the most unimpressive thanksgiving ever! still good, just not up to my normal fancy homemade holiday food standards.

as you can see we already started eating…we were too hungry to take pretty artistic photos of each dish.

1. whole wheat couscous salad with mint, red seedless grapes, green onion, lemon/olive oil/cayenne, chopped dried apricot, etc. the dish my mother instinctively makes each time she has to feed someone else. “crowd pleaser” vegan dish. really good. gets better the next day. when she’s really into it she gets toasted pine nuts and puts those in there too.

2. some sort of green pears from key food, which i peeled and poached in a brown sugar syrup liberally seasoned with shaved ginger, lemon zest, and cinnamon. i don’t even like poached pears normally, definitely not those nasty canned ones in the corn syrup, but this made my eyes roll back in my head. it was delicious. all i wanted to do with the reserved syrup, which is caramelized and dark and delicious: pour it over vanilla ice cream! can’t right now though.

my mother declared this dish “the only dessert i ever want to eat for thanksgiving,” which is a little extreme, considering all the other desserts i could make her for thanksgiving, or really anytime, but she is extremely into eating fruit. i offered to make a little pie with the syrup-sauteed pears in there as a filling instead of just poaching them, but she preferred the poached version because it was healthier.

3. baked red potatoes, lots of sea salt, freshly ground pepper. i also bought a very cheap can of “chicken gravy,” for the potatoes, which probably involved little to no actual chicken. margarine might have been better. we got a good batch of potatoes this time because they tasted a bit like dubrovnik homegrown ones, which is saying something. on a side note, i wish i had taken pictures of every thing i ever ate while in croatia. all of it remains a vivid taste memory and it’s been years.

4. salad of: chopped iceberg, chopped italian green peppers, lots chopped parsley, some freshly & finely shredded asiago, a few chopped white mushrooms, capers, olive oil, touch of balsalmic, ground black pepper.  delicious, refreshing, some kind of adapted tabbouleh situation, there was a lot of parsley in there, and a liberal amount of nice bertolli extra virgin olive oil. i would not mind eating this salad again soon.

5. what i didn’t eat any of, but my mom and brother did: a quarter of a bone-in ham from d’agostino, which we baked and honey-glazed in my apartment. they report this was a “pretty good ham” even though it was a cheap one. so if you are craving a smallish holiday ham that is mess-free to bake and prepare (just wrap it in foil and let is hang out in the oven for a couple of hours) go get one of these suckers for christmas. i would estimate it would have served about 6 people with normal appetites. my brother eats for three because he can just eat a lot, and we still have some left over.

Thanksgiving Cran-Pistachio Couscous

What more can I say about couscous other than it is delicious and hearty. It is available in both large and small grains; even though both are available here in Israel, in the US “Israeli Couscous” refers to dishes using the large variety.  This starchy dish is so versatile it’s a good idea to always have a pack or two stored away in the cabinet.  I like the small grains as a side under vegetables but prefer the larger kind as there’s more potential to spice it up and add really whatever you like to it.

Usually my Thanksgiving has a pretty Israeli flair to it even when I’m at home. This year I was able to throw together a last minute dinner for my favorite holiday of the year and took the opportunity to run with the Israeli theme. So one of my side dishes was this cranberry pistachio couscous and added subtle autumn harvesty spicing.

for the recipe….

Cranberry Pistachio Couscous

olive oil

4 cloves garlic

1 package large grain couscous

2.5 cups water*

1/2 cup dried

cranberries

1/2 teaspoon salt

2-3 pinches pepper

cinnamon stick

1 teaspoon cumin

lemon

1/2 cup shelled pistachios

a few sprigs of mint

Preheat a heavy medium pot over medium-low heat. Once the pot has heated add the olive oil and the minced garlic cloves. Once cooked, raise the heat to medium and add the couscous and cranberries to the oil and garlic and stir. Continue to stir for about 4-5 minutes as the grains toast. Once it’s toasted it should appear brown and have a little nutty aroma. Add the water, cumin, salt, and pepper, and the cinnamon stick. Raise the heat and bring to boil. Once boiling lower the heat and cover for about 10 minutes. Most of the liquid should have been absorbed at this point. Add the pistachios, about 2 tablespoons of chopped mint leaves, the juice from half a lemon. Stir and cover for about 5 more minutes as the rest of the water absorbs. Remove from heat, take out the cinnamon sticks, fluff the couscous with a fork and serve.

* The amount of water really depends on how much couscous you put in. Read the package and follow the amount of water to add and continue with the directions as normal. If you’re unsure I usually go by a 1:1.5 ratio of couscous:water. So if you’re adding 2 cups couscous I’d add 3 cups water.

Défi du jour : Que faire avec 3 navets et quelques carottes (et franchement quasiment rien d’autre) ?  Après mettre un peu pris le chou devant mon frigo, j’ai eu la révélation : Et bien un tajine ! Car chez moi, un tajine n’est pas forcément à base de viande et se cuisine un peu au feeling…
Essai réussi avec ce petit mijoté qui sent bon les épices et le Maroc…

Ingrédients :
- 3 carottes
- 3 navets
- 2 poignées de raisins secs
- Une petite boite de pois-chiche
- 3 échalotes (ou un oignon, je pense que c’est encore mieux)
- Une poignée d’amandes effilées
- 1 cuill à café de cumin en poudre
- 1 cuill à café de curry en poudre
- 2 cuill à soupe de miel
- De la semoule pour couscous
- Un peu d’huile
- Sel & poivre
- Un grand verre de bouillon (au pire vous mettez de l’eau mais ce sera moins parfumé..)

La recette
Alors, alors… Attaquez vous pour commencer aux légumes… Epluchez les carottes, les navets et débitez-les en petits cubes.
Dans une petite marmite faites chauffer l’huile et ajoutez les échalotes ou l’oignon ciselés. Laissez revenir quelques minutes.
Ajoutez les légumes en cubes, les raisins le miel, les épices, du sel, du poivre et laissez revenir encore quelques minutes. versez ensuite le bouillon et couvrez. Au bout d’une dizaine de minutes ajoutez les pois-chiche égouttés. Faites cuire à couvert jusqu’à ce que les légumes soient fondants.
Avant de servir faites griller les amandes effilées dans une poêle à sec (sans les faire brûler, faites gaffe !) et préparez le semoule (avec de l’eau ou du bouillon, encore meilleur).
Servez votre tajine avec la semoule, parsemé d’amandes…

A few years ago I discovered the persimmon. I absolutely loved the sweet taste and the juicy texture. And it’s quite a pretty fruit too! I didn’t really know how to proceed the first time I ate it, so I cut of a slice to taste. It was all good, so I cut the entire fruit in slices and ate it with a fork. Feels so much satisfying eating it that way. And the next time I bought persimmons, I did the same thing, and now this has been standard procedure every time they appear in the shops this time of year. I started to think there must be other ways to use this fruit, but I didn’t want to incorporate it completely into something to the point where you really can’t taste it. The persimmon season is just too short. But, then I came across this salad at Tastespotting, and it was just what I was looking for. A way to use the fruit without cooking it. I guess I should have been able to think of something like this myself, but my mind is occupied with physics. That’s my excuse. It was every bit as delicious as it looked. I replaced the parsley with coriander and whole wheat couscous with regular. Just because that’s what I had. The recipe is adapted from kalynskitchen .

3/4 cup couscous (could use quinoa for a gluten-free version)
1 cup chicken stock (or vegetarian stock)
2 tsp. olive oil + 1 T olive oil for dressing
2 Fuyu persimmons, peeled and diced into pieces about 1/2 inch square
1 cup purple seedless grapes, washed and sliced into round pieces
1/3 cup sliced green onion, mostly green parts
1/3 cup finely chopped mint (or use parsley or cilantro)
1 tsp. lemon zest (optional, but recommended)
1 T fresh lemon juice
pinch of ground cumin
salt to taste for seasoning couscous
1/3 cup toasted pine nuts (or use chopped pecans or slivered almonds)

Bring chicken stock and olive oil to the boil, add the couscous and cover with a lid. Let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Remove lid, stir the couscous and allow to cool.

Slice the persimmons in half, and chop into smaller pieces. If using big grapes like I did, wash them and cut in halves. Normally I wouldn’t bother, but I had giant grapes. Thinly slice the spring onions and finely chop the coriander. (Parsley/mint)

Combine all the greens in a big bowl. Whisk together olive oil, lemon zest and juice and cumin. Pour over the couscous, stir to distribute and taste to see if it needs salt.

Add the couscous to the persimmon-grape mixture and gently combine. Heat up a pan and toast the pine nuts until they start turning golden. Remove from heat, and sprinkle the pine nuts over the salad.

Up to now, I’ve always bought packaged couscous with the flavorings in a packet. I just didn’t realize that homemade couscous is so easy to make. It is truly one of the easiest dishes to make from scratch, and it is very delicious. What had always confused me was how to spice it up so it had sufficient flavor. As I’ve now learned, it turns out it’s extremely easy to do. For every 1/2 cup of couscous, you will need 1/3 cup of water. This is always the ratio, and it makes it easy to prepare as much or as little couscous as you need.

Also, I have learned couscous is actually a pasta. I always thought it was some kind of grain! There are various types, but this recipe uses the small grain couscous that is popular in countries like Morocco. I made this recipe to go along with Moroccan chicken, so I carried over some of the flavors from the chicken dish.

Serving size

This recipe will serve about four to six people

Ingredients

• 2 cups plain couscous
• 1 1/3 cup water
• 2 to 3 tbsp. extra virgin olive oil
• About 3 oz. firm goat cheese, cut into small cubes
• 10 Mediterranean olives, pitted and cut in half
• 2 tbsp. fresh chopped parsley
• 1/2 onion, finely minced
• 6 dates, finely chopped
• Ground white pepper to taste
• Kosher salt to taste

Instructions

Heat the water in a saucepan until it is boiling. When it starts to boil, add the couscous, stir and remove from heat.

Couscous and water

Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. Then remove the lid, drizzle the olive oil over the couscous to give it flavor and to help keep it from sticking. Gently fluff the couscous with a fork. The olive oil will help to keep it from sticking together.

Add the cubed cheese, chopped parsley and minced onions and dates and mix together.

Couscous ingredients

Season with salt and pepper and serve!

Couscous -- so easy to make!

We had the couscous with Moroccan chicken. Very delicious!

Couscous and Moroccan chicken

I love food. You may not have noticed, but cooking is one of my passions. We have a friend who says that everyone should have a hobby that they could practice wherever they lived and whatever their age. His is fishing. The Vicar’s is photography (and golf I guess) and mine is completely definitely and utterly cooking (and eating).

Anyway, living in our multicultural neighbourhood has pros and cons for the practise of my hobby. The many positives include:

• A vast selection of spices available in bulk at the local corner shop
• A fab butcher (for chicken, lamb, mutton and fish only) who will chop my meat as I want it for no extra cost
• Cheap cheap cheap onions (in 10kg bags), garlic, fresh ginger and coriander. And milk.
• Exotic fruit and veg available too (big boxes of mangos are a fave)
• Cookery advice from local friends of all cultures

Mine didn't look as fancy as this

On the minus side, yesterday I was in search of couscous. I’d bought my ‘chopped for curry’ chicken on the bone and was looking forward to cooking a Moroccan tagine. But not enough couscous was available in the Vicarage pantry and I didn’t want to trek into town. It’s not like couscous is a matter of life or death or anything. It’s just right with tagine.

So I tried our local Indian supermarket. Because it’s a multicultural area I sort of expect all sorts of interesting foodstuffs to be available easily. But there was no couscous. Not much call for it in our neck of the woods. We have Punjabis, Pakistanis, Kenyans, Jamaicans, Somalis and Polish folk plus many others. But not enough North Africans for the right selection at the shops yet. And they don’t stock parsley either, so if I’m making tabouleh or kedgeree I have to think ahead a bit. Oh the trials.

Maybe it’s not multicultural enough here.

Quagmire likes them, too. I don’t practice his third strategy of carrot consumption, though. Extremely inappropriate and immature, I know.

I am more than thrilled today, for I do not have school tomorrow, Thursday, nor Friday! Joy! In the spirit of Thanksgiving, I’d like to share one thing I am thankful for.

My family- They are and will always be my life. It’s really too hard to try and word how much they mean to me… how much they have shaped my life… how much I love them. My 14 year brother, Nick, is my best friend. He’s wise beyond his years. He is an incredibly intelligent and artistic person whom I admire. I know I’m older, but he often helps me through situations with such insight and strength. When we’re together, people even think he’s older than me. We tell each other everything with the comfort of knowing neither one of us will be judgmental. The term ‘unconditional love’ is more than appropriate for our relationship. No matter what he does, he will always and forever be the PB to my PB&J. The crunch to my carrot. The bees to the knees. He’s my rock!

Is your sibling your best friend?

Anywho, here’s what I made La Familia for supper tonight:

Couscous with black beans, zucchini, yellow squash, corn, and my lovely green sauce creation.

The main ingredients of my special sauce were 1 container of 0% greek yogurt, 1/2 can of garbanzo beans, and a few handfuls of spinach.

I sauteed the chickpeas and spinach in some olive oil. I sprinkled them with S&P, garlic salt, chili flakes, and some chopped garlic.

I added the spinach and beans to the blender. I blended them together (not completely smooth) and proceeded to add the greek yogurt. I also added some more olive oil and then let them blend into a bright green goo.

Beautiful. I’m pretty proud of this concoction… my momma loved it! as did I. The amount of protein I managed to get into a simple sauce/dressing makes me a very happy veg-head!

I finished off the meal with far too many 365 animal cookies… and some Dreyer’s Cookies&Cream no sugar added icecream, eaten straight from the carton with my brother

And without further ado, I present to you my vintage Winter Formal Dress:

Front

Back

I love the detail. So wintery, no?

You likey? I can’t wait to get all dressed up, 60’s style cat eyes and all…

What’s your best memory from a High School Dance?

Have a marvelous evening.

Ingrediënten (voor 2 personen)
1 grote pot sperziebonen (+/- 680 gram, uitgelekgewicht 400 gram)
150 gram couscous
+/- 150 gram pindakaas
tofublokjes of tofugehakt
sojamelk/sojaroom
sojasaus
zout
peper                                                                                                                                                                                                                         verse koriander
3 theelepels komijn

Bereiding
Maak de couscous klaar volgens de instructies op de verpakking of gebruik de snelle manier (kokend water bij de couscous, waarbij de couscous een kleine centimeter onder water staat). Vermeng de couscous met koriander.
Doe de boontjes in een pannetje samen met het vocht uit de pot. Giet er nog een klein beetje water bij. Verwarm de boontjes tot het kookpunt en giet ze dan af.
Verhit een beetje olie in de wok en roerbak hierin de tofublokjes of tofugehakt (of een andere ‘vleesvervanger’) enkele minuten.
Maar ondertussen de pindasaus klaar. Meng pindakaas en sojamelk/sojaroom in een sauspannetje tot een redelijk vloeibaar geheel. Breng het aan de kook en laat het wat indikken. Doe er zout, peper en sojasaus doorheen. Als het ingedikt is kan het pannetje van het vuur.
De boontjes toevoegen in de wokpan bij de tofu, strooi er komijn en wat zout en peper bij en wok dit kort op hoog vuur. Serveer het bord met een bolletje couscous, de boontjes en de pindasaus.

Snel, simpel en lekker.

~Alex

There has been half a butternut squash sitting in my fridge staring at me for the last week; daring me to make something with it. So in hopes of balancing out all the sugar I’ve been eating recently, I thought I would make a healthy couscous. The spices meld together well with the sweetness of the squash, and the squash gives the couscous an almost creamy texture. This paired beautify with wine baked fish and some sautéed veggies. Made a delicious and healthy meal.

Spicy Butternut Squash Couscous

½ butternut squash, pealed and chunked

½ Onion, minced

2 tsp Curry powder

½ tsp Ginger

½ tsp Cinnamon

Dash Parsley

1 Lemon’s zest

½ tsp Black pepper

1 tsp Salt

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 Tbs lemon juice

1 ¼ c water

1 c couscous, instant

Pour about a tablespoon of olive oil to a medium sauce pan and let heat over medium-low heat. Add squash and onion, sauté for 10 to 15 minutes or until squash begins to soften. Drop heat and continue to cook for another 5 to 10 minutes or until the squash begins to get mushy. Add spices, garlic, water, lemon juice and zest, mix thoroughly, cover and bring mixture to a boil.

Mix couscous into boiling water, cover, and remove from heat. Let sit for 5 minutes, fluff and serve.

It’s certainly getting wintery out there, and perhaps one of the most unlikely seasonal foods right now looks like it should adorn any self-respecting summer salad.

However, the pomegranate is apparently very much in it’s element at the moment. The sharpness of the seeds contrasts with the sweet sauce in this dish and the colours bring a reminder of summer to the otherwise wintery lamb and chest   nuts. Christmas in Morocco anyone?

By the way, the tagine as a cooking implement is by no means strictly necessary here, a large pan with a well fitted lid will do the trick.

Tagine of Lamb, Chestnuts, Saffron and Pomegranate

Serves 4

You’ll need

• 2 tbs butter or ghee
• 1kg diced lamb (I used shoulder, but leg is also good)
• 2 onions, chopped finely
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped finely
• 1 1/2 inch piece of fresh root ginger, peeled and finely chopped
• 250g peeled chestnuts (I roasted my own, but you can get them frozen or vacuum packed)
• 1-2 cinnamon sticks
• pinch of saffron threads
• 1-2 tablespoons runny honey
• seeds of 1 pomegranate
• small bunch fresh mint leaves (chopped)
• small bunch fresh coriander leaves (chopped)
• Salt & pepper

Do it!

1. Heat the tagine/pan and add the ghee (or melt the butter)
2. Add the onions, ginger and garlic and saute until softened and coloured
3. Stir in the saffron, cinnamon and add the lamb
4. Pour in some water to almost cover the meat and bring to the boil
5. Once it’s boiling and smelling great, reduce the heat, cover and simmer for about an hour
6. In this time you can roast your chestnuts for about 20 minutes in a hot oven (about 200 C) if you need to. Remember to put a little cross in the flat side of each chestnut with a small knife, or the lovely smells of your tagine will be accompanied by a version of the 21-gun salute!
7. After an hour of slow simmering, add your roasted and peeled chestnuts and stir in the honey.
8. Re-cover and cook gently for about 30 minutes more.
9. By now the meat should be lovely and tender. Season to taste with salt and pepper and toss in about half each of the pomegranate seeds (click here for the best way to deseed it), chopped coriander and chopped mint.
10. Sprinkle the remaining seeds and herbs over the top and serve with some fluffy, buttery couscous or some bread for mopping up.

“She discovered with great delight that one does not love one’s children just because they are one’s children, but because of the friendship formed while raising them.” - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

Sometimes, it’s the smallest things that give rise to the greatest delight.

Last week for instance: my eldest daughter Stephanie sent me a recipe.  Away from home, studying in her second year at university, she sent it via email.

“Last night I made this really awesome salad for dinner and just thought I’d share the recipe – invented by moi,” she wrote.

I know it’s normal for parents to worry a little when a child first leaves home. We wonder if they’ll be alright. If they’re ready for independent living. Will they take care of themselves? Pay their bills on time? Manage the workload? Get along with roommates? Eat well?

Last year, Stephanie lived in residence and ate her meals in the university’s various cafeterias. But this year she’s sharing a house with three other girls. It’s a lovely little place and together they’re making it a home. Since September the girls have combined their culinary talents to create meals together, but they also host friends, and cook for themselves individually.

My daughter seems to have inherited the “foodie” gene. She loves pouring over recipe books and trying new things in the kitchen as much as I do. Since she’s been away she’s called or emailed a few times to ask for recipes or let me know about some of the things she’s made. “Spent all day in the kitchen making veggie lasagna and homemade dinner rolls,” she told me one weekend. “I made muffins!” she enthused on another. “The house smells heavenly and my tummy is happy!”

But the arrival of last week’s recipe in my inbox caused me to pause and reflect; for it was the first time my now-adult daughter has ever sent a recipe to me. And that simple act on her part signified a deeper reality: we share a whole lot more than just DNA. We have common interests. We hold similar values. She is my daughter. But she is also my friend.

And she is indeed doing all right.

Stephanie’s Christmas-y Couscous

• chicken thighs stir fried & cut into small strips
• couscous
• lots and lots and lots and lots of parsley (at least 1 1/2 cups of the big leaf Italian parsley)
• seeds of 1 pomegranate
• craisins
• almonds
• lime juice, olive oil & pepper to taste

"Simple," she wrote, "but it looked so pretty (especially for this time of year) and was completely delicious!"

Busy busy busy…
Things have been a little busy…
We just made Mushroom Risotto and Lasagna with Bolognese sauce. I have to say it was pretty good! That was the most recent cooking labs. For dessert I made chocolate Mousse and biscotti.
Now we have 3 projects to finish- 2 on Japan and one on Israeli couscous… Due in one week…
But school is good!!
Thought I would let my readers (if I have any:P) know what’s going on
I can’t wait for strawberry shortcake!!!!!!! But I still hate baking
Well, hope u can’t wait for my next post!!

Last night we cooked up “on our own” dinners which usually mean we both eat something completely different. This time, it meant different proteins. I had a spicy black bean burger with organic “huck-uptsh” and hot sauce. Okay, when I was a little kid I called ketchup “huck-uptsh” for some reason that was easier then ketchup. I cooked up some 5-minute Israeli cous-cous and veggies. YUM! My mom made couscous a lot growing up but I haven’t had it in soooo long.

I love couscous.

Adam really wanted me to show the “rabbit” at work, it was a gift I got him while we were dating and it makes wine work removal super easy! We love it.

So yummm! I love Pinot Noir, especially from Oregon.

We also broke into our wedding cake topper. We saved our topper in three large sections and vacuum sealed it. We ate one on our one month, and since our six mont just passed, we decided to try(and hope) that the cake still tasted amazing.

Ohhh..my…GOSH!! It tasted PERFECT! Like we froze it yesterday!! We had two layers, this was my favorite. It was coconut cake with a guava filling. Incredible! I had that slice plus another one the same size. I looove it. Oh and the best fondant ever, Adam said he never likes the taste of it but this one he does. Yum yum yum! If you need a reference for a great cake in Orlando, ask me!

This morning began with coffee with a little skimmy and sugar.

Breakfast was my last of my Chobani (le sigh..) and my yummy MixMyGranola..

Yumm..I am scarfing it at the moment so we’re not late for church! Hope you are enjoying your Sunday and GO ASHLEY GO!! I am so happy my wonderful friend is running her first marathon! YAY!

Have a beautiful day, friends!

Katy H.

Couscous Rights

We all know the benefits of healthier eating, so we won’t bore you with the blah, blah, blah.  We will say that there is a completely different satisfaction that comes from eating healthier.  We love our cheesey pizzas, fluffy cakes, buttery cookies, crispy calzones, and ketchup dipped French fries as much, if not more, than you, but usually those meals and snacks can leave you feeling empty.  Sounds odd that heavy, high calorie foods can do that, but it’s true.  A belly full of empty calories affects you immediately (hello, sugar high or deathly stomachaches!), but a belly full of the good stuff leaves you vibrant, satisfied and guiltless.  It’s nice to have those types of meals to remind you that eating smart can still taste good.  Might as well squeeze a few healthy meals in between those pizza slices and French fries when you can.

This was one of those ‘clean out the fridge’ meals to create a delicious hodge podge dinner. You can use regular couscous, but the whole wheat variety obviously has a boost of nutrients. Imagine eating a plate of veggies and whole wheat pasta bits (yes, couscous is more pasta than grain), knowing that you’ve gotten more fiber than you could imagine in one meal. Outstanding. You could always serve this with a side of grilled chicken or fish if you’d really like to round out the meal.

Update:  This giveaway had to be changed due to a minor setback.  No worries.  There is a replacement.  We received a bottle of MonaVie, and we want to give it to you!  It’s a super antioxidant packed juice that you can drink straight up or mix into smoothies.  If it’s the weekend, and you need a little boost, use it for a cocktail.  You’ll be taking in loads of vitamins, so it can’t be a bad thing.  We’ll announce the winner on Monday, November 30th.  The week after Thanksgiving will be perfect to load up on more good stuff.

Couscous and Pesto Veggies – Serves 6
2 cups whole wheat couscous
1 large red bell pepper, sliced
2 zucchini, halved and sliced
2 cups cherry tomatoes, halved
1/2 medium yellow onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 cup prepared pesto
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Olive oil
Kosher salt

1.  Cook couscous according to package directions.  Set aside.

2.  As couscous cooks, swirl a bit of olive oil in a wide pan and when hot, add bell peppers, zucchini, tomatoes, onions, red pepper flakes and garlic.  Toss to coat everything with olive oil and cook until veggies begin to soften, approximately 2-3 minutes.

3.  Add pesto to couscous, stirring to mix.  Cook another 2-3 minutes.

4.  Add couscous to vegetables and fold everything together.  Sprinkle lemon juice over couscous.  Salt to taste.

Click HERE for printable recipe.

Couscous Rights

Couscous Rights

Voici, toujours dans l’ambiance conviviale du couscous, mes petites réalisations avec lequelles je voudrai rendre hommage à notre très bel héritage culinaire commun!!

Il va de soit que c’est des recettes hors compétition! lol!

Couscous printanier 

Couscous de l’aid

Mesfouf ou couscous fin aux raisins secs

 Couscous noir au blé fermenté

Couscous au lait à la viande séchée et à la courge

Meghmouma ou couscous à l’étouffée

  Aïch, berkoukes ou gros couscous d’hiver

       Lemhaouar ou couscous citadin

Par ailleurs, je voudrai rappeler à tous les amis internautes  ( participants ou votants) le caractère convivial, fratenel et festif de ce jeu!!

Je considére qu’on a atteint notre but commun qui est de rassembler le maximum de recettes et de les préserver de l’oubli!! Et de ce fait, on est toutes gagnantes et riches de ces couscous qu’on va tester, déguster et surement apprécier!!

Modestement, je me dit qu’on a réussi à nous retrouver à travers ces recettes!! Et il n’y a pas plus belle richesse humaine!!

Avec cet état d’esprit,  que vous partagez certainement, j’ai lancé les votes avec un réglement assez souple pour ouvrir le champs à plus de choix et d’expression!! Et des modalités pour un vote transparent  et clair!! C’est un choix personnel que j’ai fait en connaissance de cause! Je voulais avec ce vote par commentaires, ouvrir un espace de discussion plus qu’un simple décompte  !!Qu’on échange nos impressions, nos découvertes et notre plaisir de nous  regrouper autour de ce délicieux plat!!

Mais bien sur, il va de soit qu’on ne peut pas voter pour sa propre recette, ni voter plusieurs fois pour la même recette!! L’adresse IP faisant foi!

Soyont objectifs et votons en notre âme et conscience!! C’est juste pour le plaisir de partager et non à caractère compétitif  !

On est toutes gagnantes!! Merci!!

I try to keep my kitchen well stocked with nuts and dried fruits as an easy way to add flavor and texture to dishes based around grains, meats, and legumes.  In addition to tasting great, they also keep well, so they’re very practical.  If you have nuts and dried fruit lying around, as I did this evening, it is easy to transform a potentially ordinary chickpea or chicken dish into something a lot more exciting. 

The following dish is easy enough to do on a weeknight, and can be made with either chickpeas or chicken, depending on what you have available.  I chose to use chickpeas, since I’m on a bit of a vegetarian kick, despite my fondness for meat.  Though the recipe calls for dried apricots and pine nuts, you can choose to substitute dried apricots with raisins or dried apples, and almonds would make a reasonable substitute for pine nuts.

The only unusual ingredient in this dish is the Israeli couscous.  It’s not unlike traditional couscous, but it’s larger and has a texture more similar to pasta.  Fortunately for me, Israeli couscous is as simple to make as it is delicious.  I was pretty happy with dinner tonight.  I hope you enjoy it, too!

Chickpeas and Vegetables over Israeli Couscous with Dried Apricots

Ingredients:

Couscous:

• 1½ cups Israeli couscous
• 1¾ cup vegetable broth
• ½ cup dried apricots, chopped
• ¼ cup raw pine nuts
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. garlic salt

Chickpeas:

• 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 1 cup tomatoes, chopped
• ½ green bell pepper, chopped
• ¼ onion, diced
• 5 garlic cloves, diced
• 1 tbsp. olive oil
• 1 tsp. cumin
• 1 tsp. crushed red pepper
• 1 tsp. cinnamon
• ¼ tsp. turmeric
• ¼ tsp. allspice

Directions:

The Couscous

1. In a saucepan, sauté the couscous and pine nuts in olive oil and garlic salt until the couscous is lightly browned, about 6-8 minutes.  While the couscous is browning, bring the vegetable broth to a boil.
2. Pour the boiling vegetable both over the couscous and bring the broth and couscous to a boil. 
3. Add the apricots to the pot and stir.  Reduce heat to medium-low and cover.
4. Simmer for 10 minutes, or until the broth is absorbed.  While the couscous is simmering, cook the chickpeas.  When the couscous is done, remove from heat and keep covered so the couscous stays warm.  Stir the couscous well before serving.

The Chickpeas

1. Heat the olive oil over medium heat in a wok.  Sauté the onions and garlic until softened. 
2. Add the cumin, red pepper, cinnamon, turmeric, and allspice.  Stir constantly for about a minute to blend the spices with the onion and garlic.
3. Add the chickpeas to the wok and stir for 3 or 4 minutes, or until the chickpeas are warm.
4. Stir the tomatoes and green pepper in with the chickpeas for 2 minutes, or until the tomatoes and green pepper are slightly warm.
5. Serve the chickpeas and vegetables over the couscous.  Serves 4.

These soy bombs were awesomely delicious..! they were not bland at all, (which I thought thy would be), they surprisingly hold their shapes together while cooking, it is worth the effort. I’ve got the recipe from Cindy – where’s the beef? , and she got it from post punk kitchen, which they got it from..somewhere else.., well anyway, considering the long thread of comments, I decided to try this bombs. I actually made them twice this week.  My first attempt, some of them didn’t hold together, I think it was because I didn’t chop the onion properly.  We had them with spaghetti and tomato sauce. I changed the recipe a little bit, instead of peanut butter, I used free nut butter (sunflower seeds butter), I used 2 tbsp of soy sauce, and I leave out the basil leaves, just because I didn’t have any.

Two days later, I made the second batch. This time, I chopped the onion super finely, crumbled , and mix the tofu by hands, so the free nut butter mixed evenly. I served them with couscous, and grilled capsicum. I personally like them better with the couscous. Here’s the recipe for the smoked paprika couscous :

ingredients :

• 1  1/2  cups couscous
• 1  3/4 cup vegetable stock / water
• 2 cups cauliflower, chopped, very small
• 2 carrots, diced
• 1 small onion
• 1 red capsicum, halved
• 1 green capsicum, halved

spices : (mix in small bowl)

• 1 tsp smoked paprika
• 1/2 tsp ground cumin
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• salt and pepper to taste

preheat the oven griller, lined a baking tray with tin foil, put the capsicum, cut side down, and grill until they charred, placed in glass bowl, cover, and let cool.

meanwhile stir fry the onion, cauliflower, and carrots until the cauliflower bits caramelized, add the spices, stir until all the vegies well coated, and fragrant.

add couscous, mix with the vegies, and add the stock / water (be careful, the couscous might splatter), cover, remove from heat, and let sit for 3 minutes.

remove the skin from the capsicum under running water, and sliced the capsicum lengthways.

fluff the couscous, stir in the grilled capsicum, transfer to plate or bowl, serve with soy bombs.

Couscous Rights

Dinner was nicks idea tonight. Chicken breasts stuffed with sun dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, onions, garlic, capers and mozzarella. It turned out great, very juicy chicken. For a side I roasted some pumpkin with sage, cinnamon and olive oil. I had extra pumpkin left over from last weeks pumpkin seeds.

Also made some couscous with chicken broth and Parmesan. Great combo for tonight’s dinner.

Now time to catch up on some work and TV time. Good night!

This can be one of my favorite meals when I’m in the mood for something light and healthy… and in the mood for salmon, of course. I don’t really dress any of it up too much… The salmon marinades shortly in some olive oil, white wine and lemon juice. I’m not sure if you’re “supposed” to do it that way, but I do. It’s usually a parmesan couscous that I have on the side, accompanied by some steamed asparagus. There’s something about those three foods together that makes my mouth sing. I don’t make this all that often, but when I do, it’s a treat!