vegetable couscous

When I held a dinner party, one of my guests found out ahead of time that I was serving couscous and was just sure the dinner was going to be a disaster.  Apparently, his mother served couscous topped with spaghetti sauce...it all mixed together in a most unpleasant way and resulted in many bad memories of family dinners.

Well, my friends, that is not the way to serve couscous!  It's too delightful to douse in sauce...it must be fluffed, mixed with veggies and herbs, and enjoyed for the wonderful dish it is.

At least that's my opinion.  Anybody out there agree?

I can remember when I first discovered couscous.  I was at Disney World on my honeymoon, and my husband and I ate at a restaurant in Morocco at Epcot.  Our waitress was from Fez, and she highly recommended the couscous - "it's the national dish!" she said.  I was a bit wary until she told me it tastes just like little bits of pasta...so I ordered.  I'm a sucker for pasta.

Once I got home as a new bride, I quickly searched my own cookbooks for some couscous recipes and landed on this one.  I love it.  It's got amazing flavor, it's fast (25 minutes, max), it's loaded with veggies, and it's light.  It's the perfect side dish!

 All in all, the recipe only takes about 25 minutes.  It is flavorful enough to serve with plain grilled chicken, but I love it alongside braised pork chops (recipe coming soon)!


Vegetable Couscous
Adapted from Taste of Home's Light and Tasty 2002

• 2 medium carrots, sliced
• 1/2 cup diced celery
• 1 medium onion, diced
• 1 bell pepper, julienned
• 1 T. olive oil
• 1 medium zucchini, diced
• 4 t. dried basil
• 1/4 t. garlic salt
• 1/8 t. pepper
• Dash Tabasco
• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth

In a large skillet, saute the carrots, celery, onion, and peppers in oil for 5-6 minutes or until crisp-tender.  Add the next five ingredients; mix well.  Stir in the couscous.  Add broth; bring to a boil.  Cover and remove from the heat; let stand 5-8 minutes.  Fluff with a fork and serve immediately.  Serves 4 (1 1/2 cup servings).


Nutrition: 272 cal, 8g fat, 1g sat fat, 0mg cholesterol, 513mg sodium, 43g carbs, 4g fiber, 8g protein.