Although Spring is upon us, some of you are still knee deep in the white stuff. This recipe does double duty by warming you up while using what’s left of winter veg. Parsnips are one of my faves and is no stranger to Irish kitchens. They lend a lovely sweetness to the carrots and when paired with brown bread, the business!

Serves 4-6

Recipe:
4 large carrots – peeled, chopped
4 parsnips – peeled, chopped
1/2 white onion – sliced
2 garlic cloves
1 tbsp fresh ginger – grated
2 quarts low-sodium vegetable broth
2 tbsp olive oil
S&P

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350F.

Place chopped carrots, parsnips, onions, garlic and ginger in a mixing bowl and toss with 2 tbsp olive oil. Lay on foiled oven tray and roast in oven for 15 minutes until caramelized. Add to soup pot along with 6 cups broth.  Bring to a boil and reduce to simmer. Partially cover with lid and cook veg until tender.
Once tender, blend in batches.
NOTE: Always be careful blending hot liquids. Hot liquids will expand so cover the lid with a kitchen towel so you don’t burn your hand.
If the soup is too thick when blended add additional broth.
To finish, taste and season with S&P. Simple, healthy and homemade. Brilliant.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

You won’t believe how quick, simple and delicious this recipe is. Veal is one of the most tender, flavorful and versatile meats you can get. It’s very popular in Italian cuisine and is used in dishes like Veal Parmesan, Veal Saltimbocca or the classic Osso Bucco. Although veal is a good source of protein it is also high in cholesterol so remember the old adage, ‘Everything in Moderation’.

Continue reading ‘Veal with Med. Veg.’ on Healthhabits

Looking to find new ways to incorporate whole grains into your diet? Although technically barley is not considered a whole grain, the high fiber content enables it to be counted toward your whole grain servings. It comes in two forms, either ‘pearled’ or ‘quick cooking,’ the latter of which is perfect for soups especially for those of you still wearing your winter woolies.

Continue reading “Roast Chicken & Barley Soup” on Dancing Spoon »

If you’re looking for a quick and easy dinner recipe, look no further. My Mum used to make us pork chops growing up because as you’ll see, they’re very quick and pork is still quite affordable. In this recipe I paired it with a spin on the classic Spanish piquant sauce. You’ll love how simple and nutritious this is.
Who says fast food has to come from a drive thru?

Serves 4

RECIPE:

4 x 8 oz grass fed pork chops

Piquant Sauce:
1/4 cup red onion – fine dice
1/4 cup red bell pepper – fine dice
1/4 cup yellow pepper – fine dice
1 x 14 1/2 oz can chopped tomatoes
5 oz shitake mushrooms
1/8 tsp chili flakes
1 large garlic clove – minced
1/4 cup chicken broth
2 tbsp olive oil
olive oil spray

To make sauce:
Preheat medium saute pan for 1 minute on medium heat. Add 2 tbsp olive oil. Saute onions, red & yellow pepper for 2 minutes, stirring. Do not brown. If beginning to brown reduce heat.
Once softened, add garlic and continue sauteing for another minute. Add remaining ingredients along with 1/4 cup chicken broth. Simmer for 15 – 20 minutes on low heat until sauce has thickened. Taste and adjust seasoning.

To cook Chops:
Preheat grill pan on the stove top for 3-4 minutes on high heat. Spray with olive oil spray. Season chops with S&P on both sides. Grill pork chops for 3-4 minutes each side.
Once cooked, set aside to rest for 3 minutes. Once rested, add any pork juices to the sauce.

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.

U.S. first lady Michelle Obama joins 5th grade students from the Bancroft Elementary School during a groundbreaking ceremony for the new White House Kitchen Garden in Washington Friday. Photo courtesy of MSNBC.

Kudos to California chef Alice Waters! She has lobbied the White House to plant such a garden for more than a decade. “Fresh, wholesome food is the right of every American,” Waters said. “This garden symbolizes the Obamas’ commitment to that belief.” Finally we are making progress!

Among the crops to be planted in the coming weeks on the on the 1,100-square-foot South Lawn are spinach, broccoli, various lettuces, kale and collard greens, which will rotate with the seasons. Assorted herbs and berries will also be planted along with blueberries, blackberries and raspberries. There will also be a beehive. Impressive! The first harvest is expected by late April. Assistant chef Sam Kass says some of the produce will be cooked in the White House kitchen and some will be given to a local soup kitchen where Mrs. Obama recently helped serve lunch. Is it just me or does this Obama family seem to be on top of things? The San Francisco Gate has great raw video on Alice
Waters’ reaction on the White House garden.

I must say, I’ve always admired Alice Waters for her passion with food. She reminds me of Ireland’s own Darina Allen. Waters, a pioneer for all of us organic SLOW Food enthusiasts, has not only worked her magic at the White House but has also broken ground at local middle school in Berkeley, California, where students harvest and prepare produce as part of their garden and kitchen classes. Considered an interactive garden classroom, gardening and cooking are actual classes and are part of a movement called The Edible Schoolyard. Brilliant!

I will start off by saying this is one of the best soups The Missus has ever made for me. I really enjoy the taste of this soup and it’s so easy to change up and add in new flavors so it’s brilliant every time.

Black-eyed peas are huge in the South, most notably eaten on New Years Day. Year before last, we spent New Years in Kerry (Ireland) with the fam-bam and the Missus lugged black-eyed peas with her so we wouldn’t break Southern tradition. I don’t think anyone had ever seen them before as the curiosity surrounding the dish ran wild. Turns out they were such a hit my dad couldn’t stop eating them. Of course in true Murphy fashion, the bag we left behind is still sitting in the cupboard over a year later, the poor craters.
Continue reading Butternut Squash & Black Eyed Pea Soup on Health Habits>

Though my intention was to get this off in time for St Paddy’s Day, I figured it would also be a good cleansing meal for the big after-drink session. Maybe not the day after, but say after the head is fixed, when you’re back to grind, back to reality.  Perhaps you’ll pair this recipe with some brown soda bread—now we’re talking!

You’ll notice we call shrimp “prawns,” no matter what the size. Stateside we’re able to get beautiful colossal shrimp, which are considered prawns, but in Ireland prawns usually refer to bay shrimp, as they don’t get too much larger than that locally depending on where you live. Seeing as I grew up in Kerry, this was the case so I recreated this dish just as I’ve had it many times before back home. The only difference is that I made my own mayo, cutting out fat, cholesterol and calories — do you think The Healthy Irishman would do otherwise?

Continue reading “Crab & Prawn Salad” on Dancing Spoon »

I’ve been asked to share my recipes and healthy food advice with the Gourmet Girl Magazine, a monthly online publication, which I am thrilled about! In addition to showcasing my healthy recipes I’m also writing healthy articles. Just between you and me, I never would’ve thought my beer drinking burger eating past would flourish into being an “expert” in health! Just proves to show that anyone can change.

My goal with these articles is to highlight nutritional information, current food trends, how to make healthier choices when choosing ingredients and so on. As you know, I’m passionate about health, especially healthy cooking so this is a great avenue for me to share great tips and information regarding both. This month’s article?–I take on Nutrition! It’s like laying out the floor plan to your new health.

Put in simple terms, nutrition is the way the body uses food. Every living thing needs food and water to survive. Food provides the body with both energy and nutrients. The energy we get from food enables us to do our day-to-day activities and the nutrients we get from food helps us sustain a healthy body. Food is the common denominator. It is the fuel on which the body runs. Without enough food you don’t have enough energy. Knowing this, it stands to reason that the better the food, the better the nutrients, the better our bodies will perform.

Continue reading about The Healthy Irishman and Nutrition on GourmetGirlMagazine.com >

This is a very special day for us, the Irish–on both sides of the pond, including the 30 million plus Irish-Americans. In honor of our national holiday I wanted to thank the Irish Voice for featuring yours truly in the St. Paddy’s Day issue out this past week. With distributions in main cities such as New York, Boston, San Fran, Chicago and Philly, I’m excited to meet and connect with fellow Irishmen/women from these areas. So if yourself is one of them, contact me!

Happy St. Patrick’s Day! Enjoy yourselves. Slainte!

Everyone’s Irish on St. Paddy’s Day. I don’t mind. The more the merrier, that’s how we Irish roll. When I first came here about 9 years ago, I was amazed at the festivities and the popularity of St. Patrick’s Day, especially the tradition of eating corned beef and cabbage. Growing up we had it every now and then but I wouldn’t say we ate it a lot. So I did a little research to find out,
Is corned beef and cabbage really a traditional Irish meal?
The cabbage part is but the corned beef–not so much, well not back in the day. Corned beef is salt-cured brisket. Traditional Irish recipes contain salt pork and bacon vs. beef protein as you’ve probably heard of ‘bacon and cabbage’. In the times of and before the Great Famine, cows were raised for dairy so the majority of Irish beef sold for consumption was exported making it expensive to purchase. It became known as a food for the rich, not the common Irish citizens. The dish was adapted by the Irish emigrants in America, where salt beef was more accessible and affordable. Eating this meal on St. Patrick’s Day has become an Irish American tradition in honor of celebrating our Irish ancestry. So for all of you who are unleashing your inner Paddy, here’s my version for your celebration.

4-5 servings

RECIPE:

2 1/2 lb corned beef brisket (already brined or see recipe below)

6 cups low-sodium chicken broth (for cooking)
4 cups water
3 bay leaves
1 bunch thyme

1 small green cabbage cut into wedges
2 lbs white potatoes – quartered

Brine Recipe: (for brisket)
1 cup sea salt
1 tbsp mustard seed
1 tbsp black peppercorns
8 cloves
3 bay leafs
enough water to cover

Directions:

The beauty of this dish, apart from the obvious of it being Irish, is that it’s a one-pot meal so all the flavor from the corned beef goes into the vegetables which means it’s full to the brim with flavor. Most supermarkets sell brined corned beef which just requires cooking. If you choose to brine your own brisket, mix all brine ingredients together in a large container. Cover brisket with enough water to keep in submerged. You can brine the brisket 1 day ahead and up to 5. The longer you brine it, the more flavorful it will be.

Once brined begin by simply adding the bayleaves and thyme to the beef in a large soup pot and cover with the broth and water. Do Not add the cabbage and potatoes. You want enough liquid in there to cover the brisket knowing it’s going to cook for 3 – 31/2 hours, so if you need to add more broth or water, do so. Bring to a boil and once boiling reduce to a simmer partially covered with lid.

Cook for 2 1/2 hours. At this stage add potatoes. After another 15 minutes, add the cabbage. Cover and continue cooking until the vegetables are cooked and the corned beef is fork tender.

To serve, trim the excess fat from the beef and slice the meat against the grain.
Serve with some of the boiled potatoes and a wedge of cabbage. Finish by drizzling some of the cooking liquid over the meat.

All you need now if a green hat and you’re off!

All recipes are made with the finest quality farmers market whole foods, natural and non-processed ingredients as much as possible.