Broad Bean curry

Broad Beans, Wild Rice and Dhanya chutney

Soak 1/2 packet Broad Beans overnight.  Pour off the water in the morning.
Put it in slow cooker till lunchtime on high - only in water (no condiments). Salt and acid makes the skins hard.

An hour before you want to eat:
Add 1 tbsp or 1 cube stock to the beans.
Grate 4 carrots, dice an onion, and chop 1/3 bunch soup celery.
1 tsp mustard seed
1/2 tsp fenugreek
2 heaped tablespoons jeera (cumin)
1 heaped tablespoon of mild curry (you can add more if you aren't living with a 'woes' who doesn't like spicy food).
Fry the onions and spices in some oil (1-3 tbsp) depends whether your restrictive diet is more important than taste. Add the carrots and celery. Toss regularly.
Pour excess stock water off (you can use it for soup later)
Mix the veges and spices in with the beans and add some of the stock water back to make a 'lecka' consistency. Leave it in the slow cooker.

White and wild rice
Boil white rice and wild rice together in a saucepan. Add salt to taste. (I'm assuming you know how to cook rice.)

Dhanya chutney:
Cut the leaves with most of the stalk.  You can use the roots in another dish.
Wash the leaves thoroughly and shake off excess water.
Bunch them together and slice thinly
Juice of 1 lemon
olive oil 1/4 cup
1 cup coconut
good pinch of salt
chilli chutney (another recipe maybe coming later)
crushed garlic (size of thumbnail) or 1/2 to 1 teaspoon
Put dhanya, lemon, oil, garlic, and 1/2 cup water through liquidizer, just a few pulses not too sloshy
add coconut, chilli and salt and mix thoroughly.

Your rice should be done by now, so you can dish up.

Enjoy with sambals.

Ratatouille

Ratatouille

2 tomatoes; chopped (remove the skin with hot water, if you have to.  I have never seen the need for this.)
1 onion; chopped or sliced
3 cloves garlic (or garlic salt to taste)
2 large or 4 small baby marrow; sliced
1 punnet of mushrooms; sliced, or baby mushrooms; whole
1/2 tsp origanum (dried) or mixed herbs
1/2 tsp parsley(dried)

optional: brinjal (aubergine); cubed pour salt over and let stand in a collander, then wash it off after 5-10 minutes (removes bitterness)

How to make the Ratatouille

Pour a little oil in the base of the pan or butter if you prefer.  Fry the onions 5 mins.
Add the rest of the vegetable ingredients.
Simmer for 15-20 minutes on med heat. Stir from time to time.
Add herbs, and salt at the end.  I sometimes add a bit of stock in stead of the salt.
Grind a liberal helping of black pepper over just before serving.

Have it on toast for breakfast, or on pasta or rice for lunch or supper, sprinkled with parmesan cheese and accompanied by a 'lekker' red wine.

Bon Appetite!

While munching watch Ratatouille, an animated movie about a rat that becomes a chef in one of the best restaurant in Paris.

Spinach Salad

Special Spinach Salad

Fry bacon till crispy, or just done (or microwave on high for about 2-4 minutes.  Maybe check it after 2 minutes and re-arrange, cover with paper towel to stop splattering on the inside of the microwave.)
Buy beetroot with fresh leaves and use the beetroot leaves, or use swiss chard, normal spinach, or baby spinach. Cut out the stalk, then cut the leaves in thin shreds.
If you like the crunchy texture and the taste of celery, cut the leafy bits of the celery into thin shreds.
Cut a whole spring onion into thin slices the white and the green part, or two (depends on size and how much you like the taste)
Cut two tomatoes in cubes, or use half a punnet of baby tomatoes.
Add olives to taste.
Add finely cut parsley to taste or a tsp dried parsley.
Cut up the cooled bacon in strips.
Add a slice of feta cheese, crumbed or cubed.
Add a few thin slivers of cucumber cut into 4.

Optional Extra: Sprinkle with pumpkin or sunflower seeds

Salad dressing
Squeeze the juice of half a lemon and add 4 tablsp oil.
Add a pinch of mustard powder.
Add a garlic segment or two depending on the size.
Use minced garlic, garlic press, or liquidise all the ingredients together.
Pour over the salad and toss. 

Obviously: Leave out the things you don't like and add any other ingredients you love