Steamed Mussels, Vegetable Stirfry and Israeli Couscous

I scrubbed and debearded the Mussels then steamed them with finely chopped Lemon grass, 2 cloves Garlic, 1 Seranno chile, shallots, a little fish sauce and the juice of 1 lime for 5-7 minutes in a skillet with a tight fitting lid. Then topped them with fresh cilantro and green onions.

For the stirfry I used 2 Tbs each Sunflower seeds, Pumpkin seeds and Sesame seeds toasted in a skillet. Then I added minced garlic and a 1" piece ginger very finely minced. cooked til aromatic. then added Oyster mushrooms, Zucchini and carrots. To this I tossed in 1 bunch coarsely chopped Mint and 1 bunch coarsely chopped Watercress. topped it all with a sauce made from Black bean paste, soy sauce, rice wine vinegar and brown sugar since I was unable to find Jaggery. The contrast between the seeds and veg was wonderful. The sauce was nice and rich.

The Couscous I just cooked in mushroom stock...

The meal as a whole was fresh, crisp, earthy, rich and spicy. All in all quite delicious.