What is the best thing to put in cous cous! my husband makes it with red & green peppers, spring onions garlic!
Answers: Chicken, peppers, red onions, sweet potatoes and mushrooms!
I enjoy golden raisins and cinnamon.
cheeseeee =)
COUSCOUS ALLA PANZANELLA (NO COOKING REQUIRED)
1 cup Cous Cous
? cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Red Onion (Finely Chopped)
1 Red Pepper (Finely Chopped)
1 Yellow Pepper (Finely Chopped)
10 Cherry Tomatoes (Quartered)
2 cups Canned Plum Tomatoes (With Juices, Chopped)
Juice Of 1 Fresh Lemon
1 bunch Basil Leaf (Torn)
Salt & Pepper (To Season)
Method
Place olive oil, lemon juice and plum tomatoes in a large mixing bowl.
Add cous cous and mix thoroughly.
Since there is no cooking involved, it is essential that there’s an excessive amount of liquid in the bowl. The liquids will act as a ‘cooking agent’ for the cous cous. The cous cous will absorb all the liquids, puff up and become very flavourful.
Add red onions, red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes and fresh torn basil to the bowl. Mix well.
Let sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for all the flavours to amalgamate.
and
SPICED COUSCOUS SALAD
250g Cous Cous
? teaspoon Salt
? teaspoon Ground Roasted Cumin Seed
? teaspoon Ground Ginger
? teaspoon Paprika
? teaspoon Dried Chilli Flake (Crushed)
300ml Vegetable Stock
300ml Orange Juice
2 tablespoons Flat-Leaf Parsley (Roughly Chopped)
4 tablespoons Coriander Leaves (Roughly Chopped)
50g Sunblushed Tomatoes
150g Artichokes (Hearts, Cooked And Marinated In French Dressing)
4 tablespoons Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Large Lemon (Grated Zest And Juice)
Method
Place the couscous in a large heatproof bowl and stir in the spices.
Bring the vegetable stock and orange juice to a boil and pour over the couscous making sure that the liquid covers the couscous. If it doesn't, add a dash of boiling water. Cover with a plate and leave on one side for about 10 minutes, or until it has absorbed all the stock. Fluff up the couscous with a fork.
Slice the artichoke hearts and add to the bowl along with the parsley, coriander and tomatoes. Stir in the olive oil and sharpen the salad with grated lemon zest and juice. Serve at room temperature.
What isnt good in cous cous. Here are a few ideas:
1. Great Cous Cous Salad:
Toast pine nuts. Cook the cous cous as directed. Let it cool. Add pine nuts, cucumber (peeled and diced), grape tomatoes (halved), and parsley. add olive oil and parmesean cheese to taste.
Alternatives:
-Add pitted and sliced calamata olives; add roasted red peppers; add diced chicken or cooked shrimp
2. Warm Cous Cous
Cook the cous cous as needed. In a seperate dish, bring up some fat free half and half - about one cup for four servings. Add 1 cup fresh spinach (or 1/4 cup frozen spinach). Add mixture to the cous cous. Top with parmesean cheese or motzerella.
Other tips:
Cous cous can be served hot or cold. It is a great alternative at a picnic to a pasta or potato salad. remember that it is a great idea to add veggies - steamed broccolli, peppers, onions, garlic, or steamed squash. Add nuts which are a great additive to your omega 3 fats. Almonds, walnuts, or even pecans. Utilize fresh herbs - rosemary with chicken, shrimp with tarragon - the sky is the limit. Make the cous cous work for you - change the things to utilize your taste buds. I love cheese and have it with almost every meal. Cheese would be a necessity to me here. However, if your "thing" is meat, think of all the different things you can add. Use cous cous as the bottom of a dish with a fish like talapia or halibut. throw some steamed veggies atop of it and you have a EXTREMELY healthy meal!
Try adding the following;
Lemon juice and zest, a handful chopped oregano, basil and mint, chopped black olives, dried roasted red pepper, pine nuts, chopped chorizo and tomatoes
or try the following Jewelled couscous
700ml/1? pint chicken or vegetable stock
350g/12oz couscous
1 lemon, grated rind only
4 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
55g/2oz toasted flaked almonds
75g/3oz ready-to-eat dried apricots, chopped
55g/2oz sultanas
3 tbsp chopped fresh parsley
salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
1. Boil stock in a saucepan. Pour in the couscous in a thin stream and stir in lemon rind. Cover pan, remove from heat and leave for 5 minutes, fluffing with a fork after 2 minutes.
2. Drizzle over olive oil and stir in almonds, apricots, sultanas and parsley. Season.
3. Either serve immediately or cover with foil and keep warm in the oven for up to 30 minutes, or allow to cool, cover with clingfilm and reheat in a microwave oven.
Couscous with caramelised onions and wild mushrooms
2 tbsp olive oil
4 shallots, finely sliced
1 red onion, finely sliced
salt and freshly ground black pepper
25g/1oz butter
150g/5?oz wild mushrooms, halved
1 smoked garlic clove, finely chopped
125g/4?oz couscous
chopped fresh parsley, to garnish
Method
1. Heat the olive oil in a frying pan, add the shallots and onions and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Cook over a gentle heat for eight minutes, stirring frequently, until soft and lightly caramelised.
2. In a separate pan, heat the butter, add the mushrooms and garlic and cook over a medium heat for 2-3 minutes.
3. Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over enough boiling water to cover the couscous by a centimetre. Cover with cling film and leave until all the water has been absorbed.
4. Remove the cling film and fluff up the grains with a fork and season, to taste, with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
5. To serve, pile the couscous onto a serving plate and top with the caramelised onions and mushrooms. Garnish with parsley.
Roasted Vegetable Couscous Salad with Harissa-style Dressing
For the roasted vegetables:
1 small aubergine
2 medium courgettes
1 lb (450 g) cherry tomatoes, skinned
1 small red pepper, de-seeded and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares
1 small bulb fennel, chopped
1 large onion, sliced and cut into 1 inch (2.5 cm) squares
2 fat cloves garlic, crushed
2 tablespoons fresh basil leaves, torn so that they stay quite visible
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 oz (50 g) pitted black olives, chopped
1 heaped tablespoon capers, drained
salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the couscous:
10 oz (275 g) medium couscous
18 fl oz (500 ml) vegetable stock (click here for recipe)
4 oz (110 g) firm goats' cheese
salt and freshly milled black pepper
For the salad:
1 x 3 oz (75 g) packet mixed salad leaves (such as lettuce, coriander leaves, flat-leaf parsley, rocket)
For the dressing:
4 fl oz (110 ml) extra virgin olive oil
1 rounded teaspoon cayenne pepper
2 level tablespoons ground cumin
2 heaped tablespoons tomato purée
4 tablespoons lime juice (about 2 limes)
To garnish:
1 level tablespoon black onion seeds
You will also need a large, shallow roasting tin.
First prepare the roasted vegetables: prepare the aubergine and courgettes ahead of time by cutting them into 1 inch (2.5 cm) dice, leaving the skins on. Then toss the dice in a level dessertspoon of salt and pack them into a colander with a plate on top and a heavy weight on top of the plate. Leave them on one side for an hour so that some of the bitter juices drain out. After that, squeeze out any juices left, and dry the dice thoroughly in a clean cloth. Preheat the oven to gas mark 9, 475°F (240°C). Now arrange the aubergine, courgettes, tomatoes, pepper, fennel and onion in the roasting tin, sprinkle with the crushed garlic, basil and olive oil, toss everything around in the oil to get a good coating and season with salt and pepper. Place the tin on the highest shelf of the oven for 30-40 minutes or until the vegetables are toasted brown at the edges. When the vegetables are done, remove them from the oven and stir in the chopped olives and the capers then remove them to a plate to cool.
When you're ready to assemble the salad, first place the couscous in a large, heatproof bowl, then pour the boiling stock over it, add some salt and pepper, stir it with a fork, then leave on one side for 5 minutes, by which time it will have absorbed all the stock and softened. Meanwhile cut the cheese into sugar cube-sized pieces. Make up the dressing by whisking all the ingredients together in a bowl, then pour into a serving jug. To serve the salad, place the couscous in a large, wide salad bowl and gently fork in the cubes of cheese along with the roasted vegetables. Next arrange the salad leaves on top and, just before serving, drizzle a little of the dressing over the top followed by a sprinkling of onion seeds and hand the rest of the dressing around separately.
1 1/2 oz pine kernels
1tsp cumin
1tsp cinnamon
1spn ground coriander
1tsp allspice
Mix all the spices and use 3 tsp
3oz sultanas
1tbsp fresh cilantro
1oz butter
450ml chicken stock
250g cous-cous
1 1/2 tsp brown sugar
Fry spice, sugar, pine kernels and sultanas in the butter
add stock, bring to boil and add cous-cous.
turn off heat and let stand for 5 mins, stir after 2 1/2 mins
finish with cilantro
I like to mix up some spices like paprika, tumeric and coriander and add some pine nuts
garlic, butter and some parmesean are good, also add a little garlic salt
I put whatever I have at hand in mine but always add chick peas, they give it substance.
Carrots, potatoes, onions, peppers, mushrooms, courgettes, tomatoes etc.
My daughter likes quartered hard boiled eggs added as they often added them when we were in North Africa.