A change is coming...

There is a change in the air.  Mornings are becoming so much cooler and are staying dark longer.  The birds are behaving differently and singing a little sweeter.  Spiders are disappearing as the flies and mosquitos become fewer and further between.  It is my favourite time of year in the desert; that short time between summer and winter, our only two seasons.

It is Good Friday and I managed a sleep in this morning.  And once I was up I just had to get outside!  Beautiful sunshine with a slight coolish breeze, just perfect for a walk along the bike path out to the Desert Park.

The wildflowers are out for their first bloom before winter, pretty blues and yellows between the browning grass, and the eucalyptus trees heavy with every shade from white, yellow through to pink and red flowers.

The citrus trees are laden with ripening fruit after such drenching rains all year, the neighbour's mandarins are already dropping over our fence.  They are sweet and juicy, yum!  There are baskets of lemons out on the footpaths with hand written "Help Yourself" signs, so I did.

When I finally returned home 2 hours later,  breakfast time was well passed and it was nearly time for lunch so I popped on a pan of brown rice and black quinoa for a rice tabouli.  And with my juicy lemons I whipped up a creamy hommus, made with organic and home grown ingredients, to go with it.

Creamy Hommus

Ingredients:

1 can Chick Peas, drained

2 tablespoons tahini

1/2 cup spring water

tablespoon pure olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1 teaspoon ground cumin

the juice of one large lemon

salt and pepper

Method:

Combine all ingredients in food processor and blend until creamy smooth.  Taste and add anything you think it needs more of.

Tabouli inspired rice salad with Goji berries

Ingredients:

1 cup short-grain brown rice

a handful of black or red quinoa

2 cups water

bunch of parsley

3 or 4 spring onions

3/4 cup of mixed almonds, sultanans, walnuts, goji berries and dried blueberries

1 grated carrot

1 finely diced red capsicum

5 semi dried tomaoes, diced

Method:

Bring the rice and quinoa to the boil with the 2 cups of water then turn to a simmer for 10 minutes or so until the water has absorbed to almost the level of the rice/quinoa.  Put on  a tight fitting lid and turn the heat off.  Do not take the lid off again for at least 1/2 hour.  Don't be tempted, leave it to absorb all the water.

Chop the parsley, spring onions and other veggies and place in a large bowl.

Make a salad dressing (mine is below).

When the rice has cooled a bit, mix it with the other salad ingredients. 

Sweet mustard & lemon dressing.

Ingredients:

2 tablespoons pure olive oil

1 teaspoon dijon mustard

1 teaspoon golden syrup or honey

juice of 1/2 lemon

salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together.  Mix with the salad.