Fresh. Chunky. Homely. Unusual.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. Inspired both by a wandering through the artwork (not the cartoons) of Australia's much loved Michael Leunig, and the repeated suggestion from a friend to give other-handed drawing a go.

***

The meatless meals recipe - Beetroot and Bean Salad

I won't lie, this dish can take a while to prepare with cooking beetroot and brown rice, double shelling broadbeans and toasting sesame seeds. I don't make it very often, unless I have a glut of homegrown broadbeans straight from the garden and I want to really savour and enjoy their seasonal freshness.

Serves 2

250g double shelled broadbeans or edamame (start with about 300g single shelled broadbeans or 900-1000g unshelled/full broadbeans to end up with this amount)
250g beetroot
brown rice for 2 (about 2/3 cup uncooked) Properly cooked brown rice takes a good 40 minutes, despite what is often written on it's packaging. It should NOT be crunchy. At all.
2 tablespoons sesame seeds, toasted
1 tablespoon olive oil
salt and pepper to taste
zest of half a lemon
1 teaspoon white wine vinegar
2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh chives
about 180g goats cheese


Cook the brown rice.
Boil beetroot until tender all the way through.
Run under cold water to cool.
Chop into medium sized cubes.
Mix all the ingredients together and serve atop the rice.

Fresh. Easy. Quick. Aromatic.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on canvas. An early spring garden of fresh new plants, entangled with spaghetti.

***

The meatless meals recipe - Pasta Primavera - Pasta with Spring Vegetables in Herb Sauce

The taste of early spring in a bowl in the time it takes to cook your favourite pasta shape.

 

pasta (papadelle is my favourite for this) for 2, about 200g
parmesan to taste
salt to taste
3 cups mixed spring veg, chopped into bite size pieces - recommended are:
peas, broadbeans, asparagus, broccoli, snap peas, snowpeas

Herb sauce:

1 cup chopped fresh parsley (about 10g)
about 7g finely chopped fresh chives
1/2 cup whole mint leaves (about 4g)
at least 1/4 cup olive oil

Cook pasta.
Pre cook mixed veg. Blanch, boil or steam as suits you. I find steaming the veg on top of the pasta or pouring the drained pasta water over the veg to blanch them both work well to save on washing up, water, energy and general effort!
Put the ingredients for the herb sauce in a blender and blend smooth.
To serve, pile pasta into bowls, then top with sauce then veges and parmesan and salt to taste. Be aware that mixing the pasta and sauce before transferring to the serving bowls leaves most of the sauce and flavour behind sticking to the pot or bowl in which they were mixed.

Fresh. Versatile. Satisfying. Unusual.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on panel. All the leaves and petals of summer together on a hazy warm and sunny day.









Did you know you can download images of the paintings for your own personal (not commercial) use? Computer wallpaper, Facebook profile picture, yes you can. Find your favourite painting on Flickr, go to actions, view all sizes, download the size you want to your device, set it as your wallpaper or profile. And tell your friends where it came from :)

Original artwork can be purchased in the Official Art Store. This particular piece is currently drying and will be available shortly for $150. To find out exactly when that is, get on the mailing list, yellow box top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

This recipe was one of those wild experiments that I embarked upon one evening when we had guests. It has been raved about ever since, and it has taken quite some time to recreate to the same rave worthy high standard. The secret is the sheer amount of herbs. This dish is really only economic to make if you grow your own herbs or can buy in bulk. Those tinsey wincey little packets the supermarkets sell won't go very far at all here. The downside of making this is all the chopping and measuring. Enlist help with the chopping! Besides, it's fun to chatter over food preparation before eating together. The upside is that it's quite a flexible recipe. Really, you can top it with whatever summery veges you have to clean out the fridge or help empty the garden.

Zesty. Fresh. Hearty. Moreish.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. Celebrating the squiggliness of linguini and the zing and pop of fresh summer ingredients. An oodley botannical inspired ode.

Interior photo by rogue-designs

Original art for you. Yes, YOU!

Did you know you can download images of the paintings for your own personal (not commercial) use? Computer wallpaper, Facebook profile picture, yes you can. Find your favourite painting on Flickr, go to actions, view all sizes, download the size you want to your device, set it as your wallpaper or profile. And tell your friends where it came from :)


Original artwork can be purchased in the Official Art Store. This particular piece is currently drying and will be available shortly for $AU150. To find out exactly when that is, get on the mailing list, yellow box top left. Or email me (fi at wherefishsing.com) to let me know you're interested.

***

The meatless meals recipe

If you grow zucchinis you know that the biggest 'problem' with them is finding enough homes for the sheer quantity of zucchinis that appear. They are nothing if not prolific. And so summer can become a quest for ways to make use of all these zucchinis. I'm not going to add to the cornicopia of recipes out there for soups and baked goodies that manage to inventively squirral away filler zucchini. No, this one celebrates them and makes them a centrepiece, and uses them up promptly at the same time.

Per serve:

100g pasta (linguini!)
300g zucchini (about 1 large or 1 1/2 medium) cut into thin flexible fingers or matchsticks
2 or more tablespoons olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 or more tablespoons water
juice and zest of 1/4 of a large lemon
1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar
1 tablespoon finely chopped chives
1 tablespoon finely chopped mint
cracked black pepper to taste

Fry zucchini fingers in 1 tablespoon of olive oil and all the salt.
When appealingly browned (and probably beginning to stick) add water to ensure they are steamed all the way through. Keep cooking until all the water is gone to ensure the zucchini are lusciously soft. Add more water and keep cooking if necessary.
Meanwhile, cook pasta and drain.
Toss the pasta with the other tablespoon of olive oil to coat it well.
Combine the pasta, cooked zucchini, chives and mint. Add the lemon juice, zest and balsamic and mix everything together well.
Add pepper to taste.

Remember, this amount is per person.

Easy. Fresh. Satisfying. Chunky.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. Making use of the square brush technique I talked about in my previous post, a summery rendition of this jewel studded dish all plated up and ready to gormandise. The real meal is pretty much as colourful as the painting is.

Did you know that all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store?  If you want to get your mitts on the original, it is drying and awaiting it's professional photoshoot before being allowed in the shop.

To be kept updated on available paintings, get on the mailing list, yellow box top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

I enjoy the freshness of salads but often find them not filling enough. And so I have a tendency to tinker with them until they become full main meals. This is one of those tinkerings. One hot London evening (an oxymoron most of the time), I felt inspired to feast on the well known Italian tricolore or caprese salad of fresh tomato slices, fresh basil leaves and fresh mozzarella slices. Lacking those ingredients, and being hungry enough for a full meal, this is basically what I came up with. It's been refined over the years into a jewel studded crown of a summer meal.

Big thanks to Mari and Catriona in helping me give this recipe an appropriate name!

200-250g haloumi or paneer cheese, in slices about 1/2cm thick (both of these cheeses can be fried without melting out of shape)
around 310g zucchini, in slices about 1/2cm thick (using a long diagonal works well)
around 240g eggplant, in slices about 1/2cm thick
1 clove garlic
around 260g fresh tomato in slices about 1/2cm thick (about 3 medium tomatoes)
plenty of butter for frying

125g / 3/4 cup couscous
zest of 1/2 lemon
chopped parsley, about 25g
1 cup / 250ml boiling water
slosh of olive oil
optional 'clean out the fridge' veg, diced really fine - 1/2 cup

juice of 1/2 lemon

If you are using haloumi for this dish do not salt anything as it is frying. I repeat -DO NOT ADD SALT- Haloumi is very salty itself and any extra salt will make your tongue weep. Paneer, on the other hand, is usually not salty at all, so taste it first and go for your life.

Fry the zucchini slices in butter.
Fry the eggplant slices in butter. Mince the garlic and add to the frying eggplant. Once you have a bit of browning on the eggplant add some water to the pan. This speeds up the cooking time significantly and ensures the cooked eggplant is lovely and soft.
Fry the haloumi slices. It doesn't need much, just enough to be golden brown on the outside and heated through.
Meanwhile, put the couscous, lemon zest, parsley, olive oil, optional minced veg and boiling water in a container with a lid, cover and leave for 10 minutes. Your couscous is now cooked!
To serve, I like to make a ring (the crown!) around the outside of the plate with the zucchini, eggplant, haloumi and fresh tomato slices all alternating. Then I fill the middle with the couscous mix.
A squeeze of lemon juice all over finishes this off.


This makes a meal for two. Unless you are using a BBQ to fry the ingredients it's not really practical from a cooking space point of view to make this for more than two people.

Fresh. Versatile. Thrifty. Fun.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on board. Can you sense the translucency of the rice paper? The freshness of the fillings? The simplicity of this dish?

All artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store. This particular painting is drying and will be made available soon for $150. To find out the instant it's ready, get on the collectors list, yellow box top left.

***

Rice paper rolls, in case you haven't had the delight of trying them, are like a tasty little salad meal in an edible wrapper. Eaten cold, they are perfect for hot days. I love making these at home because I get to fill them any way I like, which incidentally is with a little cucumber, loads of lettuce, enormous quantities of mint and a touch of tofu fried in soy sauce and sherry.

This recipe is more like a collection of ingredient suggestions and some pointers on how to construct the rolls than a set of instructions. Fill them however you like!

You will need:
rice paper roll wrappers, they are usually sold in packets of at least 20 for just a few dollars and are about 20cm in diametre.
lettuce - a soft variety or finely shredded leaves to prevent tough pieces poking through the wrapper

Your choice of other fillings, here are some ideas:
cucumber, sliced in lengths
fresh coriander or vietnamese mint
fresh mint
chopped peanuts
spring onion, chopped fine
glass/vermicelli rice noodles, these often only need to be soaked in cold water to be ready to use, but follow the directions on the packet
bean sprouts
carrot, in thin sticks
egg, beaten with a little soy sauce and sherry, fried into an omelette shape and cut into strips
tempeh (as is) or tofu (preferably marinated/pre-fried - I suggest a soy sauce and sherry mix)

Suggested dipping sauces:
Peanut (mix peanut butter, a little oil, a little water and a dash each of soy sauce, chilli, sugar and sherry to taste)
Soy sauce (a dash of rice wine vinegar added in can be quite enjoyable)
Sweet chilli (fresh minced chilli or sambal oelek with a little rice wine vinegar or white wine vinegar and sugar, to taste)



Construction tips:
The rice paper wrappers only need to be dipped into warm water for about 30 seconds to be ready to use. I fill my largest flat bottomed frypan with very warm water and dip the wrappers in as needed. They are ready when they have become soft and pliable, which is almost straight away. Also, they stick to themselves once ready so I never prepare a stack of them, just one by one.

I've tried adding the dipping sauce into the unwrapped roll. It doesn't work. The roll becomes very slippery and difficult to roll, sauce squirts all over the place and then the roll won't stick closed. My recommendation is to save the sauce for dipping.

To make a roll, put the soaked wrapper on a plate and fill the middle with your fillings of choice. Leave room around the edges for wrapping.
Fold over opposite 'ends' up over the filling.
Fold over one of the remaining ends also.
Now the bit that takes a little practice. It is easier to do than to explain. Roll the lot towards the final open end. Fold over and compress the fillings as necessary to make them fit.
The wrapper sticks to itself so just press the roll to itself at the end.
Here, let me show you:











3-6 rice paper rolls will make a meal for one, depending on how hungry you are, the type of fillings you use and the amount you manage to stuff into your rolls!

Fresh. Moreish. Satisfying. Versatile.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on board. Marine plywood, to be precise. It's a most excellent substrate for oil paint, being both light, sturdy and dimensionally stable. Yes, it has been treated and prepared professionally for maximum longevity.

This is another example of the oil transfer  technique that I am fond of. I like how it is a cross between painting and printmaking. While I love the results of etching, I find the process tedius and more frustrating than dealing with a recaltricant windows computer. You know what I mean!

The way that oil transfer mimics the effects of printmaking is perfect for this Japanese woodblock ukiyo-e style inspired image. All hail the mighty ramen!

And in the spirit of trying something new, which this project is all about, I have begun videoing the creation of some of the paintings. First up is Shio Ramen. I apologise for the extensive view you have of the back of my head. I shall reposition the camera for the next one! However, it gives you an idea of how these are created. Note all the wardrobe changes - oils take a while to dry. There's no audio. I'm chipmunked enough already! Without further ado - the first time lapse painting.

Did you know that all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store? Very limited edition reproduction prints are ready to go right now. If you want to get your mitts on the original, it is drying and awaiting it's professional photoshoot before being allowed in the shop. If you love it and want to know as soon as it's available, get on the email list, yellow box top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

There are four broad styles of ramen stocks. Shoyu (soy sauce) - you may remember this from the winter recipes-, Shio (salt), Miso and Tonkotsu (pork bone). No prizes for guessing which one I'm not even going to attempt vegetarianising! Shio ramen is generally the lightest of these styles and is most suitable for summer. Also it is most commonly served with sweetcorn, a summer vege treat. The sweetness of the corn is just addictive with the salty broth.

noodles for one (around 75g dried ramen noodles)

1 1/2 cups shitake mushroom stock (directions below)

1 cup seaweed stock (directions below)

2 teaspoons mirin or 1 teaspoon sherry

2 teaspoons salt

1 tablespoon butter

1 teaspoon untoasted sesame seeds

1/2 spring onion, chopped

1 boiled egg, peeled and sliced

versatile veges for filling: I recommend 1 cup corn kernals and 1 cup bean sprouts OR 1 cup finely shredded Chinese cabbage and 75g oyster mushrooms, 

extras such as spinach or mizuna, tofu or tempeh slices are good too.

Shitake mushroom stock

Take 2 cups of water and 25g dried shitake mushrooms. Lightly boil these together in a pot with the lid on for 20 minutes. Remove the mushrooms (they freeze well and can be used as is in other meals). This should leave you with 1 1/2 cups stock.

Seaweed stock

Take 1 1/2 cups water and an A4 or letter sized sheet of dried nori seaweed cut into strips. Lightly boil these together in a pot with the lid on for 20 minutes. This should leave you with 1 cup of stock.

Putting the ramen together:
Cook the noodles as the packet instructs and hardboil the egg. I often find this can be done together in the same pot.
Melt the butter in a pan and lightly saute the veges to soften them.
Season a little with pepper.
Pour in the two stocks. Bring to a rolling boil.
Add the salt and mirin/sherry and keep boiling for a few minutes to mix all these flavours together.
Put the drained noodles in your serving bowl.
Add the stock & vegetables mix.
Run the egg under cold water until it is cool enough to peel and slice.
Top the ramen dish with the egg slices, spring onion and any extras you want.
Sprinkle with sesame seeds.
Slurp away. The louder the slurps the more appreciation you are showing. Itadakimasu!

This recipe is per person. It makes a big meal.

Fresh. Easy. Chunky. Filling.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm oil on linen. Inspired by that feeling of thinking everything is grey and barren and the same and then suddenly realising there's a super tasty option that you've been overlooking. That's how I feel about salads in winter. All this focus on creamy starchyness, which is great, but gets a bit monotonous after a while, and then the realisation that a fireworks of freshness would be perfect.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store. A very limited edition reproduction print is available right now. If you want to get your hands on the original, then either keep a close eye on the store yourself, or sign up to my newsletter for collectors to conveniently have a note drop into your inbox when it's available to own. It's the yellow box, top left.

***

The meatless meals recipe

We all crave a break from the starch routine in the depths of winter. Well most people do anyhow. Actually if I’m honest even I do, noodle queen that I am. It’s not easy to make a filling warm salad from winter ingredients, which is why  a recipe like this one is so welcome. Eat some fresh stuff, get a load of vitamins, warm up on a roast, feel satisfied. All rolled into one.

500g pumpkin

50g snowpeas, sliced

½ cup roughly chopped nuts (walnut and almond work well)

1 avocado, sliced

1 cup cooked chickpeas

2 spring onions, sliced finely

50g rocket

½ apple, diced finely

parmesan cheese (optional)

Dressing:

1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

juice of half a lemon

3 tablespoons olive oil

Chop pumpkin into roughly one inch cubes, season with salt and pepper and roast for 45 minutes at 180 C.

Prepare the remaining ingredients and the dressing. Remember that apple and avocado will go brown if left to sit for too long so leave these until the last minute.

When the pumpkin is nicely roasted, divide it into two serving bowls.

Mix the rest of the salad ingredients and top onto the pumpkin.

Finish with the dressing and a sprinkling of parmesan if you want.

A meal for 2.

Quick. Easy. Satisfying. Fresh.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin.

This is a super slick stencil style painting of charmingly cartoonish burger-mushrooms in a 1950's colour palette. Thanks to the Japanese anime style painter Madoka Kinoshita for inspiring the clean crisp lines and patience required for this piece. She recently did a three part video series of her painting methods which I found fascinating. It left me itching to try this style again. Now after completing this piece, I really know that while I enjoy the results, I really don't enjoy the process. Next time I try a stencil style piece, there will be changes to the method! I found that I am actually quicker and at least as accurate painting freehand rather than using a cut out mask. Who would've thunk?

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Don't be fooled by the simplicity of this 'recipe'. It's bloody delicious. And in the middle of winter when you're craving something fresh, yet warming and filling, this really hits the spot. I'm still searching for vege burgers of the pattie variety that can match these ideas.

So it's really easy and involves only 4 ingredients for the entire burger, with two variations.

bread for your burger, whatever style you like

avocado, be generous

rocket

then either topped with

haloumi cheese cut into 1/2 - 1 cm thick strips and gently pan fried until golden on both sides

or

a giant flat mushroom of any variety with the stalk cut off so they lie flat, then slowly pan fried until soft and cooked through

Yes that is it and they are divine. As I said, don't underestimate how delicious these are just because they are so simple.

Fresh. Versatile. Filling. Zesty.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin.

Inspired by bowls of swirling tangled noodles, Chinese 'auspicious clouds' and the jaw dropping mirror mosaic 'Under the Sea'' 2007 by Iranian artist Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, seen here in b&w.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

A warming and filling meal of fresh, uncooked ingredients in the middle of winter can be somewhat of a challenge. Sesame noodles to the rescue! As long as you julienne all your veg, this is the dish for getting a dose of raw vege vitamin power to pep you up and smash the winter carb fest routine. All the chopping does take a bit of time, but hey, that's why you gather everyone around to help out.

400g dry noodles such as soba, somen, ramen or similar
400g julienned veges such as cabbage, beetroot, snowpeas, broccoli, carrot, parsnip, leafy greens - these can either be raw or blanched

3 tablespoons sesame oil
1 clove garlic, minced
2 tablespoons sugar
1/4 cup soy sauce
splash of water - just enough to make the sauce mixable
3 tablespoons tahini
1 tablespoon peanut butter
1 pinch chilli powder
1/2 teaspoon grated fresh ginger
1/8 cup lime or lemon juice
zest of 1/2 an orange
2 spring onions, finely chopped
4 tablespoons toasted sesame seeds
30g fresh coriander, roughly chopped


Cook the noodles. Drain and rinse under cold water to cool them down a little.
Toast (dry roast) the sesame seeds if they are untoasted.
Put sesame oil, garlic, soy sauce, sugar, water, tahini, peanut butter, chilli powder and ginger in a small pot or frypan and heat gently to dissolve the sugar and take the edge off the garlic. Leave this sauce to cool.
Chop all the veges and blanch them if you don't want to eat them raw.
When all the above parts of the dish are ready, add the lime/lemon juice, orange zest and spring onion to the sauce and mix well.
Mix the noodles and sauce thoroughly.
Serve into bowls and top with the veges.  Sprinkle with sesame seeds and coriander.

Makes a lot of food for 4.

Chunky. Fresh. Warm. Unusual.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm ink and graphite on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin. 

When I was perusing the gallery shop at the Tate Britain one time I stumbled across a neat little book of amusing gardening quotes accompanied by quirky, thoughtful illustrations. Their style was the very distinct work of the much lauded Laura Stoddart. The book in question is Up the Garden Path: a Little Anthology which I promptly bought. It really is a lovely piece of work and most gardeners would appreciate it. Anyway, this painting is inspired by the distinct flowers of the fennel plant colliding with the elongated, gentle and watery style of Laura Stoddart.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

Baked Fennel and Walnut salad - the vegetarian dinner recipe

Fresh fennel is a strong flavour that people are usually black and white about. It's a love or hate reaction. However, baked fennel is much, much, much milder and although it still has hints of anise, most people are quite happy to chow down on it.

about 800g fennel
1 large red capsicum, cut into big chunks of about 2 inches

several tablespoons olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

salt

1/2 cup dried puy lentils

2 bay leaves

1/8 onion, very finely sliced

75g walnuts, broken into pieces

1 cup roughly chopped parsley leaves, about 15g

parmesan to taste

Remove the stalks from the fennel and discard. They tend to be quite tough and stalky. Cut the fennel bulb into quarters like an apple and then cut out the core and discard. Chop the remaining bulb pieces into big chunks of about 2 inches. Separate the layers of the fennel chunks.

Put the fennel and capsicum chunks into a baking dish with the lemon juice, a sprinkling of salt and a few tablespoons of olive oil. Mix thoroughly.

Bake at 200C for 40 minutes and remember to stir at half time.

Meanwhile, boil the lentils in lightly salted water with the bay leaves. They take around 20 minutes.

When done, drain and rinse thoroughly under warm water and discard the bay leaves.

Combine the baked fennel and capsicum, cooked lentils, raw onion, fresh parsley and walnuts in a big bowl.

Serve with parmesan to taste.

Makes a meal for 2 and goes really well with crusty bread slathered in butter.

Creamy. Delicate. Fresh. Light.

***

Food painting artwork

30 x 30cm acrylic on paper. The paper is no ordinary paper, it is textured Hahnemuhle 300 gsm 100% alpha cellulose which is acid-free fibre of vegetable origin. 

In this piece I was aiming for a fun, quirky and modern illustrative stencil or screenprint style on layers of lush glazing. In some cultures spinach and other leafy greens symbolise money and and abundant crops. So a money tree seemed appropriate.

By the way, all the food painting artwork is available to own in the Official Art Store.

***

The meatless meals recipe

Hooray, a yummy pasta dish that does not involve tomatoes! I'm sure the spinach sauce here could be turned into a very respectable soup, and minus the pasta the dish would make a rather nice warm salad.

pasta for two (risoni is nice with this)

2 teaspoons butter

250g spinach, washed and chopped

1/2 onion, diced

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/4 cup strong stock

1/4 cup white wine

150ml cream

about 200g broccolini or broccoli, cut into small bite size strips

1 red capsicum, cut into bite size slices

1 avocado, sliced (optional)

100g bocconcini (optional)

Cook your pasta with a pinch of salt and a dash of oil.

Melt 1 teaspoon butter in a pan.

Soften the onion and garlic.

Add spinach, stock, wine and cream.

Simmer until spinach is well cooked.

Remove from heat and puree.

(Add bocconcini)

Meanwhile, put the broccolini and capsicum pieces in a frypan on high heat with the other teaspoon of butter, and basically stirfry until the capsicum has softened and the broccolini is bright green. A dash or two of water may help. If the broccolini starts to grey, STOP COOKING!! That's the sign of impending vege blandness!

To serve, pile the pasta into bowls, top with the veges (plus avocado). Then drown the lot in the spinach sauce.

Feeds 2.

Light. Fresh. Filling. Warm.

When the recipe muse smacks me over the head with inspiration, it does it well. That's all I can say. This whole recipe landed from the ether, almost fully formed. Exact quantities were missing, but that was simple to deduce. This is really easy to put together. Just cook the few ingredients that need it and combine.

450g pumpkin, chopped into 1cm cubes

100g green beans, very finely sliced

150g feta cheese, very finely crumbled

100g walnuts, broken up

1/4 small onion, very finely sliced

about 1 cup or 18g parsley leaves (left whole and with stems removed)

1 cup couscous

1 cup or 250 ml water

1 teaspoon salt

cracked pepper to taste

3-4 tablespoons olive oil

3-4 tablespoons balsamic vinegar

Boil the pumpkin until done.

Steam the beans (on top of the pumpkin?) until they turn bright green.

Put the couscous in a bowl. Add the salt and 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Then add 1 cup of boiling (straight from the kettle) water. Mix and cover with a lid for 3-5 minutes.

Combine the feta, walnuts, parsley and onion in a big mixing bowl.

As the other ingredients are done, add them to the feta mix.

Add a generous amount of cracked black pepper, to taste.

Add a good slosh of both olive oil and balsamic vinegar to the completed mix, about 3-4 tablespoons of each.

Fills 2 people.

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More vegetarian cookbook goodies

Need help with conversions? Download this handy dandy pdf of cooking conversion charts for every cooking measuring system I could find. It should make your life easier.

Want to check out more vegetarian dinner recipes? They're all in the Table of Contents.

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