Seeing as we're getting to the end of the season, I thought I should put up my "Fall Couscous" recipe. I started getting into couscous (quinoa works well too, if you want a little extra nutrients and health benefits) when I started eating healthier. It's a good way to get some starchy healthy carbs, but it's lighter than pasta. There are different kinds of couscous, I stay away from the instant, boxed couscous. I like to go to my Whole Food's bulk section and get couscous there. There's French Couscous and Israeli Couscous. Not only do they look different, but they cook differently and taste differently. Israeli couscous is larger, and cooks up more like a risotto. French couscous stays the same size (for the most part) when you cook it. You can choose whichever couscous you'd like for this recipe, it works with both, although I will tell you, french couscous has just a little less calories.
So, I call this my "Fall Couscous" because I use butternut squash in it. The thing I love about couscous is that you can use anything you want in it! I've made it with green peppers, chickpeas, peas, etc. For this recipe, I use butternut squash, edamame and corn. Now, you'll remember that I don't "measure" so I am going to try and measure everything out for you as best I can, but always remember you are free to put as much of or little of anything as you like.
Ingredients:
2 cups of couscous
1 med-large butternut squash cubed
About a cup and a half of edamame. If you can find ready to eat edamame in you're grocer's prepared foods section, then awesome, if not, a frozen bag is just as good.
1 cup of corn (about 2-3 cobs) Same as the edamame, when I can, I like to use fresh corn on the cob, if it's not available, a frozen bag will do. (You can also make your own "fresh" frozen veggies, but that's for another blog post!)
Half an onion - or so, depending on how much you like onion - it's really just a flavor base
Garlic - again, up to you. I LOOVE garlic, so I'll use 4-5 cloves. This is also just a flavor base
3-4 cups of broth/stock - most people use water to cook couscous, stock brings so much more flavor. I use chicken stock, however if you are vegetarian or vegan vegetable stock will work perfectly. The differences between the 2 couscous call for slightly different cooking techniques, but the ratio for both types is about 1:2 (1 cup couscous, 2 cups liquid - I usually use just a little less)
Preparation:
Start by roasting the butternut squash. Lay the cubes on a baking sheet in a single layer. Drizzle with olive oil and toss with salt, pepper and freshly grated nutmeg (always freshly grated). Bake at 450 for about 40-45 minutes.
Meanwhile, sweat the onions out in some olive oil. Then add the garlic and cook until fragrant. If you're using frozen veggies, cook them per the instructions on the bag. If you're using fresh corn on the cob, cut the kernals off the cob and boil them for a few minutes.
When the squash is done toss it in the pan with the onions and garlic for a few minutes. Then add the corn and edamame. (If you're looking for a yummy side dish without carbs, stop here! This is delicious on it's own!)
If you're using french couscous, you want to bring the stock to a boil, then pour it into a separate dish with the couscous and cover with plastic wrap for about 5-10 minutes until water is absorbed. If you're using israeli couscous, bring the stock to a boil, add in the couscous and boil just like pasta, about 8-10 minutes and drain.
Put all the ingredients together and mix. Drizzle the top with a little olive oil to finish.
There you have it! A delicious, healthy side dish, or sometimes I even eat it as my lunch/snack! Like I said before, couscous is wonderful because you can put anything in it you like, so feel free to mix it up!
Enjoy!
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