This one isn't anything particularly spectacular, but it was quick and easy for a week night dinner and very tasty, so I thought it maybe worth sharing. Little Bit loved it for all the bits he could pick out and identify and get excited about (and for the mess he could make with the couscous).
Ingredients:
For the couscous:
1 c couscous
2 c water
1 tbsp olive oil
1 carrot, grated
1/2 c raisins
3 cloves
2 tsp curry powder (I used a pineapple curry powder from a spice market)
Salt to taste
1 tbsp butter
For the veg:
2 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1/2 head of broccoli, floretted and chopped
2 - 3 cm butternut, chopped
1 red pepper, chopped
2 tsp zathar
2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tbsp honey
3/4 c chopped almonds, toasted
1) Heat oil in a small saucepan and toss the couscous. Add the other ingredients except the butter, bring to a simmer, and cook slowly, stirring occasionally, until the liquid has been absorbed and the couscous is fluffy. Add the butter and mix it in, allowing it to melt into the couscous.
2) For the veg, in a large sauté pan, heat the remaining 2 tbsp olive oil. Sauté onions until beginning to soften. Add other veg, balsamic, honey and zathar, and cook until veg is tender - about 10 minutes.
3) Spoon the veg over the couscous and serve. Sprinkle warm, toasted almonds over the top.
Full of veggies, with a little crunch from the almonds and some sweetness from the raisins, it was satisfying and flavourful. The balsamic and honey balanced each other nicely, with the sweet curry flavour adding further flavour notes. Dead simple, this pulled together in under a half hour and was filling and satisfying, not to mention healthy! The butter could be skipped to make this vegan, or bits of chicken could be added just after the onion for the carnivores out there.