Grilled Beef Mushrooms with Rice Salad

"If I grew mushrooms, would that make me a fun-ghi?" said Simeon with a smile before his post-grad graduation ceremony at the CTICC, where Denny Mushroom conference posters were stuck all over the walls of the convention centre.

So-called "beef mushrooms" make a wonderful substitute for meat on the braai, as they hold their own against the heat and retain their flavour well.

Grilled Beef Mushrooms:

1. Brush mushrooms with olive oil, and sprinkle liberally with salt and fresh thyme leaves.
2. Grill on a medium-hot braai for 10 - 15 minutes, turning often.

Rice Salad:
(serves 4)

Ingredients

• 2 cups Basmati rice (uncooked)
• 125ml Hummus
• 125ml Basil Pesto
• 1 tin Red kidney beans
• 1 tin Butter beans
• 1 large Green pepper (sliced into bite-sized chunks)
• 4 medium Tomatoes (sliced into bite-sized pieces)
• Salt and pepper

Method

1. Cook the basmati rice with salt according to instructions on the packet.
2. Allow to cool to room temperature.
3. In a large serving bowl, add the rice; hummus; beans; peppers; and tomatoes.
4. Stir together lightly and season to taste.

Falafel to you too!

In my pre-coeliac diagnosis varsity days, one of my (now) hubby's and mine's fave (read: tasty and affordable) dates was chowing down on massive, hand-held falafels from a franchise here in SA called Anat's Falafel & Shwarma.

Since that's no longer an option, I was crazy-mad delighted to come across Orgran's Falafel Mix, which is not only gluten-free but corn-free too. I practically skipped home (well, in my heart anyway since I was driving) with joy, knowing that there was a tub of Woolies hummus sitting in our fridge - and we all know hummus goes together with falafel balls like bread to butter, right?

So, the magic falafel powder gets mixed with water.

Then I ignored the instructions on the box about 2cm of oil, and instead used a drizzle of olive oil on my non-stick pan (yes, there's that pan again); forming the falafel mix into approximations of patties. These took max. 2 mins on
each side (so almost instant gratification).


Rice cakes were liberally schmeered with hummus and
cucumber slices, before being topped by
falafel patties for my hubby.


And pour moi, funny sausage-shaped falafels using
lettuce leaves as wraps.

I don't often feature pre-made gluten-free mixes on my blog, as I'm a do-it-from-scratch-when-baking/making kinda gal, but this one really is worth trying to get your hands on!

My Butternut-Chickpea Hummus Recipe

My fave post-work snack!

Ingredients:

• 1 small baked butternut
• 1 tin chickpeas
• 1 tblsp olive oil
• 1 tblsp water
  
• salt
• cumin

Method:

1. Zhoesh ingredients together in a food processor.
2. Serve on brown rice cakes with butter lettuce.