Dr. Mao's Honey-glazed Masala Chicken with Apricots - REDUX

The title of this recipe is very misleading: the dish contains no chicken or apricots and, actually, there is no honey! 

Quite a while ago, an online article by Dr. Mao on the health benefits of apricots attracted my attention.  He was touting the apricots as an anti-aging weapon. “Research shows that of any food, apricots possess the highest levels and widest variety of carotenoids. Carotenoids are antioxidants that help prevent heart disease, reduce “bad cholesterol” levels, and protect against cancer.”  Certainly, my diet is filled with carotenoids from carrots and winter squash.

The recipe for “Dr. Mao's Honey-Glazed Masala Chicken with Apricots” was included in the article. Something about the recipe enticed me to create the dish using tofu instead of chicken, and I probably did not have apricots in the house at the time.

Thus the following recipe was born! It is one of my favorites as an easy dish to prepare, served often with brown Basmati rice, or another whole grain. Please enjoy!

Dr. Mao's Honey-Glazed Masala Chicken with Apricots - REDUX

Ingredients

• 12 oz or 16 oz package of tofu, extra firm
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 medium onions, sliced
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 inch piece of peeled fresh ginger, finely chopped, or ½ teaspoon ground ginger
• 1 1/2 teaspoon masala spice
• 15 ounce can tomato puree
• Season with salt and garnish with parsley, if you wish

Directions

1. Drain the tofu. Cut into cubes or rectangle slices. Bake tofu, or sauté in oil.
2. Heat oil over medium heat in a deep skillet or Dutch oven pan.
3. Add onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until softened.
4. Add tomato puree.
5. Stir in ginger and cook for a few minutes.
6. Add garlic and tofu and let tofu warm in the sauce.
7. Stir in garam masala and continue to warm for only a few minutes.
8. Serve with rice

Variation: I usually stir fry, along with the onions, some broccoli florets.  The broccoli seems to complete the dish and add…beta-carotene in place of the missing apricots! 

Dr. Mao's chicken with apricots, with green beans and no broccoli.

Spicy Lentils

I hope it is not too late to send new year greetings. I wish you all success and contentment in the months to come.

Recently, I prepared this lentil dish for a friend, who then asked for the recipe.  The highest form of cooking flattery, I suppose! My friend manages a low salt diet, so I used salt free tomato paste, added no salt, and even eliminated the mustard,  to be cautious.  This version was delicious, even sweeter than the original. 

Spicy Lentils was designed to taste like baked beans. Prepare this dish and feel healthy about your choice! (See more below on this topic.)

Spicy Lentils

Ingredients
 

1 12 oz. package dried brown lentils   

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 cup medium onion, chopped
3 cups of water

¼ cup brown sugar, firmly packed

1/3 cup molasses

2 tablespoons prepared mustard 
1 6 ounce can tomato paste

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions

1. Sort through lentils, searching for stones, rinse and drain.

2. Heat oil in a saucepan over medium heat.

3. Add onion and sauté until softened and translucent.

4. Add about 3 cups of water and lentils.

5. Simmer for 30 minutes. Adding more water if necessary.

6. Add brown sugar, molasses, mustard, and tomato paste. Mix gently.

7. Simmer until the lentils are tender, but intact (approximately an additional 30 minutes).

8. Season with salt and pepper.

As I write,  I have been thinking about the nutrient quality of this dish, because one of the benefits of cooking with molasses is iron content.   One-third cup of molasses would add about 5 additional grams of iron to the dish.

What nutrients do lentils offer us compared to other protein sources, for example?   Looking at the USDA National Nutrient Database, comparing cooked lentils to beef, I found lentils to be important for iron and fiber.

	Calories	Protein (g)	Fat (g)	Iron (mg)	Fiber (g)
1 cup lentils	230	18	1	7	16
3 oz lean beef	205	20	13	2	0

I would love to hear your thoughts about my recipe blog. I’ll try to respond to your questions or recipe requests.  See the comments section below.