Romance Nutritiously Gourmet Style

Valentine's Day is a great holiday to show the one you love just how much you appreciate them. It can also be a day filled with a lot of extra calories that ironically, can leave you feeling not so sexy. These recipes are healthy, fun and satisfying. Spend this Valentine’s Day in the kitchen with your significant other creating a Nutritiously Gourmet meal.

The two recipes featured in this post will take you more time than a normal weekday meal, however, I promise they are worth it!  A lot of people associate cooking healthy with boring food and boring technique.  These recipes are anything but boring and the technique is probably new for many of you but with my instructions and pictures I think I can make it interesting.   

Cooking in a Tagine is a technique that originated in Northern Africa. This conical shaped cooking vessel creates a uniquely hot environment for the dish being prepared. The base is wide and shallow, and the tall lid is designed to fit tightly inside. As the food cooks the steam rises into the cone and creates a moist environment for the protein or anything else being cooked. This creates a more flavorful dish, trapping all the aromatics inside the cooking vessel as opposed to steaming, where the vapor is released into open air. This technique is very similar to cooking in a dutch-oven or slow-cooker. That being said, if you do not own a Tagine a dutch oven or slow-cooker is a perfect replacement for any similar recipe. 

Entrée

Smoked Moroccan Chicken with Quinoa in a Tagine

Yields: 6-8 servings

Spice Blend:

1 Tbs. ground ginger

1 Tbs. smoked paprika

1 Tbs. cumin

1 Tbs. cinnamon

1 Tbs. chili powder

1 Tbs. turmeric

1 tsp. salt

Combine all spices in a bowl. Set aside.

Chicken:

1 quartered chicken, skin on

3 Tbs. Olive oil

Spice blend

3 cups kale, ribs removed and chopped  

1 onion, chopped

½ rutabaga, chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

1 red pepper, chopped

8 apricots, halved

6 dates, halved

2 Tbs. of Almonds

½ cup Quinoa, uncooked 

Instructions:

1.       Preheat oven to 300°F

2.       In a large bowl combine olive oil, spice blend, and chicken.  Toss well, and marinate for 1 hour.

3.       In a large sauté pan over medium high heat sear the chicken until skin is golden brown. Set aside.

4.       In Tagine add all the vegetables, fruits, almonds and uncooked quinoa. Creating a bed for the chicken to lie on top of. Layer chicken on top of the mixture.  

5.      Cook in the oven for about 1 and 45 minutes or until chicken reaches an internal temp. of 165°F. Serve right from the Tagine. Healthy Eating!

**If you do not own a Tagine, you can do steps 3-5 all in a large dutch-oven**

Dessert 

For dessert we are making a Rosemary, Ginger, Coconut and Almond Milk Granita served with Blood Orange Supremes. Granita is a semi-frozen dessert made from a mixture of sugar, liquid (traditionally water), and flavorings originating from Sicily. Traditionally, this dish is served any time of day, even breakfast! Finally a healthy Nutritiously Gourmet treat you can eat whenever you want!

Supreme is a fancy way of describing the technique of segmenting citrus fruits.  This is a great way to remove the bitter pith and be left with just the segment.  Below are a few pictures that should help you through the process.

Rosemary, Ginger, Coconut  and Almond Milk Granita with Blood Orange Supremes                    

Yields: About 4 servings

2 cups Unsweetened Almond Milk (I love Almond Breeze)

1- 13oz can of Light Coconut Milk

2 springs of rosemary

1 knob of ginger, thinly sliced

3 Tbs. of honey

1 large blood orange, segmented

Garnish with a small spring of Rosemary (optional)

Instructions:

1.       In a medium sauce pot heat almond milk, coconut milk , rosemary, ginger and honey to a simmer.  Turn down to a medium low heat. Continue to cook the mixture for 20 minutes. 

2.       Strain mixture through sieve into a large bowl.   Allow to cool, about 1 hour.

3.       Meanwhile, segment orange.  Set aside.

4.        Pour almond mixture into a freezer safe container. Cover tightly with plastic wrap and freeze approximately 45 minutes or until icy at edge of the container.

5.        After 45 minutes, whisk to distribute frozen portions evenly. Be sure to scrape the ice crystals off the sides and into the middle of the container.

6.       Cover and freeze again until icy at edge of pan and overall texture is slushy, about another 45 minutes.

7.       Continue to repeat steps 5 and 6 until your desired texture is achieved (You want a shaved ice texture as your final result).

8.       For a sexy look serve in a cold martini glass with blood oranges. 

Wishing you all a happy, healthy and Nutritiously Gourmet Valentine’s Day!