The secret is out

After experiencing three coronaries in one week and suffering damage to her heart at just 36, Sally Bee shouldn't be here today. But she is - and it's largely down to the healthy diet she devised to "fix" her body. Now collected in a book, her common-sense recipes have even caught the attention of Michelle Obama, who has invited her to cook at the White House.

Sally, now 41 and every inch the yummy mummy, is a testimony to the ingenious ability of the body to heal when aided by the correct diet and modest exercise.

Weakened, with her heart pumping at only 17 percent capacity, she built up her strength progressively.

"I found that if I ate the right foods and did a little exercise each day, I got better, even when the doctors didn't think I could. I started to develop more recipes, borne out of a need to fix my body and at the same time cook things that were quick, affordable and that the children would eat."

She compiled these into a book which she initially self-published to aid the British Heart Foundation (BHF). But after it reached number one on the Amazon cook book list, and the story broke that Michelle Obama had ordered 12 copies for the White House, a literary agent got in touch.

This month, revised and expanded with glossy photographs, The Secret Ingredient is being published by Collins. Here's a taste of what to expect.





Magnificent Moroccan chicken



This recipe was inspired by my good Moroccan friend, Mida. Traditionally, this dish is made using preserved lemons. Though you could use fresh, the preserved ones give that authentic Moroccan flavour. Serves 4-6.



1 x 1.3kg-1.8kg chicken cut into 8 pieces and skinned (or 6 skinless chicken breast portions)

2 tsp paprika

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp turmeric

1 tsp cinnamon

freshly ground black pepper

2 tbs olive oil

3 garlic cloves minced

1 onion peeled and finely sliced

1 glass of white wine

2 preserved lemons rinsed in cold water and halved or 2 fresh lemons washed and quartered

175g green olives pitted

120g drained canned chickpeas

75g raisins

600ml chicken or vegetable stock

handful of chopped fresh coriander

handful of chopped parsley



1 Pat dry the chicken pieces. Combine all the spices in a large bowl, then add the chicken pieces to coat well with the spice mixture. Let the chicken marinate for 1 hour in the spices.

2 In a large frying pan or non-stick saucepan with a lid, heat the olive oil over a medium-high heat. Add the chicken pieces and cook for 7 minutes, or until browned on all sides. Lower the heat to medium-low, then add the garlic and onion. Cover and cook for 15 minutes.

3 Add the white wine (the alcohol will evaporate), lemons, olives, chickpeas, raisins and stock. Bring to a simmer over a medium heat, then reduce the heat to low, cover, and cook for an additional 35-45 minutes, stirring regularly, until the chicken is cooked through and tender.

4 Mix in the chopped coriander and parsley, then serve immediately. Serve with spicy couscous or rice.



Spicy Couscous



A lovely, exotic alternative to rice, this recipe works well on its own or as a side dish. Serves 4.



2 tbs olive oil

1 garlic clove peeled and crushed

1 tbs ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1 tsp paprika

350ml chicken or

vegetable stock

good pinch of saffron strands

6 salad onions trimmed and

thinly sliced

couscous

coarsely grated zest and

juice of 1 lemon

2 red chillies deseeded and very

finely chopped

2 tbs raisins

2 tbs pomegranate seeds (optional)

55g pine nuts toasted



1 Heat 1 tbs olive oil in a large, lidded pan over a medium heat. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander and paprika and fry over a gentle heat for 1 minute, stirring.

2 Add the stock and saffron and bring to the boil. Add the salad onions, and then pour in the couscous in a steady stream and give it a quick stir.

3 Cover the pan with a tight-fitting lid, remove from the heat and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the grains to swell and absorb the stock.

4 If you are serving this warm, stir in the rest of the oil and the remaining ingredients now. Otherwise, leave the couscous to cool and chill in the refrigerator for 1 hour, then add all the other ingredients for a delicious cold couscous salad.



Carrot and butternut soup



This soup is so quick and easy to make and is wonderfully good for you. It will keep for up to a week in the fridge. Serves 4.



1 red onion peeled and

finely chopped

2 garlic cloves peeled and

finely chopped

2 tbs olive oil

4 large carrots peeled

1 medium butternut

peeled and deseeded

freshly ground black pepper

850ml chicken or

vegetable stock

leaves from 2-3 fresh

thyme sprigs

handful of chopped fresh

parsley or coriander



1 Sweat the onion and garlic in the olive oil over a medium heat in a large, lidded pan for about 7 minutes, or until soft.

2 Chop the carrots and butternut into 1.5cm cubes and add to the pan. Season with black pepper and cook for another 10 minutes, or until the vegetables start to soften.

3 Pour in the stock, add the thyme leaves and parsley or coriander and bring to the boil. Now turn down the heat a little, cover and simmer for about 30 minutes.

4 Finally, use a hand blender or liquidiser to purée the soup. Reheat and serve.



Tuscan grape cake



An extra-special occasional indulgence which contains sugar and butter - ingredients I usually avoid. However, life's too short never to have a special treat occasionally.



Àml sweet white wine

175ml extra-virgin olive oil

Àg plain flour plus 1 tbs

for dusting

200g caramel brown sugar

115g butter softened

3 eggs

zest of 1 orange and 1 lemon

1 tsp baking powder

175g grapes halved and deseeded

4-5 tbs golden brown sugar



1 Preheat the oven to '186C/160186C, or fan/gas 4.

2 Pour the wine into a saucepan. Bring to the boil, then simmer until reduced down to about 6 tbs; this will take 5-10 minutes. Leave to cool.

3 Brush a 23cm spring-form cake tin with olive oil, tip in 1 tbs flour, then shake all over the tin until covered. Discard any excess.

4 Beat together soft brown sugar and butter until creamy. Add eggs, one at a time, then stir in the zests.

5 Stir together the cooled wine and olive oil, then pour a little into the cake mix. Stir, then sift in a third of the flour and all the baking powder. Keep alternating between adding the remaining liquid and flour until everything is incorporated and the batter is smooth.

6 Spoon all the cake batter into the prepared baking tin, then smooth the surface with the back of the spoon.

7 Scatter the halved grapes, cut side down, over the top, then sprinkle over golden brown sugar. They will sink in as the cake cooks.

8 Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean. Eat warm or cool. The cake will cut into 16-18 slices, and will store in an airtight container for up to three days.



Wholemeal banana bread



Lovely, moist high-fibre loaf which will keep hunger pangs at bay, and which has a lower fat and sugar content than regular cake.



100g dark soft brown sugar

1 egg

200g low-fat fromage frais

or yoghurt

2 tbs light olive oil

2 ripe bananas mashed

40g sultanas

150g wholemeal self-raising flour

189 tsp bicarbonate of soda

3 tbs poppy seeds

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 tsp ground nutmeg



1 Preheat the oven to 160186C/140186C, or fan/gas 2189.

2 Put the sugar, egg, fromage frais and oil in a large bowl and whisk together well.

3 Slowly stir in the bananas and sultanas.

4 Next add the flour, bicarbonate of soda, poppy seeds, cinnamon and nutmeg and fold gently with a metal spoon.

5 Spoon the mixture into your prepared loaf tin and bake for about 50 minutes.

6 Test the bread with a skewer after this time. Push the skewer into the centre of the loaf - if it comes out clean, the bread is cooked; if it's still wet, it needs about another 5 minutes. - The Daily Mail

More recipes from www.sally-bee.com

• This article was originally published on page 11 of The Sunday Tribune on January 31, 2010

Source : Babynet