Recipe posted on: 3 August 2010

Diabetes Friendly Recipe
Healthy recipe for people with diabetes. Low GI Recipe
Healthy recipe with a low glycemic index. Low fat Recipe
Healthy and delicious low fat recipe. Low carbohydrate Recipe
Healthy and flavoursome recipe low in carbohydrates. Dairy Free Recipe
Dairy free recipe for people with lactose intolerance. Gluten free Recipe
Gluten free recipe for people with gluten intolerance. Vegan Recipe
Healthy and tasty vegan recipe that contains no animal products. Heart Healthy Recipe
Heart healthy recipe to nourish your heart. Vegetarian Recipe
Healthy vegetarian recipe (the recipe may contain dairy or eggs only).

This delightful vegetarian / vegan recipe is very easy to prepare and is very high in dietary fibre, very low in fat and is full of antioxidants, vitamins and minerals.

Ingredients

• 300g pumpkin, peeled and cut into small pieces
• 1 medium red capsicum, sliced into 5cm strips
• 240g green beans, topped and tailed, cut julienne into 5cm pieces
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1 cup wholemeal cous cous (use rice for a gluten-free variation)
• 2 cup cooked cooked chickpeas
• 1 large red (Spanish) onion, finely sliced
• 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
• 2 Tbsp extra virgin, cold pressed olive oil
• 1 small bunch baby spinach leaves
• 2 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
• 3 Tbsp fresh coriander leaves, chopped
• 3 Tbsp fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 2 Tbsp sweet chilli sauce
• 1 Tbsp lime juice
• Tahini dressing to drizzle over the top

Method

1. Preheat oven to 200°C (400°F).
2. Add the pumpkin pieces to a large baking tray and bake for about 40 minutes, or until the pumpkin is just soft.
3. Add the capsicum pieces for the last 10 minutes.
4. Remove the pumpkin from the oven and set aside.
5. Blanch the beans in boiling hot water for about 2-3 minutes, or until they change to a bright green colour. Remove immediately and set aside.
6. Heat the olive oil into a large pan and fry the onions and garlic over a medium-high heat, until they are soft and golden brown.
7. Put the cous cous into a large bowl and pour the vegetable stock.
8. Set aside the cous cous for about 10 minutes to allow it to absorb the stock.
9. When all the liquid has been absorbed in the cous cous, fluff it up with a fork.
10. Add the pumpkin, capsicum, beans, onions, chickpeas, coriander, mint, sweet chilli sauce and lime juice to the cous cous and mix to combine.
11. Serve sprinkled with some of the sesame seeds and some of the tahini dressing.

Choose organic products where you can, as they have more flavour. The tahini, together with the sweet chill is the perfect combination of sauces for this recipe.