The Food Diaries

Cauliflower couscous with grilled asparagus and roasted hazelnuts

Coarsely chop a small cauliflower, place in a food processor and pulse till the cauliflower resembles couscous. Place in a bowl.

Meanwhile, chop 12 asparagus spears into bite-sized pieces and fry in a grill pan with a little olive oil till nicely golden.

Toast a handful of skinned hazelnuts in the oven till golden and chop.

Season the cauliflower with the juice of 1 lemon, a good drizzle of olive oil and sea salt. Add some finely chopped mint and chives, the asparagus and hazelnut and toss.

Optional: Serve with shavings of parmesan.

Purple cauliflower couscous

This couscous is completely addictive as it is so light and fluffy. You can use regular cauliflower - the effect will just be a little less dramatic. It’s also a great recipe to get kids to eat their vegetables as the cauliflower is dressed in camouflage.

Add 125ml hot water (or vegetable stock) to 125ml/90g couscous (I prefer using barley couscous for a lighter texture). Set aside. Cut 350g cauliflower (equivalent of 1 small cauliflower) into small chunks (discard the thicker stem area). Boil for 4-5 minutes in water and immediately drain. Place in a food processor and pulse till you see a couscous-like meal forming. Add to the couscous, toss and season with sea salt and a couple tablespoons olive oil.

Makes 3 servings (note you can double the couscous quantity for a bulkier consistency).

Cauliflower Couscous served with falafel

Have been meaning to try this concept for a while now - a carb-free version of couscous.

Recipe:

Take one head of cauliflower and cut up into chunks. Pass the pieces through the food processor and there you go, cauliflower couscous!

From there you have a few options:

- Stir-fry with some olive oil

- Bake in the oven with olive oil

- Stir-fry with some olive oil and then mix with regular couscous

Seasoning options:

Mix into the raw couscous before cooking any combination of the following: nigella seeds, sumac, ground cinnamon, ground cumin, ras el hanout, chopped raisins, flaked almonds

How I served mine:

I went for the stir-fried option with lots of the seasoning, which I then mixed together with cooked barley couscous. I then served it up with carrot falafel (store-bought at Waitrose), rocket salad, and a Greek yogurt dip (pound together some garlic with a bit of salt in a mortar and pestle and then stir in some strained Greek yogurt to taste). Sprinkle everything with chopped mint and chives.