Minted peas with broccoli

I found this recipe while trolling the internet looking at ways to use some random vegetables in my fridge. With my mint plant growing profusely, this was a great find.

I also added sliced red capsicum to the recipe for colour (at the end) Leftover options for this dish are endless - feta cheese, crispy tofu, if you have a carnivore in the house like I have – small spicy meatballs.

Ingredients

(for serving 2 people)

§  400g broccoli, cut into florets

§  1 cup frozen peas

§  1/3 cup finely grated parmesan cheese

§  1/4 cup fresh mint leaves

§  2 teaspoons finely grated lemon rind

§  2 tablespoons lemon juice

§  2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil

Method

1.    Roast the broccoli for 5 minutes.

2.    Cook the peas following the packaging directions with a few mint leaves.

·        If cooking by oven top, cook broccoli in a large saucepan of boiling, salted water for 3 minutes, adding peas for last 2 minutes.

3.    Drain and transfer to a large bowl.

4.    Add cheese, mint, lemon rind, lemon juice and oil. Season with salt and pepper. Toss to combine. Serve immediately

Warm Pumpkin and Chickpea Salad

I came across this recipe when I was trying to find a meal using random ingredients in my half empty pantry. It was so delicious I can’t wait to make it again!

You can also add other leftover or fresh ingredients, such as beans and capsicum and winter nuts are also a great addition.

Ingredients

(for serving 2 people)

• Half a large pumpkin, peeled, deseeded, cut into 2cm pieces
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon ground coriander
• 2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 400g can chickpeas, drained, rinsed
• 1 small red onion, halved, thinly sliced
• 150g feta cheese, diced
• 1 large lemon, rind grated, juiced
• Handful of spinach leaves (chopped or shredded if desired)
• Salt and pepper to taste

Method

1.   Preheat oven to 200°C. Lightly grease a large roasting pan. Combine pumpkin, oil, ground coriander and 1 tsp of the cumin in a large bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Transfer to prepared pan. Roast for 20 minutes or until pumpkin is tender.

2.   In a large frypan, fry the chickpeas and the red onion along with the remainder of the cumin together until slightly browned – about 5 minutes

3.   In a serving bowl, add the pumpkin and chickpeas with the other ingredients and lightly toss. Serve with a garnish of coriander