crunchy couscous

really easy - the only cooking is bunging some hot water on the couscous, though sprouting the moong beans took a couple of days.

Ingredients

1. small cup of couscous
2. 1/2 tsp veg stock powder (optional)
3. about 1/8th red cabbage (or whatever you have lurking in fridge)
4. olive oil
5. 1/2 lemon
6. 1/2 red chilli (or that ready-squished stuff)
7. 1/2 cm ginger (ditto)
8. 2 spring onions
9. 1/2 cup bean sprouts (i sprouted some moong beans, but whatever you can get hold of)
   

Method

• Put the couscous in a bowl and cover with boiling water. If you want tastier couscous (but with more salt), add some veg stock powder. stir and leave to soak.
  
• Meanwhile, chop the cabbage and chilli finely. Grate the ginger and slice up the spring onions.
• Once the couscous is no longer gritty, toss together with the rest of the ingredients, adding more seasoning if required.
  

summery shrooms

With some vague bits of summer peeking through UK clouds, I've experimented with ways to make mushrooms summery treats. This would be even better if I had some fresh tarragon, but my gardening-fu is consistently hampered by slugs and ineptitude....

Ingredients

1. button mushrooms - the bigger the better as you want some nice big slices
2. 1 lemon
3. slug of olive oil
4. tarragon - dried or fresh
5. seasoning (salt; pepper; chilli)
   

Method

• Wipe or peel the shrooms, depending on how filthy they are. Don't wash them 'cos they'll soak up lots of water and taste a bit ... flabby.
• Slice the shrooms as finely as you can, and place in a bowl.
  
• Whisk together the olive oil, juice of the lemon, a pinch of tarragon and seasoning.
  
• Toss the shrooms in the vinagrette and leave to marinate for at least an hour.
  

This tastes great with a salad of watercress, spring onion and finely chopped red cabbage.