moroccan spiced lamb & roast vege couscous salad

moroccan spiced lamb & roast vege couscous salad

300grams lamb fillets
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon cumin seeds
1 kumara, peeled and roughly chopped
1 small red onion, cut into 2cm wedges
½ small cauliflower, cut into florets
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
2/3 cup Israeli couscous
½ cup black olives (not de-stoned)
¼ cup plain hummus
¼ cup Greek natural yoghurt
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 small clove garlic, crushed
150grams feta, crumbled
¼ cup finely chopped parsley|
1 cup semi-dried tomatoes, halved
¼ cup coriander leaves, to garnish

Preheat the oven to 200˚C and line a roasting dish with baking paper. Rub the lamb with1 tablespoon of the olive oil and sprinkle over 1 teaspoon of ground cumin and the coriander. Put the kumara, onion and cauliflower in the roasting dish and drizzle with 1 tablespoon of the oil. Sprinkle over cumin seeds and season well with salt and pepper. Roast for 20-25 minutes, turning once during cooking, until cooked through. Heat the remaining oil in a frying pan over a medium high heat. Cook the lamb for 3-4 minutes on each side then set aside to rest. (3 for rare and 4 for pink). Cook the couscous according to packet instructions (8 minutes for Israeli). I always use black olives which haven’t already been de-stoned to ensure maximum flavour. To de-stone bang each olive hard using a flat-bottomed object (I use a large ramekin), this will split it open. Remove the stone, cut the olive in half and continue with the remaining olives. Whisk the hummus, yoghurt, lemon juice and garlic in a small bowl. Once the meat has rested for 5 minutes, slice it thickly across the grain. To serve, toss the vegetables, semi-dried tomatoes and meat through the couscous, stir through the herbs and feta and drizzle with the hummus yoghurt dressing.

chicken & egg salad:

300grams shredded chicken
3 soft boiled eggs
1/3 cup good quality egg mayonnaise
finely grated zest of 1 lemon
1 tablespoon lemon juice
1 Romaine or baby cos lettuce
1 stick celery
3 radishes
¼ cup finely chopped parsley
sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Wholegrain bread to serve

Pick through shredded chicken to remove any remaining bones. Bring a pot of water to a rolling bowl, add eggs and boil for 8 minutes. Drain and put in a bowl of cold water. Whisk the mayonnaise with the lemon zest and juice and set aside. Finely shred the cos lettuce and finely slice the celery and radishes. Bang the eggs on the benchtop to crack, then peel and chop. Toss the chicken, eggs, lettuce, celery and radushes together. Stir through dressing and parsley and season well with salt and freshly ground black pepper. The salad can be eaten as is with fresh bread on the side, but also makes a great sandwich filling, especially with a really grainy, wholemeal bread.