I don’t think I’ll ever stop trying to get you to eat your vegetables! Here’s a great vegetarian lunch option and in honour of World Kidney Day that we celebrated this month (8 March), this recipe is kidney friendly too. ¼ medium brinjal, cut into 2 cm cubes

½ medium zucchini, cut into 2 cm cubes

¼ medium red pepper, cut into 2 cm cubes

1 tsp. olive oil

30g quinoa (you can also use cous cous instead)

75g tinned chickpeas, drained and rinsed

2 tsp. chopped fresh basil

2 tsp. chopped fresh mint

30g reduced-salt low fat feta cheese, crumbled

Salt and pepper, to taste

Method:

Preheat the oven to 200°C (390°F) and line a baking tray with baking paper. Place the brinjal, zucchini and red pepper on the lined baking tray and toss in olive oil. Season with salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 10 minutes, then turn over and roast for a further 10 minutes until tender and browned. Set aside to cool.

In a saucepan, place the quinoa in 125ml water. Bring to boil over high heat, stirring occasionally. Cover and reduce the heat to low. Simmer for 10-12 minutes or until the quinoa is tender. Drain off any excess liquid and set aside to cool. To save time, the vegetables and quinoa can be cooked the night before and refrigerated.

An option to add a dressing with 4 tsp. of lemon juice whisked together with ¼ of a garlic clove crushed.

To serve, place the vegetables, quinoa, chickpeas, basil and mint in a serving bowl. Drizzle over the dressing and toss gently to combine. Top with crumbled feta and enjoy!