It has been a weekend of excess, well excess in the food department....definitely not the sleep department 😉
Saturday evening saw Stew and I on a rare night out. It isn't often that we are children free, so we made the most of it, with drinks and dinner with friends, in their amazing new kitchen. A gorgeous open plan room with shiny white cupboards and beautiful stone benchtops, and the coolest oven I have ever seen. They even have an induction hob....We had an induction hob in the UK and I loved it....it was just plain amazing.. Anyway I digress. Their new kitchen is gorgeous! We enjoyed a beef and ale pie, mash, cauliflower cheese and a crème brûlée, before heading out into Fremantle for drinks, then came home to drink more champagne and eat cheese and crackers. It was a great night, but I discovered two facts.
I can no longer wear high heels! Within 20 minutes the balls of my feet were burning! I used to wear heels all day everyday when I was at work, and I stood up all day!!! So it was a sad discovery, but one that will make lots of room in the wardrobe as I say goodbye to all my heels....I am consoling myself with the thought of a shopping trip for flats, and the benefits of not wearing heels again. I am now forever going to be 5'5" without shoes to increase my height.
The other is that I can no longer party all night, have 2 hours sleep and continue to function as a fun and articulate mother. By Sunday evening, I was not up to much at all! I didn't make cakes for the week and the boys had oven baked fish, boiled potatoes and frozen peas for dinner. I was in bed after Grand Designs and even this morning I didn't really feel like I had caught up on my sleep. Another early night for me...
So yes...an excessive weekend. I thought perhaps I should be a little good today.....So for lunch I made a salad with freekeh. I love freekeh, it is nutty and chewy and tastes great even though it is good for you. Freekeh is young green wheat, that is roasted and dried. You cook it like you would brown rice or barley. It has more protein and more fibre than some other grains so if you are looking for a food that will fill you and give you a slow energy release freekeh could be ideal. Did I mention it also tastes good??? It is great in salads, added to soups and you can use it instead of rice/pasta with your favourite sauce.
I served it with some super sweet roasted tomatoes and a few pieces of fried halloumi.
Freekeh with Roasted Tomatoes, Halloumi and a Lemon Dressing
Ingredients
- 200 g whole freekeh
- 16 baby vine tomatoes (approximately)
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 180 g halloumi
- 1 bunch of parsley
- For the dressing
- 3 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- juice of ½ lemon
- pinch of salt
- pinch of black pepper
Instructions
- Bring a pan of water to the boil, salt well and add the freekeh. Cook for 45 minutes, or until tender.
- Meanwhile place the vine tomatoes in a small roasting tin, sprinkle with 1 tablespoon of olive oil, season generously and roast for 20 minutes at 200°C/180°C fan forced/Gas mark 6.
- In a small jam jar combine the dressing ingredients, screw on the lid and shake well until combined. (or whisk together in a small bowl) The dressing will keep in the fridge for well over a week.
- Once the tomatoes are cooked, slice the halloumi into thick (about ½cm) slices and fry in a dry frying pan until crispy and golden.
- Mix 1 tablespoon of dressing into the freekeh, add the parsley, stir well. Check the seasoning.
- Serve the freekeh warm with the roasted tomatoes and fried halloumi.
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