Mediterranean Lunch Bowl

There’s this big vegan food trend at the moment in the food-sphere which is big bowls full of bits and bobs, making up a delish lunch. I think the key idea is that they create a balanced, interesting, healthy bowl of goodness which will also fill you up. As I’ve got really into Mediterranean cooking recently I thought I’d do a bowl full of med veg and bites! As with most things, all the items in here are easily mixed and matched, so anything you like/don’t like you can substitute in/out. In this one I’ve got some spicy couscous, aromatic roast aubergine, crispy kale, and hummus, all served with pita bread and salad to mix with everything. Portion wise this does make a hearty lunch for one, but you could always add in some more salad and it’d easily do a good lunch for two.

Recipe

Serves 1

Time: 20 minutes

Ingredients

• 1 Aubergine
• 2 tbsp Olive oil
• 1/2 tsp Zaartar spice blend
• 30g Couscous
• 1/2 tsp Rasel Hanout spice blend
• A handful of curly kale
• 1/2 tsp sugar
• A large pinch of salt
• 1 Pita bread (or other flatbread)
• 1/2 Red pepper
• 2cm Cucumber
• 3 Cherry tomatoes
• A handful of salad leaves
• 5g Feta cheese
• 2 tbsp Hummus
• A pinch of Smoked paprika

Method

1. Pre-heat the oven to 180˚C.
2. Slice the ends off the aubergine, then halve it and chop it into slices.
3. Put the aubergine into a roasting tin, drizzle over 1 tbsp of the oil, sprinkle with the zaatar spices and season with a little salt. Then roast in the oven for 20-25 minutes until soft.
4. Meanwhile prep the couscous. Put the couscous into a bowl with the rasel hanout spices and pour over boiling water according to the packet’s instructions. Leave to soak and then break up with a fork, season with salt, and set to one side.
5. Now prep the kale. Put the kale into a roasting tin. Drizzle over the 1 tbsp of the oil, then sprinkle over the salt and sugar.
6. Mix everything together and then put the kale into the oven to cook for 10-15 minutes until crispy. The kale will go from crisp to burnt really quickly so keep a close eye on it.
7. Put the flatbread onto a tray and put it into the oven to warm up.
8. Whilst waiting for everything to cook/warm up, prep the salad.
9. Begin by de-seeding the pepper and then chop it into strips. Then halve and quarter the cucumber lengthways before chopping it into chunks. Then chop the tomatoes into quarters.
10. Put the salad leaves, tomatoes, cucumber and feta into a bowl and mix together.
11. Take the bread out of the oven and use kitchen scissors to chop it up into strips.
12. When everything’s ready start to plate. Begin by spooning the couscous onto the bowl/plate in a mound. Then work clockwise round the bowl, piling up the salad leaves, bread strips, kale, aubergine and then the red pepper strips. Finish off with a dollop of the hummus in the centre and then sprinkle a little paprika over the hummus to add some extra heat. Serve and enjoy!

Thanks for reading!

Emma x