Lightly Spiced Vegetable Couscous Food

SPICY COUSCOUS AND VEGETABLES

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 375 degrees F.
• Place cut vegetables on a baking sheet and drizzle with some olive oil and season with salt and pepper to taste. Place in oven and roast for about 10 minutes. Place couscous in a heat proof bowl and stir in all the spices and orange juice. Bring the vegetable stock to a boil and pour over the couscous making sure it covers the couscous mixture completely. Cover with a plate or plastic wrap and leave for 5 to 10 minutes or until all the stock is absorbed. Stir in the herbs, olive oil, grated lemon zest and juice. Fluff the couscous with a fork and toss with roasted vegetables.

SEVEN-VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• For the stew: Put the garlic, turnips, onion, carrot, fennel, raisins, ginger, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon in a large soup pot with a tight-fitting lid. Add 2 cups water and bring to a boil over high heat; cover, reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are somewhat soft, about 10 minutes. Halve and seed the butternut squash and cut it into wedges. Tie parsley sprigs together with kitchen string. Add squash, zucchini, chickpeas, and parsley sprigs to the pot. Using your fingers and working over the pot, tear the tomatoes into big pieces and add them to the pot with their juices. Simmer the stew, covered, until it is slightly thick and fragrant, and the vegetables are fork tender but not mushy, about 15 minutes. (You can test the vegetables a bit sooner, remove them as soon as they are tender, and return them to the pot when you are ready to serve. All the vegetables should be tender enough to cut with the side of a fork, but still hold their shapes.) Remove cinnamon sticks.
• For the couscous: Bring water to a boil with the butter and salt in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous, pull the saucepan off the heat, cover, and set aside until the water has been absorbed and the couscous is plump, about 5 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and fluff with a fork.
• To serve, spread the couscous over a large serving platter and, using a slotted spoon, mound the vegetables in the center. Pour some of the broth over the vegetables and sprinkle with the almonds. Pass the remaining broth and the harissa, if desired, at the
• table.

SUMMER VEGETABLE COUSCOUS WITH SPICY PESTO

Steps:

• Prepare the chickpeas for the stew: Put chickpeas in a medium saucepan and cover with water. Add onion stuck with cloves, bay leaf, cinnamon stick and carrot. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and gently simmer for 45 minutes or so, until tender. Add 1/2 teaspoon salt and let chickpeas cool in their broth. May be cooked a day or 2 ahead. Alternatively, use 2 cups canned chickpeas.
• Make the couscous: Melt butter in large saucepan over medium heat. Add corn kernels and season generously with salt and pepper, then sauté, stirring, for a minute or so. Add couscous, cinnamon, saffron (if using), turmeric and 3 cups water, bring to a boil, then lower heat and simmer for 1 minute, stirring. Put the lid on and turn off heat. Leave for 10 to 15 minutes, then fluff. Taste and adjust salt, then keep warm. Or, for lighter, more tender couscous grains, follow step 3 (optional).
• Spread warm couscous on a baking sheet to let cool to room temperature, then rake with fingers to remove clumps. Sprinkle with 1/2 cup cold water. Then place couscous in top compartment of a steamer and put water in bottom compartment. To steam, bring water to a boil, then reduce heat but leave at a rapid simmer. Steam for 15 minutes, covered. Keep warm.
• Make the stew: Heat olive oil in a large heavy-bottomed soup pot or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add red onion and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until somewhat softened. Add garlic, tomato paste, pimentón, red pepper flakes, cumin and coriander and stir to coat.
• Add sweet peppers, zucchini and tomatoes and season generously with salt. Add cooked chickpeas and 3 cups chickpea cooking liquid or water. Stir to combine, bring to a simmer and cover. Simmer for 10 minutes, then add okra, cover again and cook for 5 minutes more, until all vegetables are soft. Check seasoning of broth and adjust if necessary.
• Meanwhile, make the pesto: Put cilantro, serrano chile, garlic, cumin, olive oil and salt in a food processor and pulse to a rough purée. Transfer to a small serving bowl. To keep green color, add lime juice just before serving.
• To serve, ladle stew (with plenty of broth) into large wide bowls or deep plates. Nestle a large spoonful of couscous on the side. Pass the spicy pesto separately, telling everyone to add pesto to taste.

SPICED VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Combine chickpeas, carrots, zucchini, onions and olive oil in a pot, add stock, parsley, paprika, chili flakes and salt to taste.
• Bring to boil and sprinkle in couscous.
• Stir around, add raisins, cover and remove from heat, let sit 5 minutes, uncover and stir again.

SPICY VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a medium-size skillet heat the oil.
• Add green onions, sweet pepper, garlic, tomatoes and zucchini; saute 5 min, stirring.
• Remove from heat and keep warm.
• In a medium-size saucepan, combine the remaining ingredients, mix, cover and let stand 5 minutes, until liquid is absorbed. Add the first mixture and fluff with a fork.

SPICY VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Place pine nuts in frying pan and toast lightly for 1 minute.
• Add onion, chilli sauce, cumin and ginger and stir over a high heat for 5 minutes or until onions are soft.
• Add chickpeas, capsicum, spinach, zucchini, and carrot, and stir-fry for 4 minutes.
• Add remaining ingredients and cook for 4 minutes longer or until vegetables are soft.
• Meanwhile prepare couscous.
• Place couscous in a serving bowl, pour on boiling water, cover and set aside for 3 minutes.
• Use a fork to rake the couscous to separate grains.
• Top with vegetable mixture.

LIGHTLY SPICED VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Put vegetable stock, shallots, carrots and spices into a pot and bring to a rapid boil.
• Boil for two or three minutes until the carrots are becoming tender.
• Pour in couscous, cover and remove from heat.
• Let stand for about five minutes until all the liquid is absorbed and the couscous is tender.
• Put back onto a very low heat and just stir through the margarine until the couscous is fluffed up.

SPICY VEGETABLE COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
• Add onion and garlic to pan, and saute until tender but not brown.
• Add turnip, carrots, tomatoes, salt, cumin, crushed red pepper and chicken broth.
• Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender yet firm when tested a fork.
• Add zucchini and garbanzo beans; cook until zucchini is just tender.
• Meanwhile, prepare couscous:.
• In a large saucepan, heat chicken broth and butter.
• Add couscous.
• Cover and remove from heat.
• Let stand 15 minutes.
• To serve, spoon some couscous on a warm plate; top with vegetables and their broth.
• Garnish with cilantro or parsley and sesame seeds.