Israeli Couscous with Saffron, Olives, and Spring Vegetables

I'm a huge fan of couscous, but this recipe for Israeli Couscous with Saffron, Olives, and Spring Vegetables from the April, 2010 issue of Vegetarian Times magazine is one of the few times I have cooked with Israeli couscous. I know the recipe is titled "Spring Vegetables", but I had no problem finding these ingredients in early fall (I used frozen peas). For some reason, to me Israeli couscous seems more foreign than regular couscous - maybe because of I have made tons of recipes with regular couscous. But I fed this to two people who "don't like couscous" and they never wrinkled their noses once! They both really loved it. To them it tastes more like pasta and they like the texture of this larger couscous than regular.

The flavors of this dish are somewhat strong - the saffron and kalamata olives really come through. In fact it was a bit to saffron-y for me at first. But this was a really healthy and tasty dish that lasted well for leftover lunches and side dishes at dinner for the rest of the week.

Israeli Couscous with Saffron, Olives, and Spring Vegetables Serves 6 2 cups dry Israeli couscous 4 tsp. canola oil 2 bulbs fennel, slivered, grated, or finely chopped (1 cup) 1 medium leek, white and pale green parts finely chopped (1/2 cup) 6 cloves garlic, chopped (2 Tbs.) 1/2 cup dry white wine 2 cups shelled fresh or frozen peas 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth 4 plum tomatoes, chopped (1 cup) 2 0.25-g. pkg. saffron threads 2 cups baby arugula leaves 1/2 cup chopped, pitted oil-cured or kalamata olives 3 Tbs. olive oil Fresh basil leaves, for garnish

Prepare couscous according to package directions. Set aside.

Heat canola oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add fennel, leek, and garlic, and cook 3 to 5 minutes, or until lightly browned.

Stir in wine, and cook 1 minute to deglaze pan. Add peas, and let wine reduce 1 minute more, then add broth. Add couscous, tomatoes, and saffron; season with salt and pepper, if desired. Cover, and let stand 5 minutes. Stir in arugula, and remove from heat. Season with salt and pepper, if desired.

Spoon into bowls, then top with olives, olive oil, and basil.

Sweet Breakfast Tabouli

Couscous made with apple juice? Mint for breakfast? These two things sent me straight to the store last night so that I could make Sweet Breakfast Tabouli with Dried Plums this morning.

Unfortunately, the whole thing turned out a bit TOO sweet for me! It was interesting to make, but I think my use of really high quality, fresh, organic ingredients maybe added too much flavor . . . The plums are sweet enough. Tasting the mix of the couscous, mint and diced plums it was pretty good. But the african honey I used is really intense and I think it over-killed the flavors. I will try to make this again but this time I will really only drizzle a little bit of the sauce on top . . . I poured the entire thing on there this morning!

Sweet Breakfast Tabouli with Dried Plums 1/2 cup dried plums or other dried fruit 2 Tbsp dried mint flakes or 1/2 cup fresh mint 1 cup apple juice 1/2 cup bulgur or whole wheat couscous 2 Tbsp. fresh lemon juice 2 Tbsp. honey 1 tsp. flax oil or rice bran oil

Chop the dried plums (or other fruit and the fresh mint, if using). In a storage tub or small casserole with a tight-fitting lid, mix the chopped plums and dried mint.

In a small saucepan, bring the apple juice to boil and add the bulgur. Return to a boil, then reduce to a simmer and cover tightly. Simmer for 10 minutes, until the juice is absorbed and the bulgur is tender. (If using couscous, pour the couscous into the boiling juice, stir, and take off the heat.) Let stand to steam for 10 minutes. Scrape the bulgur into the tub with the plums and mint. Stir, and cover to steam the fruit. Chill for later use, or serve warm.

To serve, in a small cup, stir together the lemon juice, honey, and oil. Drizzle over the bulgur and fluff to mix.

Basil Roasted Vegetables Over Couscous

I have been wanting to make couscous for a while now. Not as a side dish, but as a main course. I used to have some fabulous couscous salads with fresh cucumber and tomatoes, but I enjoy those in summer time. Fall is upon us and I wanted something warm and hearty. While I have plenty of cookbooks to choose from, I just couldn't find what I was looking for. So I looked into my "recipes" folder on my computer. I have been carrying around this recipe (saved in notepad) from the June 1996 issue of Cooking Light. But it is still just as good as it was ten years ago. And my family agrees as well! Most of them were afraid of the goat cheese but once they tasted it the realized that it really made this dish special.

Basil Roasted Vegetables Over Couscous According to folklore, basil is a harbinger of romance. Should a man give a sprig to a woman, she will fall in love with him and never, ever leave him. In Italy, if a woman puts a pot of basil on her windowsill, it means she is ready to receive her suitor. She might have many suitors if she serves this recipe, too. 2 tablespoons minced fresh basil 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil 1/4 teaspoon salt 2 garlic cloves, crushed 2 medium zucchini, cut into 1-inch slices 1 medium red bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium yellow bell pepper, cut into 1-inch pieces 1 medium red onion, cut into 8 wedges 1 (8-ounce) package mushrooms 3 cups hot cooked couscous 1 (3-ounce) package basil-flavored chèvre (goat cheese), crumbled 1/8 teaspoon pepper Fresh basil sprigs (optional) Preheat oven to 425°. Combine first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; stir well. Add zucchini, bell peppers, onion, and mushrooms; toss well to coat. Arrange vegetables in a single layer in a shallow roasting pan. Bake at 425° for 35 minutes or until tender and browned, stirring occasionally. Spoon roasted vegetables over couscous, and top with cheese. Sprinkle with pepper. Garnish with fresh basil sprigs, if desired. Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 cup vegetables, 3/4 cup couscous, and 1 1/2 tablespoons cheese) NUTRITION PER SERVING CALORIES 65(3% from fat); FAT 0.2g (sat 0.1g,mono 0.1g,poly 0.0g); PROTEIN 2.5g; CHOLESTEROL 1mg; CALCIUM 67mg; SODIUM 59mg; FIBER 0.0g; IRON 0.2mg; CARBOHYDRATE 13.3g

Blackened Shrimp with Mango Couscous

This is a super-yummy dinner combination. I found the Blackened Broiled Shrimp recipe in the Winter 2007 issue of Taste of South magazine. I realized that I have not had "blackened" anything in a long time and have never made it before. It was easy enough, just sprinkle on some seasoning and pop under the broiler.

Blackened Broiled Shrimp (Serves 6 to 8) Ingredients: 32 large shrimp 1/2 cup peanut oil or vegetable oil 3 tablespoons Vanns Blackened Seasoning 1 lemon, cut into wedges Louisiana-style hot sauce (optional) Instructions: Preheat the broiler. Shell and devein the shrimp, leaving tails on. Brush shrimp with oil and sprinkle with blackened seasoning. Broil for 2 minutes per side, until shrimp are pink and opaque. To serve, squeeze lemon wedges over shrimp and season with a few dashes of hot sauce, if desired.

To accompany the blackened shrimp I decided to make Mango Couscous from The Soul of a New Cuisine by Marcus Samuelsson (which is quickly becoming my new favorite). This is an excellent couscous that can stand alone as a light meal. Imagine the smell of mango, jalapeno and garlic being sauteed in olive oil. It tastes as good as it sounds. The flavors and textures are complex between sweet mango and raisins, fresh tomatoes and lime, and a bit of spice from the jalapeno. I absolutely love it.

Mango Couscous (4 servings) Ingredients: 1 cup couscous 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided 1 garlic clove, minced 1 mango, peeled, pitted and cut into 1-inch cubes (about 1 cup) 1 jalapeno chili, seeds and ribs removed, finely chopped 1/2 cup raisins 1 ripe tomato, chopped Juice of 1 lime 1/4 cup loosely packed small cilantro sprigs, chopped 1/4 cup loosely packed small parsley sprigs, chopped Salt Instructions: Prepare the couscous according to the package directions. Set aside. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saute pan over high heat. Add the garlic, mango, and jalapeno and saute until the mango begins to color lightly. Stir in the remaining tablespoon of olive oil, the couscous, raisins, tomato, lime juice, cilantro, and parsley and toss to heat through. Season with salt. Serve hot or at room temperature.

Tandoori Chicken with Date-Nut Couscous

I haven't made anything from Every Day with Rachael Ray magazine in a while. I found this recipe for Tandoori Chicken with Date-Nut Couscous in the April, 2007 issue. This recipe was part of a feature in an article about buying in bulk - like at Costco or Sam's Club. I'm a big fan of roasted chicken legs and also couscous so I knew I needed to try this out.

I chose to marinade the chicken over night because that is just easier since I have a full time job and hectic work weeks. So it ended up being pretty quick to throw everything together. I love when quick and easy dinners during the week end up having so much flavor - and this definitely did. Using yogurt as a marinade is new to me, so that was fun to experiment with something new. I ended up halving the recipe and I had enough food for dinner, leftover lunch and a bit for the dogs.

You can find the recipe for Tandoori Chicken with Date-Nut Couscous on the Every Day with Rachael Ray website.