As you know we have become a family that is trying to ‘eat cleanly’, Rosie and I are embracing the new regime and we are actually achieving more than 80/85% which is what is required to do the diet properly, we have not been missing chocolate or cakes, when we have had a slip we realise that we are not really missing anything and we have both found that we would rather have fruit anyway.
The boys however are really enjoying the dinners that I have been cooking, but they are not jumping on the clean eating band wagon and to be honest I don’t really expect them to, they don’t need to and as long as they are eating healthy meals thats all that really matters.
This curried chicken couscous is yummy, quick and easy, we had it as a main dinner, but it would be great as a side dish for a BBQ, it is full of flavour, high in protein and the couscous is classed as a super food* and because of how I cook the chicken it is so moist and yummy. My curry powder is a little out of date, so I will have to replace this before I next make this dish and this is why I believe in buying spices little and often, leaving them sat around in drawers does not do them any favours and always reminds me of the Michael Mcintyre sketch, it doesn’t matter how many times I see this, it always makes me laugh.
Again I have be pleasantly surprised just how quick and easy these recipes have been to make, perfect for busy week night meals and it is great to follow a healthy diet that not only doesn’t leave you feeling deprived and hungry, but fits in with your hectic lifestyle and the whole family can enjoy and benefit from.
I am working my way through ‘The Clean Eating Cookbook & Diet’ and will only be posting the recipes that we have really enjoyed, this way we can easily find them when we want to make them again and hopefully you will enjoy them as much as we have.
* A quick note just to say that regular couscous is made with refined white flour and should be avoided when trying to eat cleanly, so please make sure that you are using whole-wheat couscous if following the healthy choice.
Buon appetito
Serves 4
2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 red onion, chopped
2 red peppers, seeded and diced
3 cups of reduced salt chicken stock
2 cups of dry whole-wheat couscous
2 teaspoons curry powder (or paste, what ever you have lying around)
Large pinch of cinnamon
1 cup of dried apricots, chopped
4 cooked skinless, boneless, chicken breast
4 spring onions, thinly sliced
4 tablespoons sliced and toasted almonds
The recipe says to use ready cooked chicken breast, this is how I do mine… In the bottom of a large oven-proof dish place a few sticks of celery, a chopped up lemon, chopped onion and a few garlic cloves, cover with a couple of cups of cold water and gently place the chicken breasts on top, just so that they are nestled on the vegetables out of the water. I put the oven on 240C, then turn it down immediately to 200C when I pop the chicken breasts in. Cook depending on the size of the breasts, I find thats anything from 30 to 40 or so minutes, just make sure that they are cooked all the way through. When they are done, pop them on the side to rest for 10 minutes to allow to rest before chopping up for the dish.
In a large saucepan over a medium-low heat, warm the oil. Add the onion and pepper and saute until the onion is translucent, about 2 minutes.
Add the stock, turn the heat up to medium-high and bring the stock to the boil.
Remove the stock from the heat. Add the couscous, curry powder, cinnamon, and apricots and stir to combine. Cover the saucepan and allow it to sit for about 10 minutes.
After the 10 minutes, fluff the cooked couscous with a fork and add the chicken, spring onions, and toasted almonds, toss well and serve.
I think a sprinkle of fresh coriander would really make this dish and finish it off nicely, but that could be because I love coriander 😉
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