HEALTHY EATING
By Fabiola Zefi
Quinoa is so last year, couscous is where it’s at! Not only is couscous one of those ancient and forgotten gems, but it cooks in the blink of an eye, it is rich in potassium and makes for a delicious and filling grain. You can use it to stuff vegetables (mmm, stuffed peppers and tomatoes) or as a breakfast cereal. Overnight oats? Try overnight couscous! The options are endless. In this dish I sautéed it with some of my favourite vegetables and served it with a side of potato and frisée salad.
Ingredients:
Fennel couscous with purple potatoes and frisée:
- 2 cups dry couscous
- 3 cups water
- 2 tablespoons avocado or olive oil. I prefer avocado for cooking and olive oil for drizzling
- 1 small bulb fennel, sliced thinly
- 1 leek, sliced thinly
- 1 Chinese eggplant cut into small cubes
- 4 handfuls spinach
- 1 teaspoon coriander
- Salt and pepper to taste
Salad:
- 10-12 small purple potatoes cut in half
- 2 tablespoons pan roasted pepitas
- 1 ½ frisée
- ½ cup cut up cucumber
- ½ cup chopped carrots
- ½ cup chopped radishes
- 1 tablespoon Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- Juice of one lemon
Directions:
- In a medium saucepan bring water to a boil then lower heat to low/medium, add couscous and cook for about five minutes or until soft.
- Place a large skillet on high heat and add the avocado oil. After 2 minutes lower heat to medium and add leeks. Cook for 3-4 minutes then add fennel, Chinese eggplant and coriander. Sautee all ingredients together for about ten minutes and then add in the cooked couscous.
- Right before serving add in spinach. It is important that you add the spinach right before serving, that way it will still keep its form and not get overcooked.
- SALAD: Fill a saucepan up with 3 cups of water, cut potatoes in half and place in boiling water along with the carrots. Boil for about 8 minutes (note, carrots might take less time to cook, so if you don’t want them too mushy add them in halfway).
- Remove from heat and run under cold water for a couple of minutes. With your hands, peel apart the frisée along with all the other vegetables, top off with the juice of a lemon, salt and pepper to taste and a tablespoon of olive oil.
- Place some pepitas in a medium frying pan for about 4 minutes, or use a toaster oven if you have one. Sprinkle on top and call it a masterpiece!
Serves 4 people. Note: frisée is basically curly endives, so if you can’t find it at the grocery store, endives will do just fine.
