All Recipes

1. Preheat oven to 180 C.
2. In a saucepan bring the water to the boil. Add rice and stir. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 40 minutes.
3. Meanwhile, pour beans into a 2 litre casserole. Sprinkle with chillies, cumin, chilli powder, salt and black pepper.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 30 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, spring onions and olives. Bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.
5. Serve beans over cooked rice.

Notes

Black turtle beans, or simply 'black beans' for short, are especially common in Latin American cuisine. High in fiber and packed with nutrients, they're a healthy addition to any dish. If you can't find tinned black beans, use dried.

Enjoy!

1. Wash the lentils in cold water until the water runs clear and drain. Put the lentils in a saucepan with water to cover; simmer for 20 minutes or until tender. Drain.
2. Meanwhile, heat oil in a large frying pan; fry the onion until golden. Combine the curry paste, curry powder, spices, salt, sugar, garlic and ginger together in a mixing bowl. Mix well and add to the onions then cook over a high heat stirring constantly for 1 to 2 minutes or until fragrant.
3. Stir in the tomato, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes.
4. Add the drained lentils. Cook for 5-10 minutes or until the dhal thickens. Serve immediately.

Enjoy!

1. In a medium bowl, combine yeast, water and caster sugar. Cover and let stand 10 minutes, or until foamy. Add eggs, yogurt, vanilla, lemon zest and salt. Mix well. Stir in flour a little at a time until dough forms into a manageable ball. Turn out on to a lightly floured surface and knead for 5 to 10 minutes, adding flour as necessary, until dough is soft and pliable but not sticky.
2. Place dough in a large, lightly greased bowl, cover with a clean tea towel and let rise in a warm place until doubled in size, about 1 hour.
3. Lightly grease a round 20cm cake tin. In a small bowl, toss dried fruit with icing sugar. Punch down dough, transfer to floured surface and knead in the fruit.
4. Form dough into a ball, place in tin, cover loosely with the tea towel and let rise 30 minutes. (Loaf will rise above the tin sides.) Brush with melted butter, if desired. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
5. Bake for 45 minutes, or until loaf is golden brown and a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.

Enjoy!

1. Put the lentils in a saucepan, cover with water and bring to the boil. Add the garlic, cumin and lemon, reduce the heat and simmer for about 30 minutes, or until the lentils are tender.
2. Drop the broccoli florets into a saucepan of boiling water and blanch for about 2 minutes or until the broccoli are slightly softened but still crisp. Drain and set aside.
3. Meanwhile, put the lemon juice, oil, coriander, salt and black pepper in a large salad bowl, and whisk together.
4. Drain the lentils, discarding the lemon and garlic. Tip them in the salad bowl and toss gently to mix with the dressing.
5. Add the onion, apricots, capsicums and broccoli florets and mix gently. Crumble the cheese over the top, garnish with the sunflower seeds and serve immediately.

Cook's Tips

1. Instead of goat's cheese, you could top the salad with 4 sliced hard-boiled eggs.
2. Use 1 cup frozen broad beans instead of broccoli florets. Cook the beans in boiling water for 5 minutes, or until tender. Cool slightly, then slip off their skins. Drain, then refresh under cold running water.
3. Serve with char-grilled or toasted pita bread.

Enjoy!

1. Bring 1 cup (250 ml) water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Remove from heat. Stir in couscous and salt and leave to absorb liquid 20 minutes. Leave to cool.
2. Halve and core tomatoes and cut into small dice. Slice spring onions into rings.
3. To make vinaigrette, whisk oil, vinegar, 2 tablespoons lemon juice, garlic, cumin and paprika in a large bowl. Add salt and pepper to taste. Stir parsley, couscous, chickpeas, tomatoes and spring onions into vinaigrette.
4. Just before serving, taste salad and season with salt, pepper and remaining 1 tablespoon lemon juice. Slice sausage into small cubes and stir in.

Health Guide

Chickpeas and couscous combined give this dish a useful protein content. For a quick meal, instant couscous is an ideal ingredient.

Couscous Salad With Tuna

1. Prepare 1 1⁄3 cups (240 g) couscous as in main recipe. Halve 2 green capsicums and cut into strips. Finely dice 1 red onion. Cut 2 zucchini into thin strips. Mix all ingredients in a bowl.
2. Whisk 3 tablespoons olive oil, 3 tablespoons lemon juice, 1 clove garlic, crushed, 1⁄2 teaspoon ground sweet paprika and salt and pepper to taste. Stir into couscous salad. Add 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint leaves. Stir in 150 g drained, canned, finely flaked tuna.

Enjoy!

1. Preheat oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and 30g cocoa and combine with the white sugar and salt directly in a 22 x 33cm cake tin.
3. Drizzle melted margarine and the vinegar over the flour mixture. Add the vanilla and cold water and stir well to remove lumps.
4. Bake for 35 minutes. Once the cake has cooled, spread with chocolate icing.
5. To make chocolate icing: Combine the remaining ingredients in a saucepan then heat until melted and stir until smooth.

Enjoy!

1. Put the burghul in a saucepan and pour over the hot stock. Cover and leave to stand for 15 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, soak eight bamboo skewers in cold water to prevent them from burning under the grill.
3. Remove the lid from the pan and cook the burghul over a low heat for 4–5 minutes, stirring frequently, until the excess liquid has evaporated, but the mixture is still moist. Tip onto a tray, spread out and leave to cool.
4. Tip the cooled burghul into a bowl. Add the lamb, onion, pine nuts, coriander and dry spices and season to taste with salt and pepper. Thoroughly mix together with your hands. If you prefer a smoother-textured kibbeh, transfer the mixture to a food processor and blend for a few seconds. (You may need to do this in batches.)
5. Preheat the grill to medium. Divide the lamb mixture into 16 pieces and shape into oval-shaped balls (kibbeh). Thread the kibbeh onto the soaked wooden skewers, putting two on each skewer. Arrange, side by side, on a foil-lined grill tray and grill for 4–5 minutes on each side until well browned and cooked through. Remove and wrap loosely in the foil to keep warm.
6. Put the pita bread on the grill tray and grill for about 30 seconds on each side to warm them; don't let them brown or cook for any longer, or they will be too brittle to split open. Run a knife down one long edge of each pita and gently open out to make a pocket.
7. Half-fill the pita bread pockets with the shredded lettuce, carrot, cucumber and radishes. Slide the kibbeh off the skewers and divide among the pita pockets. Add more salad to taste. Drizzle each one with a spoonful of tzatziki and serve immediately.

Enjoy!

1. Tip the burghul into a heatproof bowl, pour in 300 ml of boiling water, cover and leave to soak for 20 minutes, or until most of the water has been absorbed. Tip into a sieve to drain off any excess water.
2. Scald the tomatoes in a bowl of boiling water for 30 seconds, drain, then refresh under cold running water. Peel off the skins, then scoop out the seeds and dice the flesh.
3. Mix the tomato flesh with the cucumber and carrot. Rub the burghul between your fingers to separate the grains, add to the vegetables with the herbs and toss together. Sprinkle with the lemon juice
4. To make the dressing, put the oil, vinegar, garlic and seasoning into a screw-top jar and shake well. Pour the dressing over the salad and toss gently. Cover with plastic wrap and chill for at least 3 hours before serving. Garnish with a sprig of fresh mint.

Enjoy!

1. Trim any fat off the chicken and wash with water. Place the chicken, onion, cinnamon sticks and carrots in a pot. Fill with water and boil until the chicken and carrots are done. Reserve the stock, chicken and carrots.
2. Remove bones from chicken. Warm 315ml canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place chicken and carrots in the pot; fry for 2 minutes.
3. In a bowl stir together the rice, ground cinnamon, pepper and salt. Pour the rice mixture evenly across the top of the chicken without stirring into the chicken. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender 20 to 35 minutes.
4. Heat 125ml canola oil in a frypan over medium heat. Stir in chopped almonds, and fry until golden. Remove almonds to paper towels, and drain oil.
5. Heat 60ml canola oil in a frypan over medium heat. Stir in pine nuts and cook until golden. Drain oil, and remove pine nuts to paper towels.
6. Over a large dish or tray flip the rice pot upside down and release the contents onto the tray or dish. Arrange the almonds and pine nuts on top.

Enjoy!

1. Trim any fat off the chicken and wash with water. Place the chicken, onion, cinnamon sticks and carrots in a pot. Fill with water and boil until the chicken and carrots are done. Reserve the stock, chicken and carrots.
2. Remove bones from chicken. Warm 315ml canola oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Place chicken and carrots in the pot; fry for 2 minutes.
3. In a bowl stir together the rice, ground cinnamon, pepper and salt. Pour the rice mixture evenly across the top of the chicken without stirring into the chicken. Pour in the chicken stock. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to medium and simmer until rice is tender 20 to 35 minutes.
4. Heat 125ml canola oil in a frypan over medium heat. Stir in chopped almonds, and fry until golden. Remove almonds to paper towels, and drain oil.
5. Heat 60ml canola oil in a frypan over medium heat. Stir in pine nuts and cook until golden. Drain oil, and remove pine nuts to paper towels.
6. Over a large dish or tray flip the rice pot upside down and release the contents onto the tray or dish. Arrange the almonds and pine nuts on top.

Enjoy!