THE LAZY MAN'S TABBOULEH

May I stress that this is ‘lazy’ tabbouleh and therefore I am aware that the traditional Lebanese tabbouleh would be shaking its head in shame at my version! This is my take on my mother's delicious Lentil Salad. I love adding a teaspoon of ground sumac to it, but this is not necessary. I have tried this tabbouleh with olive oil and much prefer it with red wine vinegar. This vegetarian dish is perfect as a side or for a main meal accompanied with cooked chicken breast pieces, cooked quinoa or more lentils or legumes (such as chickpeas). 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 bunch of parsley, stalks removed, parsley washed & drained and roughly chopped
• 4 medium tomatoes (around 500g), roughly chopped
• 1 x 400g tin brown lentils, rinsed and drained 
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• the juice of 1 lemon
• 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
• Optional- 1 teaspoon ground sumac 

PREPARATION 

1. Combine all ingredients in a medium serving bowl. Toss well to combine and place in the fridge for at least 30 minutes before serving, so that the lemon can absorb into the parsley. 

Serves / 4 - 6 as a side / 4 as a main with chicken 

Total Preparation time / 15-20 minutes 

x Emily 

PRAWN, CELERY & PARSLEY RISOTTO

I have to give a great deal of thanks to my mother and her mammoth cookbook collection for my inspiration in the kitchen. I swear every time I go to my parents’ house, my mother has a new cookbook that she’s obsessed with. She has dog-eared the pages, placed post-its on every recipe she wants to make (which is 100 out of 105 recipes most of the time, so I have never fully understood the point of this) and is bursting at the seams to tell me about the meals that she has / is planning to make. Its really sweet. The idea for this risotto came from a recent Weight Watcher’s ‘Takeaway’ cookbook that was shared with me as mum’s ‘new favourite’. Now, I adore risottos however they often are too rich or heavy for me to eat at night. This is why I particularly love this dish. No cream, no cheese, no butter and no fuss.

INGREDIENTS

• 200g peeled prawns, tailed removed
• 3 stalks celery, washed & finely chopped
• 1/2 cup fresh parsley, roughly chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 1/2 cups arborio cup
• 3 cups gluten-free vegetable stock 
• 1 small brown onion, finely chopped
• sea salt 
• coconut oil 

COOKING 

1. Bring vegetable stock to the boil and simmer, covered, until required. 

2. Meanwhile, heat coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat, adding onion and garlic when pan is heated. Stir for 4 minutes or until onion is soft. Add rice to the pan and cook, stirring, for one minute. Reduce the heat to low and add the hot stock, one ladle (1/2 a cup) at a time, stirring constantly until all the rice is absorbed. (This should take around 15-20 minutes depending on the heat of your stove). 

3. Stir in the prawns and celery and season with sea salt. Cook on low heat, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes or until prawns are pink in colour and are cooked and heated through. Remove from heat and sprinkle with parsley, stirring this through if you like. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes (add more time if you are peeled & de-tailed the prawns yourself)

Total Cooking time / 27-32 minutes 

x E

FENNEL & ARTICHOKE RISOTTO

I spotted fennel at the weekend fresh food market on several occasions this winter, but was rather scared to cook with it, as I had heard that it had a somewhat liquorice and aniseed quality. I was pleasantly surprised when I decided to take the leap and purchase a large fennel bulb from the Westend markets. Dusting off my Women’s Weekly The Complete Cook, I learnt that fennel is both a vegetable and herb, as its downy leaves can be chopped and used in salads, sauces, soups, rice dishes and fresh salmon like its relative dill. The tops of the fennel bulb can be used as a bed to steam fish and the bulb of the fennel (the part that I used in this recipe) has infinite uses. The bulb can be sautéed, grilled, roasted and stir-fried. I recommend cooking fennel as it does soften the strong aniseed flavour and brings out its natural sweetness. So the lesson here is to experiment with new vegetables, as you never know what you never try. 

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 400g tin artichokes, drained, rinsed and roughly chopped
• 1/2 a large fennel, trimmed of leaves, washed well and roughly chopped
• 1 tablespoon dairy-free margarine, such as Nutalex 
• 1/4 cup dry white wine
• 5 cups vegetable stock (preferably Massel brand)
• 1 leek, washed and finely chopped
• 2 cups arborio or doongara rice 
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons fresh parsley, finely chopped, plus extra, if desired

COOKING 

1. Heat margarine in a large saucepan and add fennel and leek. Cook, stirring, for 3-4 minutes or until leek and fennel have softened but are not burnt. 

2. Add rice and stir ingredients to combine. Pour vegetable stock and wine into the pan. Bring to the boil, then reduce heat to a simmer, adding artichoke pieces. Cook for 20 minutes or until rice is absorbed and no liquid remains. Remove heat and place risotto in a large serving bowl. 

3. Meanwhile, heat a small frying pan over low to medium heat. Add lemon juice and parsley to the pan and stir frequently until warmed. Remove from heat and drizzle over the top of the risotto. Serve with extra fresh parsley, if desired. 

Serves / 6

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 30 minutes 

BLACK BEAN & BEEF SOUP

Whenever I visit a friend or family member’s house, I love to look at their books. It’s a bit of an obsession. Usually I know the person I am visiting quite well, but on occasion when I don’t I think they find it really strange. I was at my Aunt and Uncle’s new beautiful house in the Gurdies, very close to Philip Island in Victoria a few weekends ago and I found myself entranced by my Aunt’s very organized bookshelf. I like to look in cookbooks for ideas and inspiration; hence I pulled out a few of her huge cooking chronicles and absorbed myself in them until lunch was ready. I came across an interesting ‘Cuban black bean soup’ recipe, which gave me the notion of creating my own black bean soup when I got home. This soup has a bit of a kick to it, however the black beans and beef balance out the spiciness.  

INGREDIENTS

• 3/4 cup black beans 
• 250g extra lean beef mince
• coconut oil
• 1/4 teaspoon chilli powder
• 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
• 3 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 1 small carrot, peeled & finely chopped
• 4 cups gluten-free beef stock
• 810g tinned or fresh tomatoes, diced

COOKING 

1. Place black beans in a large bowl or saucepan and pour water over the top of the beans, making sure that the water level is a few inches higher than the beans. Leave to soak for a minimum of 4 hours, or overnight. 

2. Heat 1 tablespoon coconut oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add garlic and cook for 1-2 minutes, or until garlic is fragrant. Add beef and spices, stirring often so that the spices do not stick to the pan and the beef browns. Use a large cooking spoon to break up any lumps in the mince. When mince is browned, add tomatoes, carrot, beef stock and 2 cups of water to the pan. Bring to the boil, then simmer, uncovered, for around 45 minutes or until the black beans are tender. (To check if the beans are tender, make sure that you taste 4-5 of the beans as some may cook faster than others). Remove from heat and serve topped with fresh parsley if you desire. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 10 minutes (plus a minimum of 4 hours for beans to soak)

Total Cooking time / 60 minutes / 1 hour 

x E

LENTIL, TOMATO & PARSLEY SALAD

One of the simplest salads I have ever made but also one of the freshest. My mother has made this lentil salad for years, it is like her ‘ole faithful’ side dish. Fresh tomatoes and parsley are a must and around 20 minutes of chopping is required, however it is worth the arm work. I consider myself one of the most impatient women on this earth and I was able to blast some music and get through the relentless chopping. Perfect as a summer or spring salad, I served it in winter alongside warm Lamb Kebabs (recipe tomorrow!).

INGREDIENTS

• 1 x 400g tin of brown lentils, rinsed & drained
• juice of 1/2 a lime
• 1 cup of fresh parsley, finely or roughly chopped & washed
• 5 small (375g) tomatoes, finely chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped

PREPARATION

1. Combine the lentils, parsley, tomatoes and garlic cloves in a large serving bowl, tossing well. Drizzle lime juice on top and toss well to combine. Serve cold. 

Serves / 6 as a side

Total Preparation time / 20 - 25 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 0 minutes 

x E

STEAK WITH TOMATO, MUSTARD & PARSLEY SAUCE

Those who know me know that I am not one to crave steak often. However, I have realized that it can be quite nice for my iron level and me once in a while. Whilst out at breakfast today a friend rattled off the perpetual saying ‘Eat like a King for breakfast, a Queen for lunch and a Pauper for dinner’. I had this clearly embedded in my mind as I decided what to make for lunch. Steak seemed like a good choice, as whilst it is filling it is not too filling to result in a sneaky afternoon siesta.

The tomato, mustard and parsley sauce has a little story behind it as well. I have splattered tomato sauce / ketchup on my medium-rare, top quality steaks for as long as I can remember. My dad positively faints at this habit, my mother shakes her head and my boyfriend screams at me ‘stop, you are ruining it!’. Hence I decided to finally listen to them, as they may be onto something. As I still needed a sauce to go on my steak, I pulled out some tomatoes from the fridge that had seen better days, as well as some fresh parsley and mustard, because come on, you need a little mustard to zest up a steak. Sumac is my new favourite spice and goes incredibly well with tomatoes (you can buy it at any major supermarket in the baking isle). Lastly, a splash of vinegar and voila, a steak sauce worth of a eye fillet steak.

INGREDIENTS

• 4 x 130g eye fillet steak, fat removed
• 1 tablespoon coconut oil (in liquid form)
• 2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 large tomatoes, finely chopped
• 1/4 cup fresh parsley, finely chopped
• 1 heaped tablespoon dijon mustard
• 2 teaspoons sumac 
• 1 teaspoon balsamic vinegar

COOKING 

1. Combine tomatoes, parsley, mustard, sumac and vinegar in a small bowl and toss well to combine all ingredients. Add a pinch of sea salt & refrigerate until steaks are cooked. 

2. Combine steaks, garlic and oil in a medium bowl and mix so garlic and oil coats all the steak. Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat and cook steaks to your specification / liking. (I like steaks medium rare, so I cooked them for around 4-5 minutes each side, then cut into the side of one of the pieces to make sure that it was ready). 

Serve warm with tomato, mustard & parsley sauce on top or on the side. 

Serves / 4 

Total Preparation time / 12 minutes 

Total Cooking time / 10 minutes 

x E