Warm chickpea and broccoli salad with toasted almonds

Tonight I made myself a warm salad. To be honest, calling it a salad would be slightly misdirected as I think it is more a stir-fry with one unlikely candidate as the protein component - chickpeas (NB I added a few shelled prawns just because I had them - of course, you can omit them should you wish to keep this dish vegetarian).

This is an incredibly fast, substantial and cheap meal to prepare and it really does cover all the required food groups. Here, I have opted for piquant Asian flavours: lime, fish sauce (which you can replace with soy sauce for a vegan/vegetarian alternative), garlic, chilli and fresh coriander. In hindsight, I could have added some coconut cream and leftover curry paste to the pan as well and I would have a quick vegetable curry. I was searching for something crunchy and salty to add to my salad - like bacon bits. But I don't eat pork. I suspect if you enjoy bits of salty pork, you could saute some pancetta in the pan before adding the rest of the ingredients and it would be quite tasty. In the end, toasted flaked almonds played the role of "salty pork bits" for me.

Whatever direction you wish to take this dish is entirely up to you. I have a can of butter beans and lentils sitting in my cupboard, so next time I might use those in place of chickpeas. Grains and pulses tend to be neglected in most of our diets but they are an excellent and cheap source of protein. The added bonus is they are also high in dietary fibre - which commonly lacks in our contemporary diet.

Chickpea and broccoli salad

1 medium head of broccoli, cut into florets

1 tin of chickpeas, rinsed and drained well

1 chilli, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

fresh coriander, roughly chopped

1/2 lime/lemon, juiced

peanut oil

fish sauce (vego alternative: soy sauce)

handful of flaked almonds, toasted in a pan

heat pan or wok and add peanut oil

saute chopped chilli and garlic until fragrant then add chickpeas

add soy/fish sauce and juice to the pan (it should sizzle)

add broccoli florets and 1/4 cup of water

place lid over pan allowing the steam to cook the broccoli - this takes about a minute or two

remove from heat and place in bowl

scatter flaked almonds and chopped coriander on top of salad

enjoy

Barley for breakfast

I mentioned how I am a real fan of breakfast. To start my day, I am not all that keen on processed cereal that comes in a box as I have always looked at them as some kind of healthy junk-food. A paradox, I know. A friend of mine insists on eating a bowl of raw muesli with skim milk every morning and will willingly swear on his pet's life that it is the best way to start the day. I will not challenge him. Each to his own.

I came across a book the other day while unpacking some moving boxes and found one titled "Cooking with Soy", an Australian Family Circle publication. It features recipes using various soy-based products that can be incorporated into a myriad of everyday meals. Leafing through the book I found a breakfast recipe for pearl barley served with a caramel apple-raisin compote. I thought it sounded nice.

So here is my take on barley for breakfast. Almost like an oatmeal porridge except you are more likely to eat it on a warm summer's morning and texturally more interesting that Bircher muesli.

barley with yogurt and berries

1 cup pearl barley

750 ml soy milk (I used Lite soy milk, you can use dairy milk if you wish)

1 cup fresh/frozen raspberries

1 tablespoon raw sugar

1 cup good natural yogurt (I used a Greek-style yogurt)

3-4 tablespoon honey (or to taste)

fresh fruit

toasted almonds or pepitas (optional)

(serves 4)

place soy milk, pearl barley and a pinch of salt into a saucepan

simmer over low heat stirring occasionally for 20 minutes or until barley is soft but not mushy.

refrigerate to cool (you can store refrigerate the barley for up to 3 days and continue with the next step when you are ready to serve)

sprinkle raw sugar over berries, crush slightly and stir occasionally

fold crushed berries into 1/3 cup of yogurt

stir remaining yogurt and honey into the cold cooked barley adding a bit of milk if it appears dry

to serve spoon some barley into a bowl, top with berry yogurt, sliced fruit and toasted nuts and seeds.