Lunch: Hot and Sweet Pepper Curry Sauce with Chicken, Lamb or Beef

This recipe includes superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Spinach

Health benefits of Hot and Sweet Pepper Curry Sauce with Chicken, Lamb or Beef

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). Spinach is a nutrient-dense leafy green vegetable that is rich in vitamins A, C, and K, as well as iron, magnesium, and antioxidants. The high iron content in spinach helps combat anemia, which is common in women with PCOS. Magnesium helps reduce inflammation and improve insulin sensitivity. The antioxidants in spinach can help lower oxidative stress, which is beneficial for managing PCOS symptoms. Including spinach in your diet can support overall health and well-being.

Ingredients

3 tablespoons vegetable, grapeseed or peanut oil
1 tablespoon ground coriander, a palmful
1 tablespoon ground cumin or cumin seed, a palmful
2 teaspoons turmeric, 2/3 palmful
2 cardamom pods, split, or 1/8 teaspoon ground cardamom
4 cloves garlic, thinly sliced or chopped
2 sweet red bell peppers, seeded and chopped
2 hot chile peppers, such as Fresno chiles, sliced
One 1-inch piece ginger root, grated
1 onion, finely chopped
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 cups passata or tomato sauce
1 cup chicken stock
1/2 cup mango chutney, such as Patak brand Major Grey's
1 large fresh bay leaf
1 small cinnamon stick
One 15-ounce can diced tomatoes
1 1/2 pounds boneless, skinless chicken, boneless leg of lamb or beef sirloin, cubed into bite-size pieces
2 limes, juiced
1 teaspoon sweet paprika
12 ounces farm spinach (bundles), stemmed and cleaned, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Marinate the meat sprinkled with salt, pepper and paprika in the lime juice for 1 hour.
Heat the oil in a Dutch oven, then add the coriander, cumin, turmeric and cardamom and stir until very fragrant, 1 minute. Next add the garlic, sweet and hot peppers, ginger, onions and some salt and pepper. Soften for 5 minutes partially covered, and then add the passata, stock, chutney, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and diced tomatoes. Simmer over low heat, about 1 hour. Remove the bay and cinnamon.
Add the marinated meat to the sauce and simmer to tender. Wilt the spinach into the sauce. Serve, or cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer for a make-ahead meal.
Serve the curry with naan bread and/or over rice with a dollop of yogurt for mixing in. Garnish with cilantro and scallion slices.