Being approached to do a cooking demonstration is always exciting for me. I love to share my cooking passion with others and I enjoy passing on kitchen tips and tricks that I have learnt along the way.
So when I was approached by the Mums Committee at my son’s school, to do a demo at their Meet and Greet event for new mums, I was delighted. I had to think up something interesting, yet not too complicated and time consuming. The challenge was the lack of a basic kitchen, so that meant half of the preparation would have to be done in advance.
These Middle Eastern Veggie Wraps were an instant idea. I knew the mums would love to watch these being made, and then indulge thereafter. It is simple to make, as long as you have all the ingredients on hand, and they are jam-packed full of flavour and texture.
I was so impressed with the number of mums that attended, and I loved their eagerness and excitement on the day. I had 30 minutes to put up a dish, and fortunately, with the help of fellow mums, we succeeded. Fortunately, everyone loved the dish, and could not wait for the recipe to be made available on the blog.
So here it is…………. Enjoy!!
Yum
Print
Middle Eastern Roasted Veggie Wraps
Yields : 48 pieces
Ingredients :
- 12 tortilla Wraps, plain white, flavoured or multigrain
- 1 block haloumi cheese, cut into small chunks
- 500g butternut, small cubes
- 2 eggplants, cubed
- 2 red onions, sliced
- 1 red pepper, chopped
- 2 tsp crushed garlic (roasted if possible)
- 2 cups Spiralized courgettes
- Cooked chicken/beef (optional)
- 1 cup couscous, uncooked
- 1 lemon
- 1/2 mango, cubed
- 2 tblsp harissa paste
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 2 tsp zaa’taar
- 1 tsp crushed cumin
- 1 tsp crushed coriander
- 1 tsp sumac
- 2 tblsp honey
- 1/2 cup roasted nuts and seeds of your choice
- 1 cup thick yoghurt
- 1 tblsp mint sauce
- Chopped coriander and mint to garnish
- Sweet chilli sauce
Directions
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees celcius.
Mix the butternut, red pepper and eggplant with salt, pepper, olive oil and honey. Bake for 45 minutes until soft, but not mushy. Set aside.
Add the mango, harissa and a splash of olive oil to a blender and puree until smooth. Add the sliced haloumi to the marinade and leave aside.
Add the raw couscous to a bowl, top with boiling water until it reaches the top, cover with cling film and leave aside for 15 minutes. Therafter, fluff up the couscous with a fork, add olive oil, salt, pepper, the zest of 1 lemon and the juice of 1/2 lemon.
Combine the yoghurt and mint sauce and set aside.
In a large pot, saute the sliced onions with a little olive oil. Once golden, add the garlic, and seasonings. Thereafter, add the cooked vegetables and courgettes. Allow the courgettes to cook for about 5 minutes, mixing occasionally. If you wish to add meat to this dish, you can add it now.
Heat a large pan on high heat, and add the haloumi pieces and brown on each side. Reserve the excess marinade as a sauce for the wrap.
When you ready to assemble :
Lay a tortilla wrap on a flat surface, drizzle the sweet chilli sauce, followed by 2 tablespoons of couscous in the centre. Top with cooked vegetables, mango sauce, haloumi chunks and mint yoghurt. Sprinkle the roasted nuts, and garnish with mint and coriander. Roll up tightly and place onto a hot pan to brown on either side.
Serve immediately.
