Couscous Salad with Fresh Mint, Coriander, Parsley and Feta cheese

I made some healthy Couscous to accompany a Beef Tagine I was slow cooking, and then as happens in my kitchen, I thought the couscous looked rather boring and bland so I started adding ingredients from what I had and this is what I ended up with. I now had colour on the plate as well as a nutritious side dish.This salad is delicious, versatile and the  simple dressing gives it a nice zing. A dressed grain salad will keep well for a few days in the refrigerator, whereas a dressed green salad is often limp and inedible the following day. Couscous  salad can stand alone for lunch, or is a marvellous accompaniment to a spicy or Middle Eastern style dinner. Other vegetables can be added as well, such as sliced zucchini or sweet corn, after all it is basically a salad. I remembered this idea from a recipe I found here quite a while ago.

I picked this bunch of gerberas this morning from my garden which bring sunshine into the house. They really need breaking up into smaller plants, but now I can't bear to do it whilst they are flowering. I hope they make you feel happy as well.

With Summer approaching here in the Southern Hemisphere I will be making this easy Couscous meal on a regular basis. In the Northern hemisphere though, it can also be a healthy addition to accompany hot meals.

Serves 4-6.

Ingredients:

1 cup Wholemeal couscous

1 1/4 cups boiling water

1 cup of finely chopped coriander

1/2 cup finely chopped parsley

1/2 cup finely chopped mint

1/2 red onion, chopped very finely

1/2 cucumber chopped very finely

1/2 red capsicum, chopped very finely

3 tablespoons toasted pine nuts

2 tablespoons finely crumbled feta cheese (optional)

Dressing:

1/4 cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil

1 tablespoon honey or agave syrup, slightly warmed up so it is runny

Juice of 1 lemon and the zest

Good pinch of cumin.

Method:

Pour your couscous into a large heatproof bowl, add the boiling water and rest covered for 5 minutes. Remove the cover and fluff up with a fork.

Toss the finely chopped vegetables through the couscous and then add the herbs,  mixing through lightly.

To make the dressing, add the ingredients including cumin to a small glass jar, screw on the lid and give the jar a good shake. You could also use a small whisk to mix it all together. This isn't a complicated dressing so shaking it up in the jar works fine. Add a little salt and pepper to taste if you think it needs it. If this is being served with spicy foods I don't think it will need it.

Toss the dressing through the couscous and add the pine nuts.

Add the crumbled feta if you are using that. 

This is now ready to serve or store it in the refrigerator.

This will keep well, covered in the refrigerator for 5 days but it won't last that long.

I hope you are having a fabulous weekend wherever you are. I did a lot of cooking on Friday, so we are eating mostly leftovers this weekend, which just keep improving in flavour, and it makes for a nice relaxing weekend. I'll be ready to start cooking again on Monday. Do you sometimes like to have a weekend off from cooking as well?


Best wishes,

Pauline.

Butterflies and Tropical Splendour in Springtime at Cairns Botanical Gardens, FNQ

A Butterfly on a Red Pentas

Surrounded by beautiful butterflies and exquisite tropical orchids, I thought I was in Heaven, however I was in the Orchid House and the Butterfly exhibit at the Cairns Botanical Gardens, in Far North Queensland. The gardens are impressive to say the least. Coastal Cairns like most of Australia, hasn't had any rain, and yet the gardens have retained their tropical Springtime splendour. The Orchid House was our first destination within the Gardens because of my passion for Tropical orchids, and when I could bring myself to leave, we followed the well constructed paths and discovered lots more.  Are you feeling like a visit to the Tropics? Dear Friends, I hope you enjoy some of the photos I took along the way.

This butterfly was undeterred by the amateur photographer taking a close up shot.

Butterflies love Pentas. It's as simple as that.

Red Pentas flowers, loved by the butterflies

This Cochlic Stema Adoratissimum plant from the Orchid House, pictured below was just stunning, so stunning that I took three photos of it. If you live in Cairns, you too can grow this one.

A Cochlic stema adoratissimum

Yellow orchids always make a beautiful show.

A delicate yellow Aggregatum orchid below.

This purple soft cane dendrobium hanging modestly from  a branch was so impressive. One of my aims in life is to grow one to this size. Just beautiful.

A glorious display of Phalaenopsis.

Beautiful Begonias

Most orchid lovers have a Vanda or two in their collection. The purple one looks like one of mine, which unfortunately isn't in flower.

This trailing Button orchid is growing as an epiphyte on a tree with the neighbouring Tillandsias. Then I find the tranquility of the waterlillies in a glistening oasis in the Orchid House.

On venturing out into the gardens we found these red Brazilian beauties.

ACANTHACEAE. Megaskepasma erythrochlamys. Brazilian Red Cloak

One of the benefits for me from visiting Botanical Gardens, apart from enjoying the surrounding beauty of the plants, is also being able to identify and name  plants in my own garden. The Brazilian Red Cloak grows well in the rainforest section of our garden, despite often needing a hard prune back. My Mum who always lived in Rockhampton where I grew up, gave me a cutting of this many years ago however she didn't know what it was called, and neither did we. It was a bit spindly in her back yard garden in Rocky, however it has thrived at our place in Mackay in the more tropical environment. Obviously it thrives in Cairns and makes quite a show. It would do any backyard in a tropical habitat proud. It's full name is: ACANTHACEAE. Megaskepasma erythrochlamys or Brazilian Red Cloak from Venezuela, South America.

It's time to give the fabulous Friends of the Cairns Botanical Gardens a plug.

We were there on a Thursday, and the Friends had an impressive table, full of plants for sale, just near the kiosk. These had come out of a nursery of plants propagated by the Friends themselves and were selling for $8.00 each. We bought a few for ourselves which we are thrilled with, and also bought a couple for Shannon and Dan's new garden in Cairns. If you fancy any of the plants that you see in the Gardens for your home garden, within reason of course,  the Friends welcome meeting you and will walk back to their nursery and most probably have the plant you want. This is such an economical way of buying new plants  such as the Brazilian Cloak, which often aren't available through the commercial nurseries. We left feeling like very happy shoppers with a box full of plants.

Bromeliads

A massed variety of Bromeliads make quite a show, and whilst I couldn't take photos of all of them, this one stood out in the crowd. It is named Queen Mary which is rather nice and originates in Cost Rica. I presume it was discovered a long time ago. However  beware, these can become a very large plant.

I am always attracted to purple flowers in a garden, as are often the birds and the bees. The Petrea Mayensis beckoned me in to take a photo and reminded me of the beautiful Purple Salvia in my garden. This plant could be a must have for my garden one day if I can find a large enough spot for it to grow in.

I love these rich pink Medinillas, and different varieties are growing everywhere amongst the tropical foliage. I bought two varieties from the Cairns Friends during a previous visit to Cairns.

Pretty pink Torch Ginger

Heliconias

Ornamental Gingers are everywhere

Peace Lillies

White Peace Lillies or Spathophyllum lining a shaded pathway are quintessential to Botanical gardens and I love the serenity they project. These were all beautifully healthy and well cared for.

If I had stopped to take photos of all the beautiful plants in the Gardens I would still be there, and Mr. HRK long gone, ha, ha. However I left motivated, and enthused to revisit my garden at home and to just enjoy the pleasure that creating something special in the garden brings. I hoped you enjoyed some of the photos, and if you can, visit these glorious gardens at any time of the year,  you won't be disappointed.

The main reason for visiting Cairns was to celebrate our daughter's engagement to a wonderful young man, with an Engagement and Housewarming party. I've been alluding to that for a few weeks now. We had a wonderful time, and the food catering was a success. More about that later.

Thanks for stopping by,

Pauline

Party Pizzas and Lots of Rain

These Party Pizzas are so easy, that I feel a bit guilty writing them up as a recipe. Do you sometimes just feel like something really tasty like pizza, but don't feel like making your own dough or visiting the supermarket to buy ready made pizza bases, or spending the money to buy take away pizzas? These are the easiest bite sized pizzas I have ever made. They may be just bite sized, but they are BIG-sized flavours,with zero effort. In fact you will feel as if you have had a night off from cooking and everyone will be happy to pitch in and help. 

Great news for us is that we had 75 mm of rain last night, which is around 3 inches. It bucketed down and was windy and cold as well. Just like we expect a tropical wet season to be like. Showers were forecast, but we didn't expect this much rain. Hopefully the sugarcane farmers will be happy if they have harvested their cane and replanted. I wish though that we could send some of it off to the drought affected areas around Australia. Dylan, who is our 12 year old young neighbour from up the road came up for a chat after school just before, as he often does when Mum and Dad are working, and remarked how much he loves the rain. I agreed with him, but just reminded him that there are many children his age in Australia who have never experienced rain like that where they live. It's still overcast and it feels like there could be more showers on the way. Here's hoping, although the parsley is already looking waterlogged as is the pomegranate tree.

We are also happy that SBS is televising the U.S. Open Tennis tournament on TV now, and that our young Australian player, John Millman,who is from Brisbane and is a proud Queenslander, has made it to the quarter finals. I'm a bit sorry that it was Roger Federer he needed to beat to win, as Roger is also a favourite, but what a coup for John. He played the match of his life. So if you like watching the tennis, tune in tomorrow as he will be playing Djokovic (hope I spelled that correctly.) Fingers crossed for John Millman.

 Back to food. Pizzas are perfect on the weekend for brunch with a salad, or as an appetizer, or as a finger food idea for a party. They can also use up leftovers in the refrigerator as well, as the ingredients can be quite versatile. These are one of the items on the menu for our family party in 10 days time. 90 little pizzas can be made from a 10 pack Puff Pastry box. Very economical when catering. This recipe is for 18 pizzas which Mr. HRK and I enjoyed over a couple of days. Just increase the quantities as needed.

Ingredients for 18 mini pizzas

2 sheets of frozen puff pastry
2 cups grated tasty cheese
1 chopped red capsicum
1 cup classic pizza sauce (homemade or purchased)
1/2 cup chopped basil or oregano
1/2 cup roughly chopped black olives
Finely chopped bacon or salami to sprinkle over the top of the pizzas before baking

Thaw out two sheets of Puff Pastry. Cut each Puff pastry sheet into 9 squares. (For a larger quantity of pizzas, buy a 10 pack box of Puff Pastry and cut 9 squares from each sheet until each person has at least 3-4 pizzas)

Let's cook:

Grease two muffin trays very well and place a pizza square in each hole (18 for this recipe)
Throw the combined ingredients into a large bowl. Mix well together.
Brush tomato sauce over pastry bases.
3/4 fill pastry cases with ingredients and sprinkle with bacon or salami if desired.

Cook in a moderate oven for 20 minutes..



Now it's back to the kitchen to make some Chicken and vegetable soup for dinner. I'm going to enjoy this cool rainy weather while it lasts. It's moving on tomorrow apparently.

This is my Pizza recipe when I feel like making real pizza.

Bye for now,

Pauline

Spring Gardening in Tropical Mackay, and some Spring recipes

Welcome to Spring, let's celebrate. It's official, Spring starts today. However the birds, the bees, the McNees and the plants  have considered it Spring for the last few weeks, despite the occasional and very short, cold snap courtesy of southern climates meandering their way up North. Whilst overseas friends are bemoaning the end of their Summer, and I feel for you, we are embracing the ambience of Spring, not so much the heat of summer though, which is also just round the corner.You are very welcome to take a walk with me through our tropical garden to see what we can discover. First the ornamentals, then the edibles. 



This is a Tillandsia or Air Plant in a hanging basket, surrounded by the light green  Button orchid which erupts into small golden flowers which the butterflies love. Growing in the garden below are my Matchstick Bromeliads which need breaking up and relocating. Another job to do when they finish flowering. When they first bloom, these Broms are very pretty with purple tips resembling match heads. This is all hanging off the very tolerant Lychee tree, which isn't very interested in fruiting so it has become an excellent tree for hanging baskets.

It's been a busy few weeks including a lot of gardening, and a new gardening project which I will tell you about in the future. Seeds and seedlings are planted, now I have to be patient. I've been striking some more purple Salvia, some Cordylines, some rosemary (which for some reason didn't take so will try that again), and fertilising my orchids. Now is the time to prune Hibiscus if they are straggly.

Rosella seedlings

These are Rosella seedlings. Each year I keep some seeds from the Rosella harvest and replant them the following Spring. Normally I just plant them straight into the garden and a few germinate, however planting them in seed raising mix this year has yielded a 100% success rate. Lots of jam and tea making ahead for me, and some will be gifted to interested friends. I am all for spreading the love, aren't you?

Purple salvia which has struck from cuttings

My Phalaenopsis orchids are starting to bud and flower, and are looking healthy. The flowering ones weren't fertilised last time though as that isn't a good idea until the flowering finishes.

Phalaenopsis orchid

Below is my Yellow Soft cane Dendrobium which I am delighted is flowering this year. Last year it decided not to.  Who knows why?



 Of course I have been gradually Spring cleaning, enjoying some cooking which often involves using up fresh garden and seasonal surplus, as regular friends and readers of my blog will know. I also keep knitting a few dishcloths to keep my skills up.

I'll let the photos tell the story of our garden which is a constant source of enjoyment for Mr. HRK and me, and a good source of exercise as well, I am hoping so anyway.

 I call this one the Cat's Tail Plant, however it deserves more recognition than that as it is a bit of show stopper. This is Acalypha hispida, a flowering shrub in the Euphorbiaceae family (I won't try to remember that last name.) It is also called the Chenille Plant, the Fox Tail, and Red Hot Cat's Tail. It requires regular pruning to keep it under control in this part of the world but is worth it for the beautiful colour it brings to our front garden. I think it is one of those old fashioned plants which is often handed on by cuttings.

Red flowering bromeliad 

This next one is a bright red Pelargonium, not a geranium, although they are often called that now. My Mum first gave me a plant from her garden in Rockhampton many years ago and I keep a few plants in the garden as I dread losing it. They don't really like the humidity or the wet weather but I prune it right back, strike new cuttings, and I have managed to  keep it going.

Add caption

There is always a flower with Gerberas.







Happy Jade.

And now for the EDIBLE Plants.

I couldn't survive without a Rosemary bush, could you. I use it almost daily in my cooking. It thrives in full sun. This a fairly new plant so I am looking forward to the beautiful little purple flowers it produces.

Our lime tree is flourishing in a pot in the front garden, very Mediterranean..

The ubiquitous Lebanese eggplant. I am thinking my Eggplant Parmigiana for you, little ones.

My favourite Eggplant Antipasto recipe is this one, click on the recipe here.



These chillis are from a recent harvest and the bushes keep producing more and more. They are all from seeds that I have dried from previous crops and honestly the bushes seem to get better and stronger with each new generation of plants, and the chillis even sweeter, supporting the theory that they keep adapting to their environment.

I have been making lots of jars of Sweet Chilli Jam, and Thai Pickled chilli which are delicious and will boost our stockpile. I also finely slice them in scrambled egg, vegetable stir frys, soups and a lot of my dishes really. I am amazed at how expensive they are in the supermarket and they grow like weeds in this part of the world. Are you able to grow chillis where you live, I hope you can. They also provide a lot of beautiful red colour in the garden, as well as the culinary and health benefits.

My mint pot is doing well, and is delicious in so many recipes and drinks. Recipe for Mint, Ginger, Walnut and Cauliflower Rice

We are very excited that our Finger Lime is flowering for the first time, it is only a couple of years old. I couldn't capture a photo of the very small finger limes but we have a few about an inch long. It is growing in a large pot. As it is an Australian native rainforest tree, called Citrus Australasica, it is amongst other foliage and located under the Golden Penda tree so it is shaded during the heat of the day. Beware though, it is very thorny. I am so excited at the thought of harvesting some exotic Finger Limes to use in the kitchen over Summer.

Very hardy and pest resistant red Mignonette lettuces.

Watercress is doing well in a well mulched, covered raised garden. Delicious for sandwiches and salads. I'll try to do something really interesting with the watercress on one of my blog posts.

We have yellow nasturtiums in flower, and we have just planted some orange and red ones. (No photo unfortunately). Here is the recipe for a delicious cake which I made after our trip to Lord Howe Island last year and which is decorated with edible nasturtium flowers. I really recommend this cake.
Honey, Yoghurt and Chocolate cake recipe



Last but not least, the strawberries are finally starting to yield a good crop of fruit. This is Mr. HRK's garden, he loves his strawberries,  and they have been on notice for the last 12 months to produce fruit this year or they will be pulled out. Lots of attention, fertilisers, a bed of straw, and this is the best crop in 3 years. I doubt there will be enough for jam this year as they are eaten as soon as they are picked but that is the fun of it, don't you think?

Happy gardening to you all.

Best wishes

Pauline