It really doesn’t get better than this Vegetable Couscous with Moroccan Pesto – Meatless: check. Healthful: check (how does zucchini, swiss chard, carrots, onions, garlic, cilantro, parsley, almonds, raisins, and couscous rate on your health-o-meter?). Inexpensive: check (it costs $11 to make this meal). Gorgeous: check (are you seeing all of this color?). Cultural: check. Mouthwatering: check. This dish really highlights how seriously delicious vegetables can be, and the pesto lends fantastic vibrance and loads of flavor.
Tips (unsponsored): Make this dish the prettiest (and healthiest) it can be by using rainbow Swiss chard and multi-colored carrots – Sprouts is almost guaranteed to have both. We used golden raisins for this recipe.
Any dish involving a little twine-tied bundle of flavor is a fun change from the norm:
We don’t think there’s a healthier picture than this:
If you haven’t used cinnamon in a savory dish before, it’s delicious. The warm spice adds a dimension of flavor that is interesting and distinctive.
Couscous is Morocco’s national dish and is derived from crushed wheat. We prefer the larger texture of Israeli couscous. You can find it as well as whole wheat couscous at Trader Joe’s.
Let your kids run their fat little fingers through the pre-cooked couscous – it’s a fun sensory experience. As you prepare and enjoy this meal with those you love, teach them a few things about the ingredients:
- Parsley is a good source of folic acid, which protects you from anemia (a condition that makes you feel tired).
- Cinnamon helps to keep your blood sugars at a healthy level.
- Eating almonds can help you keep a healthy weight.
Let’s learn a few things about Morocco and it’s people:
- It is considered rude to refuse meat at a meal.
- Most people don’t have a bathtub in their home, so they all bathe together in public baths.
- Morocco has coastlines along both the Mediterranean and Atlantic.
Adapted only slightly from: Vegetable Couscous with Moroccan Pesto
- 1 cup fresh cilantro (leaves and some stems)
- ½ cup fresh parsley (stems reserved for couscous)
- 2 tablespoons whole almonds
- ½ clove garlic
- ¼ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- Kosher salt
- For the Couscous:
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- Kosher salt
- 1 onion, cut into 8 wedges
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 1 14 -ounce can peeled tomatoes, halved (plus their juices)
- 3 small carrots, cut into chunks
- 1 zucchini
- 1 bunch Swiss chard, chopped
- ¼ to ⅓ cup raisins
- Freshly ground pepper
- 1½ cups whole-wheat (or Isreali) couscous
- Make the pesto: Combine the cilantro, parsley leaves, almonds and garlic in a food processor; pulse until coarsely chopped. Add the olive oil and ½ teaspoon salt; process until smooth.
- Prepare the vegetables for the couscous: Heat a wide heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add 3 tablespoons butter and 1 teaspoon salt; cook until the butter begins to brown. Add the onion. Tie the reserved parsley stems and cinnamon stick together with twine; add to the pot. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the onion is lightly browned, about 5 minutes. Add the tomatoes, 1 cup water, carrots, zucchini and/or Swiss chard, raisins, 1½ teaspoons salt, and pepper to taste. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the vegetables are crisp-tender, about 15 minutes. Remove the parsley and cinnamon.
- Meanwhile, cook the couscous as the label directs. Add the remaining 1 tablespoon butter, season with salt and pepper and fluff with a fork. Top the couscous with the vegetables and pesto.
Leave a Reply