Couscous | Imamother

Amarante

Fri, May 01 2015, 9:28 am

If you just cook couscous plain with water, it's pretty bland and tasteless just like plain rice or pasta would be served plain. For starters, cooking it with broth instead of water adds taste but unless you are planning to serve it with a dish that has a tasty sauce, you need to dress up the couscous like you would with rice - I.e. without a rice, I would make a Rice Pilau with sautéed onions and maybe some other diced veggies to add flavor.

Here's a Couscous side dish - not sure what kind of flavors you are looking for.

Couscous with Apricots:
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Recipe By: Tyler Florence
Serving Size: 4

Ingredients:

1 1/2 cups couscous
2 cups hot chicken stock
10 dried apricots, chopped
2 scallions, sliced thin, green parts only
1 orange, juiced
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish

Directions:

Put the couscous in a medium bowl; pour the hot stock over it and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for 10 to 15 minutes. Uncover and fluff with a fork. Add the apricots, scallions, and orange juice; drizzle with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Toss gently to combine. Garnish with chopped parsley.

Here's one with "Mexican" type of flavors

Mexicana Couscous 2 PT
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Recipe By: WW
Serving Size: 6

Ingredients:

3/4 cup chopped onion
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 tablespoon cooking oil
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
3/4 cup frozen peas
3/4 cup coarsely chopped tomatoes
2 tablespoons snipped fresh cilantro
3/4 cup couscous
4 sprigs fresh cilantro (optional)

Directions:

Directions:
In a medium saucepan cook onion and garlic in hot oil over medium
heat until
tender. Stir in cumin; cook for 30 seconds. Carefully add broth,
peas, tomato
and cilantro. Bring mixture to boiling; stir in couscous. Remove
from heat.
Cover; let stand for five minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.
Garnish
with cilantro sprigs, if desired.

Notes:

Nutritional information per serving: Calories: 134 Fat: 3g Saturated
Fat: 0
Cholesterol: 0mg Carbohydrates: 23g Protein: 4g Sodium: 124mg Fiber:
6g

Here's one using Israeli Couscous

Lemon Garlic Israeli Couscous with Cauliflower
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Recipe By: Washington Post
Serving Size: 8

Summary:

If you’re accustomed to seeing cauliflower drowning in a cheese sauce, this pilaf -- light, bright and modern -- will be a revelation. The cauliflower is combined with couscous and dressed with lemon, garlic and parsley. Usually I have to be careful about using lemon juice, which discolors green vegetables, but with cauliflower, that's not a problem.

Ingredients:

2 cups dried Israeli couscous
• Salt
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped garlic
• 12 ounces cauliflower florets, broken or cut into small pieces about 3/4-inch long at the widest point
• 1/ 2 cup homemade or no-salt-added chicken broth
• Freshly ground black pepper
• Finely grated zest and freshly squeezed juice of 2 lemons (4 to 6 teaspoons zest, 6 tablespoons juice)
• 1/ 2 teaspoon sugar
• 3 tablespoons finely chopped parsley

Directions:

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions, making sure to add a pinch of salt to the cooking water.

Meanwhile, heat the oil in a deep 10-inch nonstick saute pan or skillet over medium-low heat. Add the garlic and a pinch of salt. Cook for about 8 minutes, until the garlic is soft, stirring frequently and adjust the heat as needed to keep the garlic from browning. Add the cauliflower and stir to combine. Increase the heat to medium-high; add the broth, season with salt and pepper to taste, and cover. Cook for 7 to 9 minutes, until the cauliflower pieces are tender when pierced with a fork. Uncover and cook just until the broth has evaporated but the cauliflower still looks moist, about 1 minute.

When the couscous is ready, transfer it to a large bowl along with the lemon zest and juice, sugar and parsley. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Add the cauliflower and garlic, and toss to combine.

Taste, and adjust the seasoning as needed. Serve warm or at room temperature.

Nutritional Information:

210 calories, 6g fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 60mg sodium, 34g carbohydrates, 1g dietary fiber, 2g sugar, 6g protein.

Amarante

Fri, May 01 2015, 9:29 am

This is not a side dish but I have made variants of chicken salad with couscous and they are very tasty. Excellent for lunch because they store in the fridge for a few days.

Curried Couscous-chicken Salad
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Recipe By: Cooking Light
Serving Size: 3

Ingredients:

3/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
2/3 cup couscous, uncooked
1 cup cubed cooked chicken breast (about 1/2 pound, skinned and boned))
1/2 cup drained canned garbanzo beans
1/2 cup chopped red cabbage
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup thinly sliced celery
1 teaspoon grated orange rind
1/4 teaspoon pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsweetened orange juice
2 teaspoons olive oil

Directions:

Bring water, salt, and curry powder to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous. Remove from heat; let stand, covered, 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Add chicken and next 4 ingredients.

Combine orange rind and next 3 ingredients in a bowl; stir with a wire whisk until blended. Add to couscous mixture; toss well.

Nutritional Information:

Yield: 3 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 300 (17% from fat); FAT 5.8g (sat 1.1g, mono 3.1g, poly 1.1g); PROTEIN 24.6g; CARB 36.5g; FIBER 1.8g; CHOL 48mg; IRON 2.3mg; SODIUM 501mg; CALC 58mg;

Amarante

Fri, May 01 2015, 9:35 am

Here's a good Pilaf to serve as a side.

Couscous Pilaf with Shallots, Garlic and Almonds
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Recipe By: Cooks Illustrated

Ingredients:

3 tablespoons unsalted butter (I use less)
2 cups couscous
3 shallots, thinly sliced
1 garlic clove, minced
1 cup water
1 cup vegetable broth (low-sodium)
1 teaspoon table salt
3⁄ 4 cup sliced almonds, toasted (I use a bit less)
1⁄ 4 cup parsley, fresh minced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1⁄ 2 teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
ground black pepper, to taste

Directions:

Heat butter in saucepan over medium-high heat. When foaming subsides, add couscous and cook, stirring frequently, until lightly browned, about 5 minutes.

Add shallots and cook until softened and slightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and cook until fragrant, about 30 seconds.

Mix in water, broth and salt; stir briefly to combine; then cover and remove pan from heat.

Let stand until grains are tender, about 7 minutes. Uncover and fluff grains with fork. Stir in almonds, parsley, lemon juice and zest. Season to taste and serve.

Amarante

Fri, May 01 2015, 9:52 am

This is for both the main dish (Turkey) and the Couscous side but the couscous aspect is excellent and you can use it to give your cooked couscous more flavor.

Moroccan Turkey with Cranberry Couscous
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Recipe By: Cooking Light
Serving Size: 10

Summary:

Spice-rubbed turkey breast combines with a colorful pilaf-like side of couscous studded with orange-soaked cranberries.

Ingredients:

Turkey:

2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander seeds
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 (1 1/4-pound) skinless, boneless turkey breast halves
Cooking spray

Couscous:

1 cup fresh orange juice
1 cup dried cranberries
1 tablespoon olive oil
8 garlic cloves, sliced
2/3 cup finely chopped onion
2/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 cup water
2 teaspoons curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 (14 1/2-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
2 cups uncooked couscous
1/2 cup chopped fresh basil
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 teaspoons grated lemon rind
1/3 cup chopped peeled lemon sections

Directions:

Preheat oven to 400°.

To prepare turkey, combine first 8 ingredients; rub over turkey. Place turkey on a broiler pan coated with cooking spray; insert a meat thermometer into thickest portion of a breast. Bake at 400° for 55 minutes or until thermometer registers 180°. Let stand 10 minutes before slicing.

To prepare couscous, bring orange juice to a boil in a small saucepan while turkey bakes. Stir in cranberries. Remove from heat; let stand 30 minutes. Drain cranberries in a colander over a bowl, reserving juice.

Heat oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add sliced garlic; saute 1 minute. Add onion and bell pepper; sauté 2 minutes. Stir in reserved juice, water, curry, 1 teaspoon salt, and broth; bring to a boil. Gradually stir in couscous; remove from heat. Cover and let stand 5 minutes.

Fluff couscous with a fork. Add cranberries, basil, cilantro, rind, and lemon sections, tossing gently to combine. Cut each turkey breast into 1/2-inch-thick slices. Serve turkey with couscous.

Nutritional Information:

NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 339(7% from fat); FAT 2.8g (sat 0.5g,mono 1.2g,poly 0.5g); PROTEIN 33.8g; CHOLESTEROL 70mg; CALCIUM 49mg; SODIUM 548mg; FIBER 3.9g; IRON 2.5mg; CARBOHYDRATE 42.7g