking one of the fillets open, the fish should be white and opaque. 

This method of coating can also be used for many other recipes such as chicken goujons and coconut shrimp. Give it a try!

- Emma

Green Salsa Minus the Nightshades

This salsa is great if you want to avoid the nightshade plants (especially tomatoes and peppers as these appear in most other salsas). The dressing gives it a zing, the avocado is creamy and the corn adds sweetness. It is perfect for barbecues, Mexican food and great with grilled fish, chicken and seafood dishes.

Ingredients:

150g sweet corn kernels (either tinned or fresh, removed from cob)

½ cucumber, seeds removed, diced

1 medium avocado, diced

3 spring onions, sliced

Dressing:

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp lemon juice

½ tsp honey

½ tsp garlic granules (or ½ clove, finely diced or minced)

1-2 tbsp flaxseed oil

1 tsp water (or sweet corn water if using tinned)

Salt and pepper

Method:

Simply whisk the dressing ingredients in a large bowl and once emulsified, add all of the other ingredients. Mix well. Done!

- Emma

Oven-baked Pearl Barley Risotto with Chicken Breast

This is great as an alternative to rice risotto and incorporates flaxseed oil, turmeric and garlic as anti-inflammatory ingredients. Pearl barley also makes it extremely high in fibre compared with a regular risotto. It can also be cooked on the hob on a low heat but will need to be stirred often to make sure it doesn't stick to the pan. It takes around 30 minutes to cook, either in the oven or on the hob.

 Serves 2 as a main meal or 4 as a starter

Ingredients:

2 large chicken breasts

½ tsp powdered ginger

½ tbsp turmeric

1 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp picked fresh herbs, finely chopped (or use dried if fresh are not available)

4 garlic cloves, separated with skin on

2 tbsp cider vinegar

4 tbsp flaxseed oil

1 leek finely chopped

1 onion finely chopped

1 medium sweet potato, peeled and chopped

100g mushrooms sliced

150g pearl barley, rinsed

500ml vegetable stock

100ml white wine or water

Sea salt and Black pepper to taste

Herbs to garnish (e.g. parsley or chives)

Method:

Heat the oven at gas mark 5/190˚C.  Sprinkle the garlic cloves with flaxseed oil and place in a shallow ovenproof dish, bake for 15 minutes.  When cool, peel and chop (you may find that by cooking the garlic this way, the cloves can easily squeeze out from their skin and form a paste with a delicious roasted, but mild garlic flavour, so chopping will not be necessary).

Rub 1tbsp of the oil into the chicken breasts and sprinkle on ginger, salt and pepper (and a pinch of turmeric, optional). Place into an ovenproof dish and set aside to be cooked later.

In a heavy bottomed saucepan or ovenproof pan, using the rest of the oil, fry the mushrooms until golden. Remove with a draining spoon and set aside.

In the same pan, fry the leeks and onion over a low heat until soft and translucent. Add the turmeric and cook for 1 minute then add the pearl barley, mustard, herbs, chopped roasted garlic, sweet potato, wine or water and stock and place at the top of the oven (uncovered) at gas mark 5/190˚C for 30 minutes. The barley should absorb the liquid and be soft but still have a little bite in the centre. Cook for another 5-10 minutes if the barley is still hard and add some water if needed. Once cooked, stir in the mushrooms and season with black pepper.

When the risotto has been in for around 20 minutes, place the chicken breasts in the oven. These should take around 10-15 minutes to cook at this temperature but make sure you check that they are cooked throughout by slicing them in the centre. If they are cooked, leave to one side to rest for a few minutes while the risotto continues to cook.

Once rested, slice the breasts neatly. To serve, place the risotto on a plate and top with the sliced chicken breast.

- Alison

Tom Kha Gai (Thai Chicken Coconut Soup)

This is a dish that I love to eat at my local Thai restaurant and in fact, Thai cuisine is good for the Arthritis diet as it encorporates some of the 'essential' ingredients such as fish, nuts, green vegetables and ginger. 

The key to this recipe is to get the right balance between the spices, Thai cuisine traditionally consists of spicy, salty, sweet and sour. You can adapt this recipe to suit your tastes but you should be able to taste all of the flavour elements.

There are other versions of this soup made with seafood (tom kha thale), mushrooms (tom kha het) and tofu (tom kha taohu).

Serves 2

 

Ingredients:

1/2-1 can coconut milk

600ml chicken stock (or 600ml water with a chicken stock cube)

3 tbsp red curry paste

1 thumb sized piece of fresh ginger, sliced

1 chicken breast

1 tbsp tomato paste/puree

5 kaffir lime leaves, thinly sliced (optional)

1 small bunch chopped fresh coriander

1 ½ tablespoons lime juice

1tsp fish sauce

1 tablespoons brown sugar or palm sugar

Method:

Preheat the oven to 150C/300F (gas 2). Bring coconut milk and stock to a boil, add thinly sliced ginger, coriander, sugar and red curry paste to the broth and simmer on medium for 10-15 minutes.

Place the chicken breast on a tray and cook in the oven for 12-15 minutes. Remove when cooked through and leave to rest for a few minutes. Slice the chicken thinly and add to the broth. Turn the heat off and add the fish sauce and lime juice.

Check for seasoning and taste. It should be spicy, sweet, sour, salty and creamy all at the same time! Every version is different so adjust it according to your taste, you may want to add more sugar or curry paste. Serve hot, either by itself or poured over rice or noodles.

- Emma

Kisir (Turkish Bulgar Wheat Salad)

Kisir is a Turkish bulgar wheat dish, similar to couscous. However, it is important to note that bulgar is natural cracked whole grains where as couscous is made from white flour (in the same way as white pasta). So bulgar is a great substitute for couscous in the arthritis diet.

It is a great recipe for a BBQ or picnic as it is cold and can be made well ahead of time. It goes well with all meat and fish so make plenty for everyone! It is the kind of food that is so full of flavour that everyone will enjoy it without realising how nutritious it is.

This recipe uses tomato puree, which is a ‘limited’ ingredient from the nightshade plant family (see diet basics). If you have tried nightshade plants and they agree with you then great! Others will need to bear in mind whether they have eaten any other limited foods that day. You could of course leave the tomato out and have it as more of a Tabouleh style salad. Remember this is all about the foods that work best for you!

 

Ingredients:

200g bulgar wheat (large grain is best)

300ml boiling water

1-2 tbsp tomato puree

1 onion, diced

2 tbsp lemon juice

1tbsp cumin

1 tsp salt

½ tsp garlic granules (or 1 fresh clove, finely chopped)

2 tbsp chopped herbs (I like to use parsley and mint)

Method:

Pour the boiling water over the bulgar wheat and leave covered for 5 minutes. In a pan, fry the onion for 5 minutes on a medium heat until beginning to turn translucent. Add the cumin, tomato puree and garlic and cook for a further 2-3 minutes. Drain the bulgar wheat and add this to the pan, stir constantly and cook for 5 minutes until the wheat is tender and has soaked up the flavours. Transfer to a bowl and once cool add the lemon and chopped herbs.It is normally serves as a cold salad dish and is great for mezze.

- Emma