Falafels with houmous and tabbouleh

THIS is another recipe from the healthy pull-out in the BBC Good Food Magazine. It is easy to do. I have always wanted to make falafel and I wasn't disappointed. They didn't look great but I was happy with the flavour. I also loved the tabbouleh- it is so fresh and the flavours work so well together- it would be a great salad to have at a barbecue. I cheated and brought my own houmous.

Serves 2
Ingredients
For the falafel:
1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
400g can chickpeas, drained
400g can butter beans, drained
Juice 1/2 lemon
Small pack coriander, including stalks
1/4 red chilli, deseeded and chopped
1 garlic clove, crushed
1 egg yolk, beaten
Small pack parsley
4 tbsp wholemeal flour

For the tabbouleh
50g barley couscous
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
Juice 1 lemon
Small pack each parsley, mint and coriander, finely chopped
2 spring onions, white parts only, finely sliced
1/2  cucumber, deseeded and cut into small pieces
3 tomatoes, quartered, deseeded and cut into small pieces

1. Heat oven to 180C/ 160C fan/ gas 4 and out a non-stick baking tray inside. For the falafels, heat a large non-stick frying pan, add the cumin and coriander seeds and dry-fry until fragrant (1 to 2 mins) stirring occasionally to prevent burning. Remove from the pan.
2. Put the seeds, the remaining falafel ingredients and some seasoning into a food processor and blitz until you have a chunky past. If it seems too dry, add 1 tsp water and blitz again until you have the consistency of damp sand. Using your hands, divide the mixture into 12 falafel balls and chill for 30 mins.
3. Heat a non-stick frying. When hot, add the falafel balls, pressing down into the pan to make patties. Leave to cook, without turning, for two to three minutes, then check to make sure they're brown and crisp. Turn and cook the other side for two mins more. Remove from the pan, transfer to the baking tray in the oven and cook for a further ten minutes. Meanwhile prepare the barley couscous following pack instructions.
4. For the tabbouleh, mix the olive oil, lemon juice and some black pepper in a small bowl. In a larger bowl, combine the rest of the tabbouleh ingredients, along with the cooked couscous, and add the dressing. Mix well.
5. Put aside 4 falafels and 4 tbsp houmous in the fridge for tomorrow's lunch. Serve the remaining falafels with the remaining tabbouleh.

Prawn, butternut and mango curry

THIS recipe is from the BBC Good Food Magazine and was in a special healthy eating section. I am a big fan of prawns- I think I could eat them every day- and I also love mango, so it seems like the perfect recipe for me. It is easy to do and makes a good low calorie mid week supper.

What you will need:
200g butternut squash, deseeded, peeled and cut into bite-size pieces
75g quick-cook brown basmati rice
1 tbsp rapeseed oil (I used vegetable oil)
1 onion, finely chopped
1cm piece ginger, peeled and finely chopped
1 garlic clove, finely sliced
1 lemograss stalk, woody tip and outer leaves removed, bulbous end lightly bashed (to help release oils)
1/2 red chilli, deseeded and finely chopped
1/2 tsp tumeric, ground cumin and ground coriander
1/2 ripe mango, peeled, stoned and cut into chunks
200g spinach
150ml vegetable stock (or  water)
150ml low-fat coconut milk
175g raw king prawns
1 tsp low-salt tamari or soy sauce
Juice 1 lime
2 tbsp finely chopped coriander

1. Heat oven to 200C/ 180C fan/  gas 6. Tip the squash into a non-stick roasting tin and roast for 15 to 20 minutes or until almost soft. Remove and set aside.
2. Meanwhile, cook the rice following pack instructions until tender. Drain and cover to keep warm. Heat the oil in a wok or large non-stick frying pan over a medium heat. Add the onion and cook for two minutes until soft but not coloured. Add the ginger, garlic, lemongrass, chilli and spices and cook for three minutes.
3. Stir through the mango and roasted squash, then add the spinach  and pour over the the stock and coconut milk. Gently stir to combine, slowly bring to the boil, then reduce to a simmer for a few mins until the spinach starts to melt.
4. Add the prawns and stir. Once the prawns are pink through (about three mins), remove the lemongrass and discard. Add the soy sauce, lime juice and coriander, and stir well. Just before serving, check the seasoning, adding more lime juice or soy sauce if needed. Serve with the rice.