Mixed Grain and Tahini Salad

Bring it on back to the foraging times. When your meat-eating lifestyle needs a break, when you're worried about the health of your lower intestine because of all the meat you've been eating, or quite simply, you've run out of money, here is a simple, delicious vegetarian/vegan recipe that'll make you miss meat, quite a bit less. Buckwheat, Israeli Cous Cous, Linseeds, provide a solid, nutty foundation to a meal sparkling with tang, sweet and bitter. Recipe Follows!

Ingredients

250g Buckwheat

250g Israeli Cous Cous

50g Linseeds

2 Cups of Vegetable Stock

100g Spinach, Cut into Ribbons

1 Green Capsicum, finely sliced

1 Red Capsicum, finely sliced

2 Teaspoons Smoked Paprika

1 Teaspoon Sumac

Small handful Fresh Oregano

1/2 Red Onion, finely sliced

2 Cloves of Garlic, Peeled and Minced

3 Tablespoons of Hulled Tahini

Juice of 2 Lemons

1 Orange, (zest and juice)

Hummus (I made my own, but if you want a bought one, go for gold)

Salt/Pepper

Olive Oil

Sweet Edible Flowers (optional)

Method

Get one medium sized pot out. In that, put your buckwheat kernels. Cover them with water - enough that there is about a centimetre or two above them. Salt it well, and bring to the boil.

Next up, get out a large frying pan. Bring to a medium-high heat, then coat the bottom with olive oil. Pour in the cous cous so there is a pile. Fry until the bottom ones toast really well, but not burn. Do not mix them around to do this! Just leave them in their little pile until the bottom ones are toasted. This gives you a nice variety in texture and colour. Once toasted, cool them off with the two cups of vegetable stock. Cook until tender. Don't be afraid to add more water to get them to that stage - they're really resilient! Cook until they're dry then take of the heat.

Once the buckwheat is tender, drain, then mix in with the israeli cous cous and transfer to your serving dish. In the cous cous frying pan with a little oil, fry the onion and garlic until soft, then add to the cous cous/buckwheat mixture. Mix it through.

From there, put in the linseeds, capsicums, paprika, sumac in. mix it through. Next, toss through the spinach. Once that's done, mix in the tahini really well for its sweet, nutty taste. Spritz the whole thing with lemon, then add salt and pepper to taste.

Sprinkle each serving with oregano leaves, drizzle in olive oil, then brighten each dish with a quick squeeze of orange juice and a sprinkling of zest.

Put a quenelle of hummus on top, maybe a little more sumac if you've got some left and dig in!

Enjoy!