Tasty and Easy Recipes

Ingredients:
225g couscous
1 bunch fresh parsley, chopped
1 bunch fresh coriander, chopped
1 red onion, very finely chopped
1 lemon, zest and juice
½ cucumber finely diced
1 tomato diced
30g sunflower seeds, toasted
4 tbsp olive oil
salt and freshly ground black pepper

Method:
Cover the couscous with twice its volume of hot water and leave to soak for 10 minutes.
Mix together with the remaining ingredients and leave to stand for 30 minutes to let the flavours develop.
Serve at room temperature.

Ingredients:
4 tbsp. (don’t measure) extra virgin olive oil
2 or 3 large onions, in chunks
3-4 lb. uncooked pumpkin, peeled and cut into chunks
1 large, firm ripe tomato (try to get locally grown tomatoes, not those tasteless packaged ones from California), quartered, skin, seeds and all
1 or 2 tbsp. taste of chicken soup powder (optional)
2 qt. mineral water (non-carbonated, I prefer it to tap water)
1 tsp. each dried oregano, basil, and marjoram (or fresh, if you can get them)
salt
Coarsely ground black pepper

Method:
Put the oil and the onions into a large soup pot and saute’ on high heat until the onions start to soften.
Add the pumpkin and continue saute’ing and stirring for about 5 minutes. Add the tomato and continue stirring for another few minutes.
Add mineral water to cover, bring to a boil, add the soup powder and herbs, and simmer for 30 minutes.
Remove from the stove and allow to cool a bit. Blend in the pot with a hand-held stick blender while adding more mineral water to achieve a soupy consistency.
Add salt and pepper to taste.