recipe by Saskia Gregson-Williams

As a dancer I’ve been lucky enough to travel to incredible countries to train and perform. Morocco was one of the more memorable trips, and the food I experienced there inspired me to play with sweeter flavors in my savory dishes, in order to recreate warming comfort food with an oh-so healthy twist.

This take on the classic tagine and cous cous dish is made with seasonal root vegetables in replacement of meat. Not only does this up the alkaline factor by a mile, root vegetables are far easier to absorb and digest meaning you can assimilate far more of the nutrients than you can in any portion of beef and chicken. Sweet potatoes, carrots and parsnips are also wonderfully sweet adding to the flavour of this tagine. They also contain a wealth of vitamins and minerals, are high in antioxidants, beta-carotene and fibre. These nutritionally awesome, and incredibly tasty ingredients, are complimented by the anti-inflammatory spice tumeric, and metabolic-boosting cinnamon. Cooked with a few cubes of sweet medjool dates and chopped tomatoes, turns a simple dish into something special.

In replacement of normal cous cous  I use caulliflower. Yes, this idea may seem a little crazy, but trust me its delicious and is such a great, healthy and lighter, gluten-free alternative. You simply pulse it in a blender and hazar beautiful, tasty ‘cous cous’!  I mix it with  pomegranates, roasted pistachios, alkalining lemon juice, and parsley. Yum!

I hope you enjoy your healthy Moroccan feast and love all the incredible sweet and warming flavours! Let us know how you get on and hashtag #hipandhealthy with pictures of recreations on Instagram and Twitter.

RECIPE

Root Vegetable Tagine:

2 medium sweet potatoes

2 carrots

2 parsnips

1 large red onion, chopped

1 tbsp tumeric

1-2  tsp cinnamon

2 cloves garlic minced

1 tsp ginger, minced

3 medjool dates, diced

x2 tins of chopped tomatoes

Caulliflower “cous cous”:

1 large caulliflower

seeds of 1/2 a pomegrante

1/3 cup lightly roasted pistachio nuts

a sprig of chopped parsley

juice of 1 lemon

Method: For the tagine start by preparing the vegetables. Peal and chop all the root vegetables into small cubes (this will help it to cook quicker). Start by frying the chopped onion, ginger and garlic for 2 minutes, add the vegetables and continue to sauté until starting to soften. Add the spices, dates, tinned tomatoes. Reduce to a slightly lower hear, and simmer for 40-50 minutes until the juices have cooked the vegetables through. Add the herbs and stir through.

Meanwhile, deflower the cauliflower and place the florets into a blender/ food processor. pulse until a cous cous/ rice texture forms. Transfer in to a bowl. If you wish to eat raw, now is the time to add all the other ingredients. If you would prefer to heat it, sautee the caulliflower in the lemon juice before mixing in the other ingredients and plating.