What To Eat This International Mediterranean Diet Month – and why!
Research has found that consuming a Mediterranean diet will benefit your health in a whole host of ways. Many of which include:
- Lowered cholesterol and blood pressure
- Lowered risk of an early death by 40%
- Lowered risk of heart disease by 30%
- Reduced risk of cancer, depression and heart disease
- Lowered risk of developing Parkinson’s and Alzheimer’s
- Improved cognitive function
As a general rule a Mediterranean diet includes:
- Large quantities of plant foods
- Fresh fruit
- Olive oil as the principal source of fat
- A small amount of dairy products
- Moderate amounts of fish and poultry
- Small amounts of red meat
- No processed foods
We have a delicious recipe to give you a taste of the Mediterranean goodness!
Mediterranean Vegetables with Lamb and Couscous
Packed with veg and warming flavours, this one-pot wonder with be a sure fire winner for the whole family.
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 250g lean lamb fillet, trimmed of any fat and thinly sliced
- 140g shallots, halved
- 2 large courgettes, cut into chunks
- ½ tsp each ground cumin, paprika and ground coriander
- 1 red pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 orange pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 green pepper, cut into chunks
- 1 garlic clove, sliced
- 150ml vegetable stock
- 250g cherry tomatoes
- Handful coriander leaves, roughly chopped
- 320g couscous
Method
Step 1 – Heat the oil in a large, heavy-based frying pan. Cook the lamb and shallots over a high heat for 2-3 mins until golden. Add the courgettes and stir-fry for 3-4 mins until beginning to soften.
Step 2 – Add the spices and toss well, then add the peppers and garlic. Reduce the heat and cook over a moderate heat for 4-5 mins until they start to soften.
Step 3 – Pour in the stock and stir to coat. Add the tomatoes, season then cover with a lid and simmer for 15 mins, stirring occasionally until the veg are tender.
Step 4 – Pour the couscous into a bowl, adding any herbs and spices you fancy. Add 400ml of boiling water, cover and leave to soak for 5 minutes.
Step 5 – Stir the coriander through the veg and serve with the couscous.
