Vegetable Couscous
Last night's dinner was a cooperative effort: D. chopped the veggies, E. opened cans and boxes, and I threw everything together on the stove. As a result, this old favorite of ours came together in record time, about 20 minutes from start to finish. While it was cooking, I threw together a salad to complete the meal.
The recipe for Vegetable Couscous is straight out of Quick Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin, except that I've eliminated the oil and butter she uses to sauté the onion and to cook the couscous. You don't need either, in my opinion. In a good skillet, either non-stick coated or well-seasoned, you can cook the onions over medium-high heat with a tablespoon or two of water and achieve the same results without added fat. And there's absolutely no reason to add fat to couscous; this quick-cooking pasta will come out fluffy and moist if you use the correct amount of boiling water and just take it off the heat so that it doesn't dry out.
For those of you who, like me, are cutting refined foods out of your diet, please feel free to serve this over a whole grain such as millet, quinoa, or brown rice. I had some leftover rice in the fridge, so that's how I ate mine. My daughter, AKA the "Pastavore," devoured hers with the couscous. I don't mind her having a little refined food every now and then, as long as she's getting plenty of veggies along with it.
Besides being tasty and quick, this recipe is dear to me for sentimental reasons: it was one of the first dishes D. cooked for me when we were dating. I was so impressed with a guy who could cook vegan! Of course, that was before we moved in together and I chased him out of the kitchen. Well, most of the time. I still let him do the chopping and washing up.
Tags: vegan recipes vegetarian cooking food fat-free
Labels: pasta
posted by SusanV at 8:16 AM
8 Comments:
Have you tried whole wheat couscous? I find it tastes the same as white couscous and it takes only a tad longer to cook.
I use whole wheat couscous very occasionally. It cooks up really fast when you're in a pinch or need a filler.
Sounds like you have a great deal set with your husband. I need to train mine better to wash dishes when _I_ want them washed, not when he has the time to. *sigh*
I just love couscous. We lived one year in Algeria. You know, this is their traditional meal. Thursdays and Fridays are weekend there and it's traditional to cook couscous on fridays. They have special pans for cooking this. I don't cook couscous, I just stir it with boiled water and let it absorb the water. But my Algerian friends would say "no, that's not couscous" :) It should be steamed. As for the topping they have 2 alternatives, either meat or vegetables ( chickpeas, carrots and courgettes with "sauce blanche" as they used to say)
Another great recipe, Susan! I'd like to try this over quinoa - I've been meaning to experiment with it. Loved your story, too.
Hi Kourtney and Miriam! I've had ww couscous before, but unfortunately I didn't have any in the house. I personally try to avoid even whole grain pastas, but I need to start using them more for my daughter. That child craves pasta, so I need to start using something healthier when I actually give in and make it for her. She's not a big fan of the ww version, but she will eat it if it's all that's available.
I'm really lucky in that D. is actually more organized than I am about cleaning the kitchen. He'll clean as he goes when he cooks, which I can never manage to do. If I'd let him, he'd be in there cleaning as I cook.
Isil, I envy that you've been able to spend time in Algeria. And the vegetables with sauce blanche sound delicious.
And thanks, Karina! I hope you get a chance to try it with quinoa. :-)
If you like whole wheat couscous try steaming bulgur for couscous.http://www.chefzadi.com/2007/06/algerian_cousco.html
In Algerian cuisine any number of whole grains are steamed and eaten as couscous. I really think whole grains benefit tremendously in flavor and texture from this method of cooking.
Susan - I make this pretty much every week and add a few raw cashews to the top just before serving. It's fabulous on ETL. Thanks so much for this recipe!
I made this dish today for my fiance and me, subbing quinoa, as it is gf. This vegetable dish is so fabulous. I almost always have all of these ingredients on hand except zucchini, which is bountiful this time of year. This dish is really so much more than the sum of its parts. And our apartment smells of wonderful, warm spices.
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