Great flavors for your palate and the curry spices, vegetables, and yogurt are terrific for your brain. This recipe is a sample from my new book, The Better Brain Solution, Knopf Publishing.
Prep Time: 30-40 minutes
Serves: Two
Ingredients:
1 pound Chicken thighs, deboned and cut into strips (organic-fed, cage-free)
2 Tbsp Macadamia nut oil (ok to substitute almond or avocado oil)
½ medium Red onion, cut into long thin slices
2 Tbsp Curry powder
1 tsp Paprika, ground
¼ tsp Cayenne pepper, ground (1/8 to ½ tsp to your taste)
1 tsp Ginger, ground (or 1 Tbsp fresh ginger grated)
¼ tsp Sea salt
¼ tsp Ground black pepper
½ medium Head of cauliflower, cut into bit sized pieces
1 cup Peas (frozen or fresh, shelled)
½ cup Chicken stock (organic)
1 cup Plain organic yogurt (2% or full fat)
¼ cup Fresh cilantro, chopped (or parsley)
Directions:
Heat a sauté pan to medium-high heat, add 1 Tbsp of oil, add chicken and cover pan, stirring occasionally until all sides are lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Remove chicken and place in a holding bowl. Add the second tablespoon of oil and saute onion with curry spices, paprika, ginger, salt and pepper for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add cauliflower, cover, and heat another 3-4 minutes until cauliflower is al dente. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in cooked chicken, peas, and stock and simmer 4-5 minutes, until chicken is cooked. Turn off heat, stir in yogurt, and garnish with cilantro and serve.
Enjoy,
Steven Masley, MD
How does this eating with meat and oil help in heart disease prevention and rx
Dr essylten and PCRM and Dr McDougall all advocate no oil no meat fish or dairy?
Conflicting advice i think! Thanks
Good question. The benefits of the ultra low fat diets recommended by Dr Essylten, PCRM, and McDougall come from adding more fiber from vegetables, fruits, and beans, plus spices and herbs, and cutting out bad inflammatory fats–and I completely agree with these specific recommendations.
Yet, there is no health evidence that you have to cut out clean animal protein, as in wild, grass-fed, and organically raised animal protein. The most recent studies published showed that saturated fats do not increase the risk for heart disease. Clean sources of animal fats are likely neutral, not beneficial and not harmful.
Cutting out Smart Fats, such as avocado, extra virgin olive oil, nuts, and wild salmon is not supported by sound scientific studies, and I would say that it is a dumb recommendation. In fact, adding more of these Smart Fats will lower inflammation and studies have shown that they clearly reduce your risk for heart disease and memory loss. Your brain in particular needs smart fats to improve cognitive function and prevent depression–after all, your brain is more than -60% fat by weight, and following a low fat diet has been shown to accelerate memory loss.
One last point: If you wish to follow a vegetarian diet for personal reasons, then I totally support that and think it can be super healthy, just be sure to meet your nutrient needs, including for smart fats. (See my blog post from March 20 on key nutrients needed when following a vegetarian diet). I wish you the best of health! Steven Masley, MD
Love your recipes!
Thank you
THIS IS AN EXCELLENT RECIPE BUT THERE IS A JAMAICAN ONE THATS REALLY NICE! BY THE WA, IN JAMAICA WE CALL THIS CURRIED CHICKEN OR “CURRY CHICKEN” AND NOT CHICKEN CURRY, YOU GOT IS BACKWARD DOC. I AM GOING TO POST A LINK TO THE JAMAICAN RECIPE AND COOKING METHOD, ENJOY SUM ISLAND FLAVOUR, YAH MAN!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YFYrSD8Svq0
Thanks for sharing your recipe! I had the pleasure of working in Kingston Jamaica at the downtown city hospital doing volunteer work many years ago. I had many wonderful curry recipes while there.
Yah Man,
Steven Masley, MD
What can help svt? Tried,an ablation and did not work. Any suggestions? I am currently on verapamil.
Hi Ellen,
Make sure your red blood cell magnesium level is in the 5.5 to 6.0 range; your doctor will need to order this, and make sure it is a RBC Mg level, not serum level. Low magnesium levels can cause a rapid heart rate (supra ventricular tachycardia–SVT). You should be consuming about 600 mg of magnesium daily to reach that level, check the magnesium food table in my book, The Better Brain Solution.
I have had many patients fix their SVT by repleting their magnesium levels. If that doesn’t work, also be sure your doctor checks your thyroid function (TSH, free T3 and free T4), as hyper thyroid function can also cause SVT.
I have had some patients needs 1-3 ablations to fix an abnormal pathway. If your cardiologist failed the first time, ask them for a referral, and ask them who they would go see if they were going to have this treated a second time. National centers often have better success than local centers.
Steven Masley, MD