Veggie Couscous

Hello! Sorry about the large posting gap. I'm in a student organization that recruits high-achieving high school students to Texas A&M, and we had our first summer invitational this week. It was a lot of fun, and I loved my group, but I was short on time and behind on sleep so I'm a bit behind on posting. This weekend, though, I'm home so I'll have plenty of time to catch up on both!

 Couscous is a recently-discovered love of mine. It is a grain made of semolina that's popular in Northern Africa, the Middle East, and Southern Europe (why do you need to know this? Because I was curious, looked it up, and found it interesting. :)). I'm a fan because it's quick-cooking - just boil some water and then you'll have couscous in 5 minutes. Another great thing about it is that the grains really soak up whatever flavor you put into the boiling water. I generally use butter and salt (and sometimes garlic), but you can add lemon juice, Italian herbs, or really any sort of spice or flavor (or boil broth instead of water!). Therefore, it can complement anything. :D It's yummy.

I would completely replace my rice usage with couscous except for the fact that rice stands up much better to sauces. So, if you're serving it with something with a lot of liquid at the end and you don't want soup, stick with rice. Otherwise, couscous is an awesome choice!

Most containers of couscous come with cooking instructions, but just in case they aren't included I'll provide a quick guide. As a rule of thumb, 1/4-1/3 c. dry couscous is enough for 1 person...the grains expand like those little bath toys that can "grow" to ten times their size, so don't add too much! Use a 2:1 ratio of liquid to couscous. So, bring your water to a boil, add seasonings as desired (I use 1 t. salt and 1 T. butter, usually), then add your couscous. Take the pot immediately off the heat, stir everything together, then cover your pot and let it sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, use a fork to "fluff" (ie stir around) the couscous. It should be nice and soft, and ready to serve!

This recipe is great for using up extra veggies you have. Pretty much any vegetable that you can sautee in garlic and olive oil (ie, just about anything) can be used here! I chose bell peppers, mushrooms, and asparagus, but you could use onions, broccoli, zucchini, or really whatever you have. 

Veggie Couscous

Serves 1

Ingredients

• 1/3 c. couscous
• 1 t. salt
• 1 T. butter
• Mixed vegetables
• Olive oil
• 1 clove garlic (or 2 t. minced garlic)

Before you start:Chop up your mixed vegetables - you want roughly a cup of bite-sized pieces. Mince your garlic clove.

Recipe

Prepare couscous as directed. Add butter and salt to boiling water before adding couscous.
Heat olive oil in a pan, and add garlic. Cook on medium heat for about 2 minutes until fragrant.
Add mixed vegetables to garlic and cook for 6-8 minutes, stirring periodically until vegetables are cooked through.
Fluff couscous with a fork, then add vegetables. Stir to combine. Serve immediately.

Thanks for reading and happy cooking!