Naturally I chose to embark on this “cleanse” just as my husband headed out of the door for a week away on business, my youngest daughter Connie was navigating her week old transition into Pre-School and my eldest Lily is just managing to keep her head above water as she hits an end of school year “brick wall”. On reflection, I chose the best time to concentrate my efforts and felt all the more committed, perhaps it was the feeling of thoughtful self control I’d set up around my week rather than abstinence.

But this isn’t about the details of what I did or didn’t eat, it was reflective of most approaches to a cleanse. It’s about how I boosted the flavors of my simple ingredients.

My kitchen botanicals became my toolkit for filling the occasional flavor void. I see my herbs and spices as a culinary pharmacy for improving both the taste of our recipes and also our well being. Plus they don’t come with a plethora of scary health warnings. I have a fondness for dried red chili flakes, smoked paprika, salt and pepper so that featured frequently on salads, brown rice and grilled meats. As my garden herbs re-emerge, handfuls of mint made it’s way into large bowls of French whole grain couscous and olive oil.

For our penultimate back to basics week in May, we’ve simplified what herbs and spices can be used to flavor different meats and vegetables in general, and links to our associated slow cooker recipes. Herbs and spices won’t just add flavor to your food but nutrients too, some of which offer preventative, restorative and healing properties.

For this pilaf we’ve used whole spices and added our own rich spiced mango chutney. May is peak season for a variety of Mangoes so a great time for this recipe. One batch will be good in the fridge for 3 months and can be used alongside rice dishes, smothered on cheese sandwiches or to accompany an Indian curry.

Herbs and Spices

• Use 3 times fresh to dry or 1 tbsp fresh to 1 tsp dried.
• Use dry during cooking, and add fresh at the end

Ingredients

1 tbsp light olive oil
2 tsp garlic, chopped
2 tsp fresh ginger, grated
1 cup carrot, small dice or batons
3 whole cardamon pods
2 whole cloves
1 cinnamon stick
2 cups basmati rice
2 1/2 cups chicken broth
salt
pepper
1 bag pea shoots

In a saucepan over a medium heat heat the olive oil, add the ginger and garlic and gently fry for a minute. Transfer to your slow cooker.

Pour the rice, shredded carrot, spices, broth, salt and pepper over the ginger and garlic and mix well. Cook on Low for 2 hours.

Spoon the pilaf into bowls and garnish with fresh raw peas and peashoots and a generous helping of your favorite chutney on the side or try our recipe for seasonal Mango Chutney.

Mango Chutney

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp fresh ginger, minced
5 cloves garlic, minced
1 red chilli, chopped small (remove seeds if you don’t like too much heat)
5 mangoes, peeled and diced
1 tsp coriander, ground
1 tsp cumin, ground
½ tsp turmeric
½ tsp salt
1.2 tsp black pepper, ground
¼ tsp ground cloves
¼ tsp cinnamon
½ cup plus 1 tbsp granulated sugar
½ cup white vinegar

Combine all the ingredients in your slow cooker, mix well and cook on high for 5 hours.

Zen Toolkit
If you grow your own, perhaps on a window ledge or porch, once they’re in the peak of their growing season you can snip off extra to dry for use over the winter. I love this windowsill herb garden from Thrifty Mama.

Zen Moment
“Variety’s the very spice of life, that gives it all its flavor.”
- William Cowper (English Poet)

I look for opportunities for my girls to help in the kitchen and mixing up the ingredients for marinades is always fun – a pinch of this, a drop of that, shake it all together. It’s a witch’s brew. Our back to basics this week focuses on marinades you can use on meat and vegetables in your slow slow cooker.

Marinades

Meat to marinade ratio: 1/2 cup marinade per 1 1b of meat

You can easily load up a marinade with great flavors which is the rationale behind this weeks “eating in and taking out” recipe.

The convenience of take out is an occasional pleasure, however if you’re accommodating food allergies or your diet is in check then perhaps it isn’t an option. The key is that you know exactly what’s in this 5 Spice Steak and there’s no room for unknown added nasties.

Ingredients
1 1/2 lb flank steak, 1/2″ slices
2 tbsp reduced sodium soy sauce
2 tbsp tamarind paste
2 tbsp honey
1 tbsp coriander seed
2 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ginger powder
2 medium onions, cut into crescent shapes

Lay the flank steak on a board and cut across the grain into 1/2″ slices.

In a bowl or a ziploc bag, combine the soy sauce, tamarind, honey, coriander, garlic and ginger and mix thoroughly. Put the slices of steak into the marinade and mix to ensure all the pieces are covered. Refrigerate for 2 hours or more (overnight is fine too).

Lay the sliced crescents of onion in the bottom of the slow cooker.

Lay the marinaded steak over the top.

Cook on low for 8 hours, or high for 4.

Serve with rice and a chopped herb or “any greens” salad mixed with 2 tbsp sunflower seeds, 2 tbsp seasoned rice wine vinegar and 2 tbsp olive oil.

Zen Toolkit
Allergyeats.com is a great website if you are researching allergy consious restaurants and take outs http://www.allergyeats.com/ Just like the Zagat guides, it’s a peer reviewed directory of restaurants and rates how they stack up for customers with allergies.

Zen Moment
“A messy kitchen is a happy kitchen and this kitchen is delirious.”
-Unknown

*sesame is a known allergen

So as we dive headlong into our busy social calendars, it’s a good time to bring some calm into our kitchens for the month with some easy to assemble, tasty, aromatic recipes.

I’m partial to roasting a chicken for Sunday lunch, not only for it’s simplicity and because it tastes and smells so good but as we fight over the crispy bits of seasoned skin I’m aware of its multiple meal-giving opportunities it gives me for the remainder of the week.

About a year ago, following such a meal, I inaugurated my slow cooker with a simple chicken broth recipe. Cooking every last morcel of roast chicken deliciousness using the bones makes a good broth suitable for another recipe during the week. I wouldn’t make it any other way now because I find doing it on the stovetop requires my frequent attention to keep the temperature constant, whereas my slow cooker does not.

In bringing back the basics this month, we’re sharing slow cooker tips on homemade broth, soups, marinades, herbs and spices.

Soups

Ingredients

1 tbsp olive oil
1 medium/1 cup onion, small dice
1 medium/1 cup carrot, small dice
1 medium/1 cup celery, small dice
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tbsp Italian Herbs
3 medium potatoes, cubed
3 1/2 cups chicken broth (store bought or see recipe below for easy homemade)
2 1/2 cups water
6 spears /1 cup asparagus, chopped
2 handfulls / 2 cups sugar snap peas, chopped
fresh mint to garnish & lemon juice

In a skillet heat the olive oil over a medium heat. Add the onion, celery, carrot and garlic and cook gently for 3 minutes. Transfer to your slow cooker. (You can skip this step and place them directly into your slow cooker if you wish, but you may need to add more herbs and seasoning)

Add the diced potatoes, dried Italian Herbs, broth and seasoning. Replace the lid and cook on LOW for 6-8 hours.

After 6-8 hours, remove the lid and add the chopped asparagus and peas before pureeing with a stick blender. Add the chopped mint and a generous squeeze of lemon juice or vinegar at the end.

Homemade Chicken Broth

Ingredients
1 chicken carcass, (from a 3 lb chicken meat removed and bones broken up)
1 large carrot, cut into halves
1 medium onion, quatered
2 sticks celery, cut in half
2 cloves garlic
1 bay leaf
6 peppercorns
4 cups water

Place all the ingredients into your slow cooker insert, replace the lid and cook for 6-8 hours on low. Once cooked, drain the broth through a sieve over a bowl, cool and chill. Once cooled you can remove the fat from the top with a spoon. Freeze for up to 2 months.

Zen Toolkit
Pour leftover chicken broth into ice cube or muffin trays, pop out and store in sealed bags in the freezer for up to 3 months. Use as needed in soups, casseroles and stews.

Zen Moment
“Three Rules of Work: Out of clutter find simplicity; From discord find harmony; In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.”
- Albert Einstein

Honestly, at various times over the last 19 years I have been completely surprised by the depth of joy and fear I’ve experienced as a parent and really loved the statement below by my friend Denise Bunning:

“I feel very spiritual. I am exactly on the path I was meant to be on. I was meant to have the children I have, one with food allergies and asthma, and one with food allergies and EoE.”

Denise goes on to recount the day her oldest son went into anaphylactic shock at 6 months of age after ingesting just one sip of a milk based formula, closely followed by her second son’s diagnosis – Eosinophilic Esophagitis (EoE) – an even more rare and serious digestive disease.

Her statement was particularly poignant to me because despite our different parenting journeys we were both faced with unfamiliar and difficult paths, but decided early in the game to skip the hall pass and chart a course for our families.

While I’m sure there were many moments that Denise imagined what it would be like to take the hall pass she fearlessly and firmly embraced her role as an advocate for her children.  In 1997 she took it a step farther and co-founded a support group called MOCHA (Mothers of Children Having Allergies www.mochallergies.org ) with Anne Thompson.  Together they made an impact on a local level by raising both awareness and support for children suffering from life threatening food allergies.

As they tirelessly advocate for their children and others, they’re not alone. My good friend Michelle quietly volunteers as the lunchroom monitor at her son’s elementary school.  I have friends who privately call ahead to figure out what flavor cupcake is being served at school, a birthday party or family gathering so they can create an exact replica for their four year old.  I know that all of them patiently teach their children how to read food labels while teaching them their ABCs and I know how difficult it is for each of these mothers to bravely smile as they put their children on the school bus each day.

I’m grateful to each one of them because they’ve made the world a better place for all of us.

Just as we honored families with Autism in April, this month we’re honoring families who have children with life-threatening food allergies.  We’ve taken some of the hugest allergens out of our menu (peanuts, eggs, milk and seafood), and will demonstrate how slow cooking can be used to create interesting meals for families who need to pay extra attention to their diets.

If you live locally (in or near Chicago) I hope you’ll join Denise at the 2nd annual Chicago FARE  (Food Allergy Research & Education www.foodallergy.org) luncheon on Friday, May 10th as she continues to highlight this very important cause.

So for all you fearless and loving Mothers in the world – Happy Mother’s Day!

Zen Moment
“A mother’s love for her child is like nothing else in the world. It knows no law, no pity. It dares all things and crushes down remorselessly all that stands in its path.”
~ Agatha Christie

Illustration by Connie McKay, age 4

For our first foray into the world of recipe video making, our super talented (and patient) videographer Andrea Blake helped navigate us through filming, with a nudge and a wink when needed. We cracked our way through 2 dozen eggs, ran out of gluten free bread and forgot our lines when fatigue started to set in. It was another “first” for Meg and I and it was so much fun to make.

Including Doug, Lily and Connie made it a real family affair and camera shy they are not. Meg and Doug made the perfect mom and son team, providing the banter to get us through multiple takes. Then I got to bring my girls in for the best part, tasting our finished “Gluten Free” Maple French Toast Casserole before Andrea announced “It’s a wrap”.

Prep Time 20 minutes Cooking Time 2 hrs 30 minutes on HIGH Servings 8-10

Step 1 Coat the inside of your slow cooker

Step 2 Tear up or cut the bread with the lettuce knife

Step 3 Measure the cubed bread using cup measurement and put bread into the slow cooker insert

Step 4 Sprinkle the dates over the bread.

 

Step 5 Crack the 7 eggs into a mixing bowl and whisk

Step 6 Add the almond milk, maple syrup, sugar, vanilla and spices to the eggs and continue to whisk.

Step 7 Pour the egg mixture over the bread and push the bread into the eggs using the whisk.

Step 8 Replace slow cooker lid. Turn on slow cooker, set to high for 2 1/2 hours

Zen Toolkit
Pre – measure all your spices into a bowl the night before, cover and refrigerate.

Zen Moment
“Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much.”
- Helen Keller

In an excerpt from Last Child in the Woods, Richard Louv’s work linking the absence of nature to prevalent childhood trends such as: depression, attention disorders and obesity, many children today have little connection to the outdoors in what Louv describes as “nature deficit disorder.”

Reconnecting with our natural world can help stimulate and restore our attention. From making the very first drill in our community garden bed for a row of tiny seeds by poking a finger in the dirt, then methodically swinging a watering can backward and forward over the new growth that erupts, to finally picking the ripe fruits in the summer – our tactility with nature begins. It won’t be long before Lily and Connie are bringing freshly picked produce indoors. The results in the kitchen of preparing and cooking with our homegrown fruits and vegetables are significantly enhanced by their provenance and superior taste.

Recent studies have compared working outdoors and indoors and report improved concentration and sensory integratration when engaged with nature. For Autism Awareness month we’ve created this simple recipe for chicken nachos to give you the freedom to spend more time outdoors while it cooks. When you come inside, everyone will be happy to gather at the dinner table and add their own chopped avocado, lettuce and sour cream.

Prep Time 10 minutes Cooking Time 6-8 hours LOW Servings 4-6

Ingredients

1 medium white onion, sliced into half moons
1 green bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 red bell pepper, sliced into strips
2 lbs skinless, boneless chicken thighs
2 tbsp fajita seasoning store bought or make your own *
3 tbsp lime juice
tortilla chips
grated cheese
lettuce
avocado

* 1 1/2 tsp cumin
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1/2 tsp oregano
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder

Mix the onion, red and green pepper strips and put in your slow cooker insert.

Place the chicken thighs on top of the peppers

Sprinkle the top of the chicken and peppers with the fajita seasoning mix and the lime juice. Place the lid on your slow cooker and turn to Low for 6-8 hours.

Put a layer of tortilla chips into the bottom of an oven proof dish. Shred the cooked chicken and using a slotted spoon remove the chicken, peppers and onions and lay on top of the tortilla chips.

Sprinkle the chips with grated cheese and put under a preheated broiler (grill) until the cheese is melted. Serve with the lettuce, avocado and sour cream on the side. I like quick pickled red onion too – slice and toss in lime juice and seasoned rice wine vinegar.

Zen Toolkit
If your child wants extra sensory input have your toppings pre-prepared and refrigerated so they can build their own nacho plate.

Zen Moment
from Last Child in the Woods
“Progress does not have to be patented to be worthwhile. Progress can also be measured by our interactions with nature and its preservation. Can we teach children to look at a flower and see all the things it represents: beauty, the health of an ecosystem, and the potential for healing? ”
- Richard Louv

For me, there isn’t a day that goes by when I don’t eat chocolate in some form. I’ve discovered there’s a rapidly evolving movement of chocolate experts seeking out the best single origin products, just as wine enthusiasts go in search of a Grand Cru.

The Chocolate Connoiseur by Chloé Doutre-Roussel gave us a concise and beautifully presented introduction to chosing the best ingredients for our event “Sense, Slow Cook and Savor”.

For the event, we explored our senses through Feldenkrais and concentrated on brain to body connections around awareness of our hearing, sight and smell. We completed the exercise using taste with three chocolate desserts baked in our slow cooker – a chocolate fondue, raspberry white chocolate chip bread and dark chocolate pots de creme (the heavy cream version!)

In small bites, a high quality chocolate can be a good addition to our diets. For populations sensitive to casein (a protein found in dairy) this may help satisfy a craving. In addition, there are compounds in chocolate which act as neurotransmitters in the brain and have the potential to improve mood and positively impact concentration.

Here’s the fun and tasty part. Our visual recipe debut this week is a Chocolate Cake and in support of Autism Awareness Month we’ve made it gluten and casein free. Please click on the ingredients icons to see the visual learners format.

We love Taza Chocolate’s Stone Ground Bars and also Trader Joes 85% Lovers Bar, both are casein free. Taza specifically produce chocolate that contains no dairy, casein, whey, or eggs, or any ingredients containing these items.

Send us a picture of your cake and we’ll enter you in our giveaway draw for our zen of slow cooking apron and favorite slow cooking cookbook… Art of the Slow Cooker  - Andrew Schloss.

Prep Time  15 minutes              Cooking Time 2 hrs  Servings 10

Ingredients
1 1/2 cups king arthur gluten free flour
1/2 cup cocoa
1/2 tsp xanthan gum
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup good quality dark chocolate/dairy free chocolate chips
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup light olive oil
3/4 cup almond milk or rice milk

Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the cocoa, xanthan gum, salt, baking powder and stir well with a spoon to combine.

Next stir the sugar and chocolate pieces into the flour mixture.

In a separate bowl, crack the eggs and whisk.

Add the vanilla, olive oil and milk to the egg mixture and whisk again to combine.

Pour the egg mixture over the flour mixture and stir using a spatula to scrape the dried ingredients from the inside of the bowl.

Pour into an oiled loaf tin and put into your slow cooker on a piece of foil. Set the slow cooker to High for 2 hours 30 minutes. Insert a toothpick or fork, if it comes out clean then the cake is done. Remove the loaf pan from the slow cooker and leave to cool for at least 15 minutes before turning the cake out. Serve a slice as it is, warm, or add fresh raspberries and your favorite ice cream.

Looking Ahead
Sharing our recipe for crunchy chicken fajita nachos next week.

Zen Toolkit
For a safe way to make your own chocolate chunks, freeze the night before. Remove from the freezer, remove the wrapper and put the chocolate into a plastic bag and use a rolling pin to break into pieces.

Zen Moment
“There is nothing better than a friend, unless it is a friend with chocolate.”
― Linda Grayson

I know I’ve shared bits and pieces of my life, but truth be told I never thought I would do a trip like this with my middle child, Doug.  For Doug was diagnosed as developmentally delayed, when he was just thirteen months old.

From that day forward the backdrop for my life was permanently changed.  A dark cloud descended over my young family and the dream I had for my little boys and soon to be little girl disappeared. I was no longer a happy young mother bringing her two little boys to playgroup, but a frantic one dropping my oldest son Phil off to be cared for by dear friends while taking Doug in his car seat to therapy.

By the time Doug was two, he received two more diagnoses (with more to follow.)   At age three, I shifted most of his care toward alternative medicine as I was so tired of people telling me what he couldn’t do instead of celebrating what he could.

In this new paradigm shift, I learned so many things. I began to see how food can affect behavior and noticed a positive shift in Doug’s awareness and language development when I eliminated gluten, casein and artificial food dyes from his diet. I became interested in and started to explore the mind body connection through Feldenkrais Anat Baniel Method, Craniosacral and Auditory Integration therapy, along with the advances that can be made through Behavior and Sensory Integration Therapy – my entire understanding of the world expanded.

Through Doug I’ve met angels living on earth – truly. I know so many it’s hard to name them but one of them was his Anne Sullivan – her name is Vonda Lupo-Britt.  Vonda’s dedication to Doug – over 50 hours a week for two years helped him make a stronger connection to the world.

So you can see while this story had a sad start – it really isn’t about sadness –  it’s about the possibility of creating new dreams and being open to the journey. Doug has helped all of us become available to what is really important and meaningful in life and allowed me the luxury of letting go of what I call the “nonsense stuff.”

And today –  he is over 6’ 3”.  He worked hard to beat his older brother hiking the trail, talks a mile a minute (another story) and charms everyone with his engaging smile and enthusiastic spirit.

I count him as one of my greatest blessings.

Looking Ahead

In honor of all families who have a child who is “differently-abled” and to encourage some dietary experimentation, especially for children with challenging behaviors, Jane created three “gluten/casein free” dishes for this month.

To specifically encourage visual learners to slow cook, we’re debuting a new “visual recipe” format next week as well as a video of us making our French Toast Maple Casserole. We would love your feedback.

Zen Toolkit

When things start to feel too frenetic in your home open a window – even an inch will create a positive shift in your energy.

Zen Moment

“Just when the caterpillar thought the world was over; it became a butterfly.”

When we met and became co-creators of Meg’s brainchild, The Zen of Slow Cooking, a whole year of discovery lay ahead of us. On our first anniversary, we are celebrating a year-long exploration of the Zen business opportunities which continue to evolve.

Here are just a few of our highlights:

• We were excited to co-host our first event – Sense, Slow Cook and Savor.

• We’re slowly gathering a crowd of mindful followers of our website, launched just 6 months ago.

• We’ve made connections with great sourcers of good ingredients, such as quinoa through Alexandra Meyer de Guevara of Andean Naturals.

• We were featured on the blog Moms Kitchen Handbook, written by our talented friend and soon-to-be-in-print author Katy.

• We made a splash in the Forest and Bluff Magazine and Pioneer Press.

Immersion in local food culture and making new food discoveries is one of the most desirable side effects of spending time on foreign shores. Just as in Europe where changing language – even dialect – a few miles down the road usually results in a change in cuisine and the wine, here in America it’s perhaps BBQ which best exemplifies the hugely varied regional cooking culture.

When Spanish explorers arrived in Mexico they brought with them a version of Barbacoa – Molly O’Neills “American Food Writing” recounts a fun story by John M. Duncan about navigating the customs of a roadside barbeque event in Virginia in the early 19th Century – which made its way north. Enthusiasts can talk for hours in animated debate about the best BBQ and I was keen to add my first American twist to my kitchen.

This is a popular recipe influenced by far flung spices, pleasingly illustrated by this hand painted typographic map of flavors – a collaboration by Tim Ferriss and Maptia. On a roadtrip from Chicago to Virginia, we went in search of this revered dish and after self-indulgent and thoroughly enjoyable research concluded that our preferred dressing is a North Carolina Vinegar Sauce.

Our slow cooking journey would be incomplete without sharing our great Pulled Pork recipe from Meg’s friend Maria O’Rourke which gets it’s smokey BBQ infusion from a few drops of liquid smoke. It’s simple to assemble and you can be free with your spice measurements. Traditionally pork shoulder (Boston Butt) is the preferred cut to retain moisture, if you lean toward a less fatty meat then try pork center loin cut which I always use and has equally delicious results.

Prep Time 15 minutes    Cooking Time Low 6 – 8 hours Servings 6

Rub Ingredients
1 tbsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp celery salt
2 tbsp brown sugar
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp dried mustard powder
1/2 tsp dried minced onion
3/4 tsp black pepper
1 tsp salt

Other ingredients
5-6 lbs pork shoulder or center cut loin, trimmed of fat
1/2 cup water
1 tsp liquid smoke
1/2 cup cider vinegar

Carolina Vinegar Sauce
2 cups cider vinegar
1 1/3 cups water
1/2 cup tomato ketchup
1/3 cup brown sugar
2 tsp salt
2 tsp chili pepper flakes
1 tsp ground black pepper
dash of tabasco sauce

Combine all the rub ingredients

Lay the pork on a chopping board and carefully remove any excess fat. Cut the pork into 2 inch cubes.

Combine the spices and pork in a plastic bag and marinate for a few hours or overnight.

After marinating, put the pork and spice mixture into the bottom of your slow cooker.

Pour the vinegar, water and liquid smoke over the pork. Put the lid on your slow cooker and turn to the Low setting for 8 hours or until the pork is falling apart. For the vinegar sauce, put all the ingredients in a jar with a lid (or a bowl) and shake (or stir) well to combine.

Once the pork has cooked, remove the meat from the slow cooker and shred onto a plate using 2 forks. Return it to the slow cooker and mix with the leftover juices in the bottom before serving onto a toasted bun with the North Carolina vinegar sauce on the side.

Looking Ahead
For the duration of Autism Awareness month of April, we’re shining the light on our gluten free, casein free recipes for your slow cooker.

Zen Toolkit
Toss any leftover pork in the vinegar sauce and spread over nachos, topped with avocado and shredded lettuce.

Zen Moment
“Man cannot discover new oceans unless he has the courage to lose sight of the shore.”
- André Gide

When I’m asked what I miss most about my home country, aside from the obvious, is the physical landscape. In Chicago, I appreciate the expanse of looking out over Lake Michigan, it is a close reminder of the seashore which is perhaps why I instinctively breathe deeply to fill my lungs with the air. I love the natural boundary the lake creates along the eastern edge of the city.

I grew up in an area of significant natural beauty, The Yorkshire Dales, surrounded by verdant hills and valleys carved out by retreating glaciers during the last Ice Age. Hardy sheep meander those valleys mowing as they go, restricted only by the miles of dry stone walling which snake up and along their rough pastures.

It was about this time of year on those pastures that we would catch our first glimpse of giddy lambs, leaping from their grassy springboards. The perfect time to sample fresh sheep milk cheese, the seasonal by product of the lactating Ewe. Here in Illinois Prairie Fruit Farms produce such cheeses. Just as the patterns in nature convey seasonality,  choosing our products mindfully ensures a balance in our physical environment too.

It’s no surprise that roast lamb was a menu item at many a Sunday dinner table, and frequently at Easter and religious holidays. Since Spring lamb isn’t available until May or June, choose Australian or New Zealand lamb which has been pasture reared under prime summer conditions. If you are conscious of your food’s air miles, then you can substitute more local dark chicken meat for the lamb.

Prep Time 15 Cooking Time Low 6-7 hrs Servings 4

Ingredients
2 tbsp flour
1 lb boneless, cubed lamb
3 tbsp olive oil
1 chopped onion
4 cloves garlic, smashed
2 tsp fresh ginger, minced or 1 tsp dried ground
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp cumin, ground
1 tsp coriander, ground
⅛ tsp saffron
½ tsp black pepper
2 ½ cups low sodium chicken broth
6oz / ½ packed cup prunes

Spoon the flour into a bowl and toss the lamb ensuring it’s coated evenly.

Heat the olive oil on a medium heat in a heavy bottomed skillet. Add the lamb cubes and let it saute so you can hear the sizzle and see it begin to brown. Stir the meat after 2 minutes and continue to brown for a further 2 minutes.

Prepare the spices and add to the browned lamb with the chopped onion and garlic. Mix and cook for further 3 minutes until the onion begins to soften.

Transfer to your slow cooker and stir in the chicken broth and prunes. Set to low for and cook for 6-7 hours.

Serve with couscous, lemon juice, olive oil topped with pistachio nuts or sunflower seeds.

Looking forward
Pulled Pork – do you favor a North Carolina vinegar sauce or the sweeter style? Find out what we’ve gone for next week.

Zen Toolkit
To make couscous there’s no need for a long cook time or any saucepans, simply pour freshly boiled water over the couscous in a bowl, add some salt and cover with a plate. Leave to steam for 5 minutes then fork through and add your olive oil and lemon juice.

Zen Moment
“He made all countries where he came his own.”
-John Dryden