Tuesday 11 June 2013

Turkey Bolognese

Until recently my lazy recipe for bolognese involved opening a jar of Dolmio sauce...I thought the ingredients looked ok....until I realised how much sugar there is in there!  No wonder I felt overloaded and 'tetchy' an hour after eating.

This healthy take on a family favourite is a lighter way to enjoy bolognese.



Prep Time: 10 mins
Cooking Time: 30 mins
Serves 4

Ingredients
400-500gg turkey breast mince
390g carton chopped tomatoes
1 medium carrot fimnely chopped*
1 stick celery finely chopped*
1 med onion finely chopped*
2 tsp tomato purée
2 tsp sundried tomato puree
1 tsp dried mixed herbs
1 beef stock cube dissolved in 100ml of boiling water
50ml red wine (optional)
salt and freshly ground black pepper

*(or 1 pack of Waitrose Soffritto and avoid all that chopping!)



Method
1. Heat oil in a frying pan and soften the onion, celery and carrot for 5-10 mins until translucent.
2. Add the Turkey, fry for 5 mins until browned.
3. Add the remaining ingredients, bring back to boil then simmer for 25-30 mins.
4.  Season to taste and serve with wholemeal spaghetti.


Why is it Good Mood Food?
Same as my two burger recipes - provides high quality protein and carbohydrate and is low in fat.  It is also low GI if wholemeal spaghetti is used.

Turkey is a great source of Tryptophan - an amino acid used in our bodies to make the brain chemical Serotonin. Low levels of Serotonin can be associated with feelings of depression and poor sleep. In fact most anti-depressant medications act to alter how our brains produce and use Seratonin.

Our bodies do not make Tryptophan - an important building block for Serotonin so we must meet all of our requirements by eating tryptophan rich foods such as Turkey.  Also it is recommended we eat this as part of a carbohydrate rich meal to aid absorption to the brain.


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