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Adding Even More to a Meal

Written by Staff Reporter

Thursday, 01 April 2010

I had a friend over from Wales this weekend and wanted to cook something Irish for her. I decided to give a traditional dish a bit of a healthier twist. The main reason for this was that I wanted to show how easy it was to add a few more health promoting foods to a dish we all know and love.

Changing the ingredients in a dish is easy and allows you to add more of what you like or perhaps take out what you don't like. For example, below, I added rosemary rather than the traditional thyme as I couldn't find thyme in the shops. I substituted some of the potatoes with sweet potatoes as they have more anti-oxidants in them. I also added some lentils and a few extra vegetables to the dish, adding more fibre (keeping us satisfied for longer) and even more anti-oxidants (helping to protect cells from damage) to the dish.

You see.. healthy eating is often about adding even more ingredients to a favourite dish. So many people who come to see me in my clinic come in with lists of things they can't have and I try to show them all of the ingredients that they can have!

Not so Traditional Irish Stew

Serves 6
750g stewing lamb
1 Tablespoon oil
300g brown lentils
2 sweet potatoes
4 potatoes
4 carrots
2 parsnips
4 small leeks
2 onions (chopped)
Half a head of celery
3 pints lamb stock or boiling water
2 bay leaves
6 cloves of garlic
2 stalks of rosemary
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 160 oc

Seal meat first. Heat a little oil in a large saucepan on a high heat and add meat in batches, browning on each side. Keep sealed meat on the side for later.

Try to dice all of the vegetables a similar bite size. Add the chopped onions and a little water and saute for 5 mins over a medium heat. Then add leeks and saute for another 5 mins.

Add the rest of the ingredients (including the sealed lamb) and give a good stir. Lightly season with salt and pepper.

Add the lamb stock or boiling water and bring to boil. Place in pre heated oven and cook for 1-2 hours.

For more tasty recipes, check out my daily food blog on www.foodforliving.ie

Comments (1) »

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written by Miriam, April 02, 2010

Lucy invited me over to have some left over "not so traditional stew" last Sunday evening and I am still telling all my friends about it, it was sooooo delicious!

Thanks again Lucy!
M.

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