Foods of Leo

The foods of the King of the Zodiac (or Queen of the Zodiac) include meat, rice, honey, asparagus, figs, lemons, coconut, peaches, sunflower seeds, almonds, and apples. Leos are supposed to be fond of rich foods (who isn’t?) and fine wines. Blessed with a strong stomach, these foods are usually not a problem for the typical Leo (says who?).

The sign of Leo rules the heart, back, and spine. Leos are supposedly blessed with strength and vitality, but will have to slow down later in life to protect the heart. No matter what your sign, a healthy diet (with occasional rich foods, of course!) and regular exercise are crucial to a healthy heart, and exercise is important for a healthy back.

Now, on to the good stuff.

Honeyed Lamb

This is a Moroccan recipe that calls for a very Moroccan spice blend – Ras El Hanout. Meaning “Top” or “Head of the Shop”, this blend can contain up to 100 spices. If you pare down the spices a bit, it’s an easy enough blend to make. Still, you may not have all the spices just lying around in your cupboard. You can still make and enjoy Ras El Hanout with the ingredients you do have, or you can buy it from a site such as www.spicesinc.com. I just ordered some spices from there today.

Ras El Hanout
• 2 teaspoons ground nutmeg
• 2 teaspoons ground coriander
• 2 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger
• 2 teaspoons turmeric
• 2 teaspoons salt
• 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons paprika (I would go with sweet paprika here, not smoked)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 teaspoon cardamom powder
• 1 teaspoon ground allspice
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cloves


Source: http://www.food.com/recipe/ras-el-hanout-moroccan-spice-mix-262189#ixzz1YeFiq5ej

For the lamb:

½ cup butter
Small pinch saffron threads (expensive, so optional!)
2 tsp. Ras El Hanout
1 tsp. cinnamon
Salt to taste
3 lbs bone-in lamb (bones = flavor)
1 cup raisins
2-3 finely chopped onions
1 cup whole skinless almonds, blanched
2/3 cup water
1 ¼ cup honey
Juice of 1 lemon

In a small bowl, crush the saffron with the spices and
a pinch of salt. Rub most of the mixture into the lamb and mix the
remainder with the raisins.

Put the lamb and remaining ingredients,
except the raisins, honey and lemon juice, in a pan, bring to the
boil then cover and cook gently, stirring occasionally, for about
1-1/4 hours until the meat is almost tender. Add more water if
necessary to prevent the meat from sticking or scorching.

Stir in the raisins, honey and a good squeeze of lemon juice and
cook, uncovered, for a further 30 minutes until almost all the
liquid has evaporated, leaving a rich thick sauce.
Serve with rice and you have a perfect Leo meal.

Recipe from www.recipecottage.com