Lentil, Brown Rice, Almond & Dukkah Salad

I came up with this, as an alternative to potatoes, with our week night easy meal of crumbed fish (from a packet). And it worked a treat.... Great as an addition to salads for a BBQ, and goes with a variety of meats and/or other salads.

Ingredients:
- 1 cup cooked medium grain brown rice
- 1/2 can lentils (I used unsalted)
- 1/3 cup Roasted unsalted almonds, roughly chopped.
- 2 Tbs dukkah - any type
- Generous handful coriander leaves, finely chopped.
- 1/4 of a spring onion, finely diced.

Method:
Mix everything together.

Serving Suggestions:
- Crumbed fish.
- Goes well with any other salads

Fresh Tomato & Red Lentil Soup

This is quite possibly my favourite all time soup. It sounds quite simple but the flavours just work amazingly together, giving a whole taste experience in the mouth.... You've just got to try it. Its an easy meal to double the batch and freeze some...

I've made it a few times, but I am yet to take a picture that remotely does it justice.....

Ingredients:
- Olive oil
- 2 cloves garlic. Chopped
- 1 large brown onion, roughly chopped
- 1/4 tsp dried chilli flakes
- 1 tsp mustard powder
- 2 carrots, diced
- 3 medium tomatoes, skinned and roughly chopped (fresh is far superior)
- 4 cups (1 litre) chicken / vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup red lentils, rinsed
- juice 1/2 lemon
- chorizo / prosciutto (optional)

Method:
in a medium saucepan, heat the olive oil and sweat the onion and garlic until they are tender but uncoloured. Add the chilli and mustard powder and sauté. Add the carrots and sauté for 3 minutes or until they are softened. Add the tomatoes, stock and lentils and simmer for 15-20 minutes until the lentils are tender. Turn off the heat and add the lemon juice.

Serving suggestions:
- A nice crusty loaf

Source: Nourish Magazine.

Ecuadorian Quinoa Stew

This is an attempt at making a quinoa stew I had at a Luna Runtun(?) Hotel Restaurant in Ba`nos Ecuador in 2009 (plus a bit of chorizo)

Ingredients
•1/2 cup quinoa
•1 cup water
•1 onion diced
•2 garlic cloves, minced
•2 tablespoons oil (any light oil)
•1 celery rib, chopped
•1 carrot, sliced (1/4-inch thick slices)
•1 capsicum, cut into 1-inch pieces (any colour)
•1/2 courgette, cubed
•2 cups chopped tomatoes (fresh or canned, undrained, 2 x 400 ml tins works well)
•2 teaspoons ground cumin
•1/2 teaspoon chilli powder
•1 teaspoon ground coriander
•1 teaspoon dried oregano (or 2 tsp fresh)
•1 cup vegetable stock
•fresh coriander, finely chopped (optional)
•For the omnivore, add chorizo (optional)

Directions:

1.Rinse your quinoa really well. Place it in a pot with the water and cook, covered over medium heat, for about 15 minutes or until soft. Set aside.
2.While the quinoa cooks, saute the onions and garlic in the oil for about 5 minutes over medium heat.

3.Add in the celery and carrots. Continue to cook for about 5 more minutes, stirring often so nothing sticks or burns.

4.Add in the capsicum, courgette and tomatoes, along with the spices (cumin, chili powder, coriander, cayenne and oregano). Let that blend together for just a few more minutes and then stir in the stock. Cover and simmer for about 15 minutes until the veggies are tender.
5.Stir in the cooked quinoa and adjust the salt to taste. Just before serving, stir in the coriander leaves if you choose, or sprinkle on top