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Tabbouleh with Quinoa

Tabbouleh with Quinoa. A refreshing and cooling salad. Quinoa is an ancient grain and is substituted for bulgur wheat in this recipe making it gluten free.

Ingredients

1 cup white quinoa
1/2 bunch fresh continental parsley
1/2 bunch fresh mint
1 small lebanese cucumber
1 tomato
⅓ cup extra virgin olive oil
juice of 1 lemon
1 tsp sea salt
½ red onion

Directions

Place quinoa in mesh strainer and rinse thoroughly under cold running water.
Add quinoa to a saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to the boil. Reduce heat and simmer with lid on for 15 minutes.
The water will absorb and the quinoa will appear to unravel. Fluff with a fork and cool.

Finely chop the parsley, mint and red onion and dice the tomato and cucumber.
Combine in a bowl with the cooked quinoa.

Whisk the lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil and sea salt together til well combined.

Fold into the quinoa mixture.

Garnish with lemon zest.

Spring Broad Beans

Spring Broad Beans. In Traditional Chinese Medicine, broad beans can help support the digestion in Spring. The addition of fresh herbs and lemon juice benefit the liver energy in TCM.

Ingredients

300 g broad beans – fresh
½ lemon
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp sea salt
1 pinch cracked pepper
2 tbsp parsley – fresh
1 tbsp mint or coriander – fresh (other fresh herbs may be substituted depending on individual tastes)

Directions

Remove broad beans from their pods.
Pour one litre of water into a saucepan with a pinch of salt. Bring to the boil.
Add the broad beans and simmer for 2 minutes.
Remove from heat, drain and rinse with cold water.
Allow broad beans to cool and then discard their tough outer skins (to do this, gently squeeze until the inner green bean pops out)

Juice the half lemon and finely chop the fresh herbs.

Combine broad beans, lemon juice, salt and pepper, herbs and extra virgin olive oil.
Using a food processor or stick blender, pulse – until ingredients come together but retain a coarse texture.

Serve.

Veggie and Barley Hotpot

Veggie and Barley Hotpot. A one pot dish that cooks in the oven. Using seasonal ingredients and Traditional Chinese Medicine principles of supporting the ‘kidney energy’ and ‘nourishing the blood’ in Winter.

Ingredients

¼ jap pumpkin
½ bulb of fennel
½ large eggplant
½ zucchini
½ cup pearl barley (raw)
400 g Diced tomatoes
4 garlic cloves
3 spring onions
750 ml water
1 tbsp tomato paste
1 tbsp paprika
¼ lemon juiced
1 tsp raw sugar
1 tsp curry powder
2 tsp sea salt
extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Cube pumpkin, fennel, eggplant and zucchini and place in a baking dish.
Rinse and drain pearl barley, add to pan with diced tomato.
Place whole spring onions and garlic cloves around vegetables.
Combine water, tomato paste, paprika, lemon juice, sugar, curry powder and salt in a bowl.
Pour mixture over vegetables. Drizzle extra virgin olive oil over the top.
Cover with a lid or baking paper and bake for 1 hour and 45 minutes at 170°C/ 345°F
Remove lid and bake for extra 15 minutes.

Spring onion and garlic may be removed before serving if you are sensitive to these.

Serve with steamed greens.