Roast kumara, eggplant and lentil salad with feta and pomegranate

This salad has been a staple for us this summer.  It's never quite the same each time I make it, usually because I forget to add something or find something else that might be a tasty addition.. But here's the basic gist anyway.  If you can't find fresh pomegranate you could soak dried cranberries in water till they've plumped up and use those instead.

1 large orange kumara chopped into 2cm cubes (sweet potato for those of you outside New Zealand!)

1 large eggplant, cubed

1 head garlic

Olive oil spray

Rocket, baby spinach or other salad greens

1/2 telegraph cucumber, cubed

1/2 can brown lentils, drained and rinsed

1/4 cup flat leaf parsley

Large handful mint leaves, roughly chopped

1/4 cup feta, crumbled (I usually just use half a block of reduced fat feta chopped up)

Seeds and juice from 1/2 pomegranate

Juice from 1 lemon

Salt and pepper

Preheat oven to 220c.  Place kumara and eggplant on a lined baking tray with the garlic and spray everything lightly with olive oil.  Roast veggies for about 30 minutes or until nice and golden.

Build the salad on a large, shallow dish or platter.  Start with greens, parsley and 3/4 of the mint (save the rest to garnish later) and then scatter roasted veggies and cucumber over the top, followed by the lentils.  Crumble your feta over the salad, sprinkle over pomegranate seeds and the rest of the mint.  Squeeze lemon juice over the whole salad and season with some salt and freshly ground pepper.  Yum!

Vaguely Moroccan breakfast eggs

Full disclosure - I'm only calling this Moroccan because I threw in a vast amount of ras al hanout spice mix and make no other claims of its authenticity!!  It made a great rainy day breakfast for Mr B and I today though.

Moroccan Breakfast Eggs (serves 2-3)

Olive oil spray

1 red onion, finely diced

1 red capsicum, diced

1/2 zucchini, grated (I'd have used a whole on if I'd had it in the fridge!)

1 tablespoon Moroccan ras al hanout spice mix, or more to taste (I used Mrs Rogers)

4 household tablespoons full red kidney beans (chickpeas would work well too.  Again, I was just using things up from the fridge).

1 400g can diced tomatoes

Large handful roughly chopped spinach, silverbeet or kale.. I used silverbeet straight from our garden today

1 or 2 cage free eggs per person

Salt and pepper

Spray a large fry pan with olive oil spray and sauté onion, capsicum and zucchini over a medium heat for a few minutes.  Add spice mix and continue to sauté until nice and fragrant.  Throw in  kidney beans followed by tomato.

Once the tomatoes are bubbling away, add greens and allow to wilt.  Then turn the heat slightly lower and make a little hollow for each or your eggs and crack the eggs into it.  Put a lid over the pan if you have one that fits and cook until egg whites have just set, about 7 minutes depending on the heat of your pan.

Season with salt and pepper and serve with hot toasted pita breads or some yummy grainy toast.