Light, Healthy Fare For Spring

Nobody wants to eat thick, hearty, winter foods anymore, now that spring has sprung. This is the time of year when we're all looking for lighter dishes, with all those warm and hot months ahead.

On The Early Show Thursday, cookbook author and cooking teacher Tori Ritchie showed how to use spring's freshest ingredients in a healthy, delicious meal. She

In the "Five-Minute Cooking School," Ritchie dished out recipes for Spring Vegetable Tagine, Grilled Salmon Skewers, and Mango, Lime and Coconut Mousse.

She prepared them at the flagship store in Manhattan of specialty home furnishings retailer Williams-Sonoma.

The key to eating healthy, Ritchie says, is finding ways to squeeze more fruits, veggies and lean meats into your diet. These recipes do just that. Even better, the food is prepared in a healthy way. But healthy doesn't mean boring.

Tagine is a Moroccan stew, typically including meats and vegetables, that's gently simmered with spices such as cumin, ginger and paprika. The word "tagine" also refers to the vessel in which the dish is traditionally cooked. Tagines have two pieces: a deep, round base, and a stoneware lid shaped like a cone that fits snugly on top of the base. The lid collects steam, which then drips back down into the food, keeping it moist and insuring that the vegetables retain all their nutrients. The tangine is used on the stovetop. In Morocco, tagines are placed over open fires. If you don't have a tagine, you can prepare the stew in a Dutch oven or deep sauté pan with a lid.

Ritchie's recipe includes fingerling potatoes, baby carrots, zucchini and haricots verts. The dish is served over couscous.

Salmon is a heart-healthy fish, full of Omega-3 fatty acids. Ritchie's salmon recipe is very easy: The salmon is simply brushed with oil, seasoned with salt and pepper, and then grilled or broiled. What makes the recipe fun is that, instead of just grilling a plain fillet, which you could still do if you choose, Ritchie suggests cutting the salmon into strips and placing it on wooden skewers.

Of course, no meal is complete without dessert, but dessert doesn't have to be fattening, as Ritchie's mousse recipe proves. Substituting fat-free evaporated milk for cream cuts the calories in the mousse dramatically. Before incorporating the evaporated milk into the mousse, you whisk it vigorously, so it becomes thick and foamy. However, the milk won't thicken up unless you beat it in a chilled bowl. You're best off using a metal bowl, since metal becomes colder than glass or other materials.

RECIPES

Spring Vegetable Tagine

Cooked in a vessel of the same name, a tagine is a savory Moroccan stew seasoned with aromatic spices. This version, which showcases the fresh young vegetables of spring, is delicious paired with Ritchie's Grilled Salmon Skewers.

1 Tbs. olive oil
8 oz. cipolline onions, peeled, ends trimmed
12 oz. fingerling potatoes
1 1/2 tsp. tagine spices**
3/4 cup chicken stock
8 oz. baby carrots, peeled, ends trimmed
8 oz. summer squash, cut into 1/2-inch slices
8 oz. zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
8 oz. haricots verts, ends trimmed
Finely grated zest of 1 lemon
2 Tbs. chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
Steamed couscous for serving

You can make your own tagine spices by combining 1/2 tsp each paprika, ground cumin and ground ginger.

In a tagine over medium heat, warm the olive oil. Add the onions and cook until lightly browned on both sides, about 4 minutes.

Add the potatoes, tagine spices and 1⁄2 cup of the stock. Cover the tagine with the lid and cook for 15 minutes. Add the carrots, cover and cook for 12 minutes.

Add the squash, zucchini and the remaining 1⁄4 cup stock, and season with salt and pepper. Cover and cook for 5 minutes. Add the haricots verts, cover and cook for 5 minutes. Stir in the lemon zest and parsley.

Serve the tagine warm with steamed couscous.

Serves 6.

From Williams-Sonoma Kitchen.Grilled Salmon Skewers

Serve these simple salmon skewers with Ritchie's Spring Vegetable Tagine.

2 lb. skinless salmon fillets, cut into 12 strips, each 1 inch wide
3 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
Salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

Soak 6 wooden skewers in water for 15 minutes. Heat a stovetop grill pan over medium-high heat.

To assemble the salmon skewers, gently bend 1 salmon strip to form a "C," then bend another strip to form a backward "C." Link the 2 strips together by threading a skewer through the ends of each one, where the forward and backward "Cs" come together, forming a round shape. Repeat with the remaining salmon strips.

Brush the salmon on both sides with olive oil and season with salt and pepper.

Working in batches, arrange the salmon skewers on the grill pan and cook for 3 minutes. Turn the skewers over and cook for 2 to 3 minutes more. Transfer the skewers to a platter and serve immediately.

Serves 6.

Courtesy of Williams-Sonoma Kitchen

Mango, Lime and Coconut Mousse

This mousse delivers a cool, tropical taste. It can be made as many as three days in advance; keep it in the refrigerator until you serve it.

1 1/2 lb. mangoes
1 1/2 tsp. unflavored gelatin
3 1/2 Tbs. fresh lime juice
2 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. coconut extract
1/2 cup chilled fat-free evaporated skimmed milk
2 Tbs. flaked coconut
Fresh mint sprigs for garnish

Place a bowl in the freezer to chill. Peel the mangoes and cut the flesh from the pits.

In a small saucepan, sprinkle the gelatin over the lime juice and let stand for 5 minutes. Place over low heat and stir until the gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Remove from the heat.

In a food processor or blender, combine the mangoes, gelatin mixture, sugar and coconut extract and process until smooth. Pour the mango puree into a large bowl.

Remove the chilled bowl from the freezer and pour the evaporated milk into it. Using a whisk, beat until thick and foamy, about 5 minutes. Fold the evaporated milk into the mango puree just until no white streaks remain.

Divide the mousse among four 3/4-cup bowls. Cover and refrigerate until set, about 6 hours.

While the mousse is chilling, preheat an oven to 350°F. Spread the coconut in a small pan and toast in the oven until golden, about 3 minutes. Remove from the oven and let cool.

Just before serving, remove the molds from the refrigerator and sprinkle one-fourth of the coconut over each one. Garnish with mint sprigs and serve.

Serves 4.

Adapted from Williams-Sonoma Lifestyles Series, Fresh & Light, by Lane Crowther (Time-Life Books, 1998)