Lunch: Herb-Roasted Sticky Spareribs with Honey-Glazed Grilled Carrots and Tomato-Cucumber Salad

This recipe includes fertility superfoods such as:

Cinnamon, Honey, Basil

Health and fertility benefits of Herb-Roasted Sticky Spareribs with Honey-Glazed Grilled Carrots and Tomato-Cucumber Salad

Cinnamon is one of the best ingredients that someone with insulin sensitivity can eat. Half a teaspoon of cinnamon per day has been shown to be very effective at normalizing blood sugar levels. Cinnamon contains hydroxychalcone, which is thought to enhance the effects of insulin. It has also been suggested that Cinnamon prevents post-meal blood sugar spikes by slowing the gastric emptying rate - meaning that food digests slowly. (Reference: http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11506060). One tbsp of honey has a glycemic index (GI) of 55. Basil is an excellent stress reliever, and has antioxidant and anti-inflammatory benefits.

Ingredients

1 rack pork spareribs, about 3 pounds
1 large bunch fresh rosemary
1 large bunch fresh basil
1 large bunch fresh mint
4 cinnamon sticks
4 star anise pods
8 green cardamom pods
1/2 cup hoisin sauce
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon molasses
1 tablespoon chopped fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, chopped
2 teaspoon paprika
2 teaspoon ground turmeric
2 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon ground green cardamom
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1 teaspoon freshly cracked black pepper

Instructions

For the herb-roasted sticky spareribs: Remove the ribs from the refrigerator 30 minutes before cooking. Preheat the oven to 275 degrees F. Place the rosemary, basil, mint, cinnamon, star anise, cardamom and 2 cups of water in a roasting pan. Place the ribs on the herbs. Combine the hoisin, honey, molasses, ginger, garlic, paprika, turmeric, coriander, cardamom, salt and pepper in a mixing bowl. Whisk until well blended. Brush about half the glaze onto the ribs. Cover the roasting pan with foil and bake in the oven until the ribs are almost tender, 2 1/2 to 3 hours. Remove the foil and brush the remaining glaze over the ribs. Continue cooking until the meat starts to pull away from the bone and the sauce is thick and sticky, 30 to 45 minutes longer. Remove the ribs from the oven and let rest 10 minutes before serving. For the tomato-cucumber salad: Toast the cumin seeds in a dry skillet over medium-low heat until aromatic, about 30 seconds. Remove from the heat and cool. Combine the cumin, cucumber, tomatoes, mint, lemon, oil and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Toss to coat and evenly distribute all the ingredients. Refrigerate until ready to serve. For the honey-glazed grilled carrots: Preheat a grill or grill pan over medium heat. Whisk together the oil, honey, paprika, cardamom and salt and pepper to taste in a large bowl. Slice the greens from the carrots leaving about an inch of the stems attached. Slice each carrot in half lengthwise. Add to the bowl with the honey mixture and toss to coat. Grill the carrots until slightly tender and grill marked, about 4 minutes per side. Remove to a platter. Slice the ribs apart and serve with the tomato-cucumber salad and grilled carrots.

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