Ginger, Green Tea salmon stir-fry

We were asked to take part in a campaign by Simplyhealth to create a recipe using ingredients which are good for your teeth ‘Eat it‘ and avoiding items in their ‘watch it’ group as part of their #SHhealthysmile campaign. Many foods we eat today can often leave our teeth discoloured, although everything in moderation is the way forward.  Your eating habits play a very important role in maintaining a bright and healthy smile. A balanced diet can help promote healthy teeth and gums, so it’s important to include the essential vitamins and nutrients you need. Studies show that we know what is bad for our teeth, eat it but take preventive measures such as visiting the dentist regularly.

There are 6 foods which Simplyhealth say are good for our teeth;

1. Carrots – Carrot sticks are a great tooth-friendly, healthy snack. They are packed full of vitamin A, which helps form and maintain healthy teeth. Plus, their crunchy texture stimulates the gums and acts like a natural toothbrush.
2. Purple cabbage – full of vitamin C and vitamin A. Vitamin A is an essential nutrient that helps to develop and maintain healthy teeth and vitamin C is important for preventing gum disease.
3. Salmon – Fatty fish such as salmon is a good source of vitamin D which is critical to your oral health. Vitamin D enables your body to absorb calcium, a vital nutrient to keeping your teeth and gums protected from disease.
4. Green Tea – Not only is green tea rich in antioxidants, but it is also a great cavity fighter. Green tea contains polyphenols which interacts with teeth plaque and stops bacteria from building.
5. Ginger – Ginger has many healthy properties, one of which includes being anti-inflammatory – helping to support healthy mouth tissue.
6. Water – Water is particularly good to drink with and after a meal. It helps to wash away food debris, and keep saliva levels high.

So in my recipe I am going to combine salmon, ginger, green tea and carrots (both purple and orange) to make a simple stir-fry.

Ingredients (serves 2)

• 2 salmon fillets
• 2 orange carrots
• 2 purple carrots
• 2 tablespoons clear Honey
• 1/2 Chilli
• 1 Aubergine
• Green Tea – matcha

Method

• Pre-heat oven to 180°c.
• Place salmon on a baking tray lined with tin foil.
• Finely chop up the chilli and put into a small bowl with 2 tablespoons of clear honey. Only put in as much chilli as you like. Mix up and then spoon over the salmon.

• Parcel up the salmon and place in the preheated oven to cook for 10-12 minutes. Once cooked leave to rest in the foil bag until ready to serve.

• Peel the carrots to remove the skin. Then continue to peel the carrot so you have fine ribbons. Do this for all 4 carrots.

• Slice up the aubergine.

• Place the carrot ribbons and aubergine in a wok with a little almond oil (use another oil if you are allergic to nuts). Stir-fry for a few minutes until soft but still maintaining their shape. 
• Grate in some of the fresh ginger and sprinkle 1/2 teaspoon of the green tea in as well.

• Give it a final stir and then it’s ready to plate up.
• Make a bed on the plate with the carrots and aubergine and then place the salmon on top, drizzling some of the left over juices.

Hope you enjoyed it. We used the carrot ribbons to take the place of noodles. We couldn’t find red cabbage when we went to make our dish but this could also be finely sliced and stir-fried up with the carrots and aubergine.

Her x