tutorial: a fresh and healthy dinner in under 20 minutes using whatever's in the fridge

I had the best of intentions today. I planned to write a tutorial on making beeswax ornaments and menu planned for pumpkin, spinach and chickpea stew... but while the children napped I let myself escape pursuing through online fashion shops and before I knew it they were awake, dinner had not been sorted and my blog post and photos had been neglected.

So I decided to combine efforts and threw together the easiest dinner I have in my repertoire- pasta with veggies, feta, chickpeas, nuts and herbs from the garden. Indigo was a bit of a grump this evening, so dinner was made with a little one on hip. And so it goes!

This meal is easy, quick and the ingredients can be interchanged depending on what you have on hand. Pasta is a bit of an indulgence in our family as we're now eating wheat-free meals and I am trying to stay away from even the gluten-free, wheat-free pastas because they are so processed and refined. We only eat it about once a fortnight, but that said, it's a great staple to have on hand when you're under pressure to produce dinner in under 20 minutes.

Ingredients
(wheat-free) pasta*
1 small block (goat's) feta, cubed (goat's cheese or labna would work too)*
(baby) tomatoes, quartered*
1 cup of cooked chickpeas (I have these pre cooked in the freezer- it doesn't take long for them to defrost, but you can also just use a can)
broccoli (asparagus or baby spinach would work well too)*
2 cloves of garlic, grated or crushed
fresh herbs (basil, parsley, oregano etc.)
olive oil*
juice from a whole lemon*
cashews or pine nuts or pumpkin seeds, dry roasted on a pan until golden
salt and pepper to taste
optional grated parmesan to top with

*essential ingredients

Directions
Fill a large pot with water and bring it to a boil, as soon as it's boiling add your preferred pasta
In the meantime chop the veggies and herbs and set aside
Heat a small pan and dry roast the seeds or nuts, set aside
Throw the feta, roast seeds or nuts and fresh herbs into a bowl together but don't stir or combine
Heat a large pan with olive oil and add garlic, tomatoes, chickpeas and broccoli all at the same time until the broccoli softens and turns a bright green colour and the tomatoes have softened and turned bright red, turn heat off
Drain the pasta and toss with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper
Add broccoli and veggie mixture to the pasta, then add all of this to the feta, nuts and herbs
Fold over a couple times with a large spoon to combine
Serve with extra parmesan and wedges of lemon

Buon Appetito!