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Spring has sprung! Lockdown is over! Both great reasons for diving into this all-occasion Pearl Couscous Salad. The silky, comforting pasta vibe of pearl couscous teamed with fresh Mediterranean-inspired ingredients like tomato, cucumber and capsicum, and the vibrancy of fresh herbs and feta means this is a dish that can be enjoyed as a midweek supper, a hearty offering to take to an impromptu gathering with family and friends, or even an enviable leftovers lunch!  Prep Time: 30 min
Cooking Time: 10 min Ingredients: 1 cup pearl couscous 1 tbsp oil 2 garlic cloves minced 1 ¾ cups water 2 tsp vegetable or chicken stock powder 1 cucumber chopped ½ red onion, finely diced 1 capsicum, chopped 1-2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved ½ cup cubed feta or goats cheese ½ bunch mint, roughly chopped ½ bunch parsley, roughly chopped ¼ cup slivered almonds For dressing: 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil 1/4 cup apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp squeezed lemon juice 1/2 tsp salt ½ tsp pepper 1 tsp honey 1 tbsp za'atar spice mix Method: First, toast the almonds over a medium heat in a frying pan. This only takes a couple of mins. As soon as they start to colour, remove the pan from heat and transfer almonds to a small dish. Set them aside for garnishing your salad at the end. Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium high heat. Add pearl couscous and garlic and stir, cooking for 1-2 minutes. Add stock powder and water, cover with lid and reduce heat to medium low. Cook for 10 minutes until the liquid is absorbed and the pearl couscous is cooked through but still a bit firm. Use a fork to gently separate the couscous, then transfer into a large bowl to cool. Note: it might look like it's getting a bit sticky or gluggy as it's cooling but never fear, the dressing and other ingredients will fix all that. While the couscous is cooking, make the dressing and chop the salad ingredient To make dressing, simply place dressing ingredients in a jar and shake well. Add remaining salad ingredients into the large bowl with the Pearl couscous, then pour over the dressing and toss. Garnish with slivered almonds and serve the salad at room temperature. PIMP MY RECIPE
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For our first recipe of Spring 2021, and we thought it fitting to bring you a versatile salad recipe that showcases our delicious, 100% buckwheat soba noodles. Light and fresh, yet also comforting and substantial, they're the perfect lockdown lunch or iso supper. It's made with ingredients most of us have in the pantry and veg crisper. Versatile, and ready in 15 minutes, Soba Noodle Salad is easy to prepare for 1 person or many. It's Soba Noodle Salad, your way.  Ingredients:
200g Soba noodles A combination of approximately 2 cups of your vegetables of choice. (For this recipe I used sliced green beans, broccoli cut into small florets, ¼ red capsicum sliced thinly, and edamame). 1 shallot, both green and white parts, sliced thinly Small handful chopped coriander A small sprinkling of sesame seeds, white or black 1 red chilli, finely sliced (optional) 2 hard-boiled eggs, peeled and halved (optional) For the dressing: 2 tbsp tamari or soy 1 tbsp mirin 2 tbsp rice wine vinegar 1 tbsp sesame oil 1 tbsp olive or peanut oil 1 tsp fresh ginger, minced 1 garlic clove, minced 1-2 tsp brown sugar Things to have ready: Bowl of iced water Serving bowl And remember to pre-boil some eggs if using! Method: ¾ fill a large pot with water, add a tsp salt and bring to a boil. Cook the soba noodles in the boiling water for about 6 minutes. In the last minute add green beans, frozen edamame and broccoli, or any other veg you're using that needs a quick blanching. While the noodles are cooking, chop your remaining veggies and herbs (capsicum, shallots, coriander, ginger, garlic). Drain and transfer noodles and veg into an ice bath (just a bowl of iced water, with ice cubes). This not only stops the cooking process immediately but helps maintain a bright colour in the blanched veggies. Drain the noodles and veggies and transfer them to a large serving bowl. Add remaining salad veg (capsicum and shallots). Combine all dressing ingredients in a jar, pop the lid on and shake it vigorously for 10 seconds or so. Pour dressing over the noodles and veg. Garnish with coriander, chilli if using, and sesame seeds. If using eggs, place them on top of your salad and serve. PIMP MY RECIPE
This week we serve up 2 savoury Adzuki ideas for you to try out at home: Zingy Adzuki salad to celebrate the end of summer, and Adzuki Stuffed Roast Pumpkin to usher in those autumnal vibes. The delicate, nutty flavour of adzuki lends itself well to savoury dishes too.  Ingredients: 1 cup dried adzuki beans ¼ tsp toasted sesame oil 3 tbsp sunflower oil 1 tbsp finely chopped ginger ½ tsp finely chopped garlic 1/2 bunch coriander or parsley coarsely chopped 2 tbsp white wine vinegar pinch chilli flakes 1 tbsp tamari ¼ cup lime juice 1 cup shallots thinly sliced 1 cup grated carrots 1/4 cup sesame seeds 1 tbsp sunflower seeds Method: The night before you plan to eat: Put beans in a large bowl, cover with water and let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans and put in a large pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, approx 50 minutes. Drain and rinse gently under cold water. Set aside to let cool completely. Dressing: Put oils, ginger, garlic, coriander or parsley, vinegar, chilli flakes, tamari and lime juice into a jar and shake well. Pour dressing over cooked and cooled beans. Add shallots and carrots and toss gently to combine. Top with sesame and sunflower seeds.  Ingredients:
1/2 cup dried adzuki beans 1/2 cup walnut pieces 1/2 of a butternut pumpkin 1 tbsp miso paste 2 tbsp mirin or apple cider vinegar Dressing: 2 tsp apple cider vinegar 1 tbsp lime juice 1 tbsp toasted sesame oil 1 tsp minced ginger pinch of chili flakes remaining miso–mirin mixture from above Garnish: 1/4 cup shallots, finely sliced 1/4 cup walnuts pieces Method: The night before you plan to eat: Put beans in a large bowl, cover with water and let soak for 8 hours or overnight. Drain beans and put in a large pot with 8 cups of water. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer until tender, approx 40 minutes. Drain and set aside. Preheat the oven to 180°C (160°C fan forced). Put walnut pieces on a baking sheet and toast them for 5 minutes. Increase oven temperature to 200°C (180°C fan forced). Scoop the seeds out of your pumpkin half and lightly drizzle or brush the cut side with sunflower oil. Place pumpkin cut side down on a lined baking sheet. Roast for 20 minutes. Mix miso and mirin (or apple cider vinegar) together. Take the pumpkin out of the oven and carefully flip it. Score the pumpkin: cut crisscross pattern onto the surface of the softened pumpkin flesh. Spread 2/3 of the miso mixture over the scored surface of the pumpkin. Return the pumpkin to the oven for 20 minutes. Make the dressing by mixing vinegar, lime juice, sesame oil, minced ginger and chili flakes. Add rest of the miso & mirin mixture to the dressing. Add the dressing to beans while they are still hot. Add shallots and walnuts to the bean mixture (save some shallots and walnut pieces for garnishing). Stuff roasted pumpkin with bean mixture and garnish with shallot slices and walnuts. Serve with remaining dressing. PIMP MY RECIPE If you have any leftover cooked rice, couscous or pasta, add it to the bean mixture. I used some cooked brown rice the last time I made this dish and it made the meal go further as well as adding a new flavour and texture dimension. From Hetty McKinnon's Provençal Grain Salad & Ottolenghi's Farro Salad to the ever popular Cypriot salad, we Sydney folk sure love robust, earthy and vibrant dishes. Our Village Feast Salad is our take on this popular dish. What I love about it is that it's a meal in itself - no need to make anything to go with it! And it can easily be adapted to feed a crowd. With the holiday season upon us, this is just the kind of salad to have up your sleeve. Featuring many pantry staples we all often have on hand, it makes for excellent leftovers and leaves wiggle room for creativity and putting your own spin on it. We encourage you to tweak it to make it yours.  Feeds 4 as a Main or 8 as a Side dish.
Ingredients: ½ cup Cracked Freekeh ½ cup Puy Lentils ½ cup Buckwheat (*toasted if preferred. See note) 1 tsp Vegetable Stock Powder 1 head Broccoli (cut into small florets) 1 Red Onion ½ bunch Mint ½ bunch Parsley ½ bunch Coriander (optional) 1 tbsp Olive Oil 1 tsp Salt Pinch of crushed Pepperberries ⅓ cup Pepitas Dressing: Juice and zest of 1 Orange ⅔ cup Greek Yoghurt ⅔ cup Hulled Tahini Salt and Pepper to taste ½ tsp Ground Cumin 2 tsp Honey Garnish: ⅓ cup Cranberries Pinch Pepperberries 1 tbsp toasted Pepitas Method: To make things easier we're going to use 1 pot to cook 4 things. The ones with the longest cooking time of 20 mins - cracked freekeh and puy lentils, go into the pot first, followed by buckwheat then finally broccoli. Here goes: Put a big pot of water on to boil. Add the tsp stock powder. When boiling, add freekeh & puy lentils. Simmer gently uncovered. 10 mins later add buckwheat. Keep simmering the 3 together for a further 9 mins. Lastly, throw in the broccoli florets for a quick 1 min blanch. Now retrieve the broccoli from the simmering water with a slotted spoon or tongs and pop it in some cold water. This arrests the cooking process and ensures it keeps its bright green hue and a bit of crunch. Drain the buckwheat, lentils and freekeh well and leave to cool in the colander while you make the dressing. It doesn't have to get completely cold; warm is fine. While the grains and pulses are simmering, chop up your onion (finely) & herbs (coarsely) & put it in a large mixing bowl with a glug of olive oil & pinch or two of salt. Note: you may like to reserve a handful of chopped herbs for garnish at the end. Dressing: Whisk all dressing ingredients together in a bowl, season to taste. Toasting Pepitas: in a dry frypan, toast pepitas over a medium-low heat for 2 mins or til almost golden. Remove from the pan immediately and reserve. Toss cooked grains and pulses, chopped onion and herbs in a bowl. To serve, spoon onto a large serving platter or individual bowls, top with the dressing, cranberries, pepitas and herbs. Or you can serve the dressing on the side. This recipe can be made ahead. Don't dress or add olive oil til serving time. PIMP MY RECIPE
I'm loving experimenting with pepperberries - its like pepper, but so much more! There's a fruity edge to it initially, and the heat comes later...not in a blow your head off, chilli kind of way, but more of a back palate kick that rounds the mouthful off perfectly. This recipe really showcases how a single ingredient, even used sparingly, can turn a tray of roast veggies into a truly special meal. And it's great for those bottom-of-the-crisper veggies you don't know what to do with. Pumpkin, potato, carrot, zucchini, capsicum… just throw in whatever you've got! For the below recipe I've specified the veggies I used on this occasion. Take our word for it, the addition of pepperberries will provide a slight fruitiness packed with a zing you'll want to come back for everyday. 😀  (serves 1 as a main, 2 as a side)
Ingredients: ½ cup pumpkin, cut in bite sized cubes 1 fresh beetroot, cut into bite sized cubes 1 celeriac, cubed as above Olive oil Juice of 1 Lemon Salt A handful of walnuts 6-8 cubes persian fetta or vegan fetta 1 tsp crushed Pepperberries A good handful of rocket or salad greens Method: Preheat the oven to 190c. Lay your veggies out on a lined baking tray and drizzle with olive oil and half the lemon juice. Sprinkle it with a little salt and half the pepperberries. Roast for 30 mins or until the veg is lightly golden and cooked through. Meanwhile put the walnuts, fetta and salad greens in a large bowl. While the veg is still a bit warm, add it to the bowl and toss it all gently to combine, adding a little more olive oil and the remaining lemon juice and pepperberries. Serve as a side to a main meal, or eat on its own as a delicious, light lunch! PIMP MY RECIPE
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