2 healing dishes featuring shellfish

Shellfish is a premium source of many vitamins and nutrients your body craves -- nutrients that help fight off diseases. Here are two tasty recipes for healthy foods featuring shellfish:

An excellent source of vitamin B12 (which fights chronic fatigue syndrome), clams also provide a tremendous amount of iron (for healthy red blood). Lentils and lima beans provide insoluble fibre that helps to lower cholesterol and stabilize blood sugar.

Preparation time:  10 minutes
Cooking time:  40 minutes
Serves:  4

Ingredients:

• 15 ml (1 tbsp) olive oil
• 2 large leeks, quartered lengthwise, thinly sliced crosswise, washed thoroughly
• 5 cloves garlic, minced
• 3 large carrots, cut crosswise into 1 cm (1/2 in) slices
• 1 pickled jalapeño pepper, minced
• 150 g (2/3 c) lentils, picked over and rinsed
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
• 150 g (2/3 c) rice
• 300 g (1 1/3 c) frozen lima beans
• 1 large tomato, coarsely chopped
• 10 ml (2 tsp) finely slivered lemon zest
• 1 1/2 dozen littleneck clams, well scrubbed

Method:

1. In a nonstick Dutch oven or flameproof casserole, heat the oil over medium heat. Add the leeks and garlic, and cook, stirring frequently for seven minutes, or until the leeks are tender.
2. Add the carrots and jalapeño, and cook for five minutes, or until the carrots are crisp-tender.
3. Add the lentils, stirring to coat. Add 750 millilitres (three cups) of water and the salt, and bring to a boil over high heat. Reduce to a simmer; cover and cook for 10 minutes.
4. Add the rice; cover and simmer for 10 minutes. Stir in the lima beans, tomato and lemon zest; cook for two minutes. Place the clams on top of the lentil-rice mixture; cover and cook for five to seven minutes, or until the clams open. Check after three minutes as some will open before others; discard any that do not open.

Nutritional information per serving:

• 457 Calories
• 5.3 g Fat
• 0.7 g Saturated Fat
• 25 g Protein
• 79 g Carbohydrate
• 11 g Fibre
• 21 mg Cholesterol
• 464 mg Sodium

Pomegranate molasses, a sweet and tangy Middle Eastern condiment, is available in some specialty food stores. One pomegranate provides 11 percent of the daily value of potassium, which is linked to lower blood pressure and reducing the risk for heart disease, kidney stones and stroke. If you can't find pomegranate molasses, substitute 30 millilitres (two tablespoons) of currant or cranberry jelly and increase the lime juice to 45 millilitres (three tablespoons).

Ingredients:

• 45 ml (3 tbsp) flaked coconut
• 175 g (3/4 c) boiling water
• 10 ml (2 tsp) olive oil
• 5 scallions, thinly sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) minced fresh ginger
• 125 ml (1/2 c) canned crushed tomatoes
• 15 ml (1 tbsp) reduced-sodium soy sauce
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) pomegranate molasses
• 125 g (1/2 c) chopped cilantro
• 2 ml (1/2 tsp) salt
• 1.5 kg (3 lb) mussels, scrubbed and debearded
• 30 ml (2 tbsp) fresh lime juice

Method:

1. In a small bowl, combine the coconut and boiling water. Let stand for 30 minutes, or until the coconut flakes are very soft and the water tastes of coconut. Strain the liquid into a bowl, pushing on the coconut to extract as much liquid as possible. Discard the coconut solids.
2. In a large pot, heat the oil over low heat. Add the scallions, garlic and ginger, and cook for three minutes, or until the ginger is tender. Add the coconut water, tomatoes, soy sauce, pomegranate molasses, cilantro and salt; bring to a boil.
3. Add the mussels; cover and boil for five minutes, or until the mussels have steamed open (discard any that do not open). To serve, lift the mussels into four large bowls. Stir the lime juice into the broth and spoon the broth over the mussels.

Nutritional information per serving:

• 167 Calories
• 6.5 g Fat
• 2.4 g Saturated Fat
• 13 g Protein
• 14 g Carbohydrate
• 1.2 g Fibre
• 28 mg Cholesterol
• 777 mg Sodium

Sound delicious! Now you know how to make two healthy foods to help combat diseases and keep you healthy. Your body will thank you as much as your taste buds will!