Couscous recipes anyone?

[Plunder Bunnie]

Heya guys. I was always a picky eater growing up, and since bcoming vegan have tried to expand the list of foods that i eat regularly. I dont have a lot of time in the day to cook because i hate being home doing nothing, but anywho, does anyone have any couscous recipes out there? Im buying groceries on monday and owuld love to have a little list of veggies to throw in! Thanks!

[LittleNellColumbia]

Hi there!
Well im not much of a cook, but i was flicking through my cook books the other day when i saw a stuffed capsicum recipe,
You just cook the desired about of couscous, add vegan marge (melted) to taste, add some currants and whcih ever spices you fancy. Then you microwave a whole, dug out capsicum untill softened and stuff the sontents insed an vwalla!! yummo couscous recipe!! you can also have to remaining amount of couscous as a side dish with your desired vegies and a chutney mixed in!
Hope that helped a teeensy bit

[amarle]

i pretty much throw in a bit of everything when i do couscous. whole cumin seeds add great flavour... add them to your hot oil before you do any veges... and don't let them burn.

[Plunder Bunnie]

Thanks alot guys, sounds good!

[snivelingchild]

Add currants. No matter what else you do, the currants make ALL the difference. Boil them in the water too to help spread the flavor.

[Mystic]

Chickpeas and couscous are a marriage made in heaven.

[Geoff]

When I saw this thread, I wondered why vegans would want recipes for a small arboreal marsupial but, when I checked, I found that the animal is a cuscus. All rather confusing really.

[Roxy]

LOL Geoff

I like to add sultanas (raisins for North American folk) and shelled pistachio nuts. Yum! Chopped dried apricots would probably be very nice too.

[terra]

Hi Plunder Bunnie -

I love couscous! I use an organic whole wheat couscous! Yum!

I usually eat it plain, because it's so quick and easy to make.. but when someone else is eating with me, I will make a couscous stir-fry.

While the couscous is cooking, I put carrots, yellow pepper, minced jalapeno, green onion and broccoli into a pan with some olive oil. Toss that around for a few minutes and serve it over the couscous.

Sometimes I will add soya sauce but it's just as good without!

Yum in my tum!

[LittleNellColumbia]

I have completely forgot the brand by now, but previously we have been able to find quick serve couscous in satchets from the supermarket, which come in different flavours! they have really generous serves per satchet (serves one) and has only about 120 calories for a fairly large bowl. I had tomato and mushroom, which was nice!

[terra]

Tomato and Mushroom flavour sounds SO tasty!

We have a brand here in canada called Casbah.

They make flavoured ones aswell...

Organic Whole Wheat CousCous
Original CousCous
CousCous Nutted with Currants & Spice
Lemon Spinach CousCous
Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil CousCous
Wild Forest Mushroom CousCous
Toasted Couscous
Thai Cuban Toasted CousCous
Toasted CousCous
Wild Mushroom Toasted CousCous

I got that from their website... they sound pretty good, and I think they are quick serve...?

I think I may have to give them a try...

[Plunder Bunnie]

[QUOTE=terra]Tomato and Mushroom flavour sounds SO tasty!
CousCous Nutted with Currants & Spice
Lemon Spinach CousCous
Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil CousCous
QUOTE]

Those ones sound awesome!

[maya]

Ok! this is a little spicy, so if you dont eat spicy food use less curry paste. I cook a lot and I am always trying new recipes. I got this one from a Thai cooking class I took. It is really good. I also learned how to make spring rolls. Yum!

• 1 cup dry couscous
• 1 and 1/4 cup water
• 1 onion, finely chopped
• 1 bell pepper finely chopped
• a few tablespoons curry paste (yellow or red curry paste, which you can find in a chinese market.)
• a little olive oil
• some paprika
• a tablespoon or so of grated fresh ginger
• 1 can of baby corn

First, make the couscous. Boil one and a quarter cups of water, then add the cup of dry couscous, cover, and remove from heat. In a few minutes, the couscous will soak up the water and will be ready.

Heat up a pan with a little olive oil in the bottom. When hot toss the onion and pepper into the pan and stir it as it heats up. Add the ginger, curry paste.
When the onions begin to soften, add baby corn. Then toss couscous into big pan. Once it is fully mixed, add some paprika.

[Plunder Bunnie]

yum

[Roxy]

Oh Yum Maya!! That sounds delicious!!

[terra]

MmMmM -

I LOVE spicy foods!
and I LOVE ginger...

I've never tried curry paste... that sounds like a good recipe to try it out for the first time!

Thanks Maya!

Plunder Bunnie - do you have Zehrs or The Real Canadian Superstore in NS?
That's where you can get those flavors of couscous - they have them in the "organic" section...

[Plunder Bunnie]

MmMmM -
Plunder Bunnie - do you have Zehrs or The Real Canadian Superstore in NS?
That's where you can get those flavors of couscous - they have them in the "organic" section...

I have an Atlantic Super Store in my hometown, i actually work there (although i hate it) and they do have a healthfood section full of organic stuff, as well as vegetarian and vegan stuff. I'll take a look around there next time, thats the aisle i always head to first buying groceries!

[terra]

Oh cool! - do you get discounts on food? That would be awesome.. I spend way too much money on groceries. but it's so worth it just knowing that it's not crap.

I'm the same way, I go strait to the organic section.

Our store is SO big, you could get lost in it. It's discusting. But luckily, that means a decent sized organic section. When I go shopping, I only shop in 1/16 of the store. I go to the organic section, and then to the produce section.

Thankfully they're both near the front door and the self-checkout, so I don't have to be in there too long. (I'm not a big fan of shopping or spending money or risking the chance of running into someone I don't want to see....we live in a SMALL town... )

Atlantic Superstore and Zehrs are own by the same company, so I would think they would have pretty much the same brands and products.
Is there anything you really like from Atlantic Superstore that you would recommend?.. maybe I can look for it in my store

[terra]

sorry to get off-topic... we could continue this in the Canadian thread....

[Plunder Bunnie]

Lol, well, i dont get a discount cuz they are super cheap there, and they say people would try to buy a whole grocery order, but it would be so easy to just have like a, ten dollar or less policy. But anywho, yea, thats the place i buy much of my stuff, and produce too. I also get some cereal etc, but not a whole lot else. The PC soydogs, (the brand name of the food the store produces, i dont know if its the same at yours) are the best i've had. They're in the produce department at my store, in a cooler. They don't have that rubbery texture alot of soydogs have.
In the organics section, there are these waffles i really like, they clearly say on the package that they are milk and egg free which is nice, and the ones i like have real blueberrys and raspberrys in them. (none of that article gunk!) I think they are called natures path.
At the store they also have organic soy cheeses, but not a one of them is vegan, they all of casien in them. Lots of the time if i forget a work snack i grab a soy delicious fudge bar that are sold individually. Yum! and only 4 grams of fat which is nice.
Im really having a hard time remembering things i buy there on a weekyl basis, i buy my pasta there, and this mexican tomato soup, but i forget the brand, its yummy!!
Anywho, the worst thing about working their tho is the meat. Especially pork lions, because they arent on a styrofoam plate like the rest, and are just sucked into a syranwrap tube. So they jiggle around and stuff when you touch them. Disgusting. Alot of customers have mentioned how i go all weird when i touch it. I am currently looking for a new job in a smaller, animal friendly store . Its also funyn watching how much CRAP people eat. potato chips are probably the third best seller after milk and bread!!! Its disturbing!!!

[Roxy]

I am going to PEI for a vacation next summer. I've been told the Superstore there has a good organics section That's good - because I'll probably be packing a picnic or 2 while I'm there

[terra]

I know what you mean about the potato chips Plunder -

The thing I can't get over is the amount of Pop/soda people have in their carts -

Almost every cart that I see has a case of coke or crap like that -

And everytime I go shopping, I see atleast one person with their cart FILLED with cases of soda & chips. (and we have HUGE carts here) and then to see the kids they have riding along with them. I feel bad for them knowing that they're going home to eat and drink crap.... I hate it.

Luckily, I don't have to go near the meat section in my store, I stay FAR away from it, and then I go to the self check-out, so i don't have to see any of the scary stuff. I couldn't imagine having to handle a giggly dead carcase.
Good luck with finding a new job!

Roxy -

Do you have Superstores or any Loblaws in Vancouver?
My aunt and her family live in Kelowna, and they have a superstore there... but I believe she told me they didn't carry the "organics" brand - haha........creepy that it's a BRAND.
I think you'll be happy when you go to the Superstore in PEI ... from what Plunder Bunnie has been saying, it sounds like they have a lot of the same things we do here, and there's a lot of goodies here. So I think you'll be able to make a yummy Picnic for 2!!

[terra]

ps - roxy...

Is the person who you're going to visit vegan aswell?

[Roxy]

I hope to meet up with a Vegan flower when I'm there

[terra]

OH - I see Roxy!

Well then, Good luck to you!

[Roxy]

Are you near PEI? I'm not too familiar with the geography of the maritimes?

[terra]

I'm from Ontario

in a small town called midland on georgian bay.

Georgian Bay is in the eastern part of the great lakes.

Midland is about 2 hours north-west of Toronto.


Ps. I bought the Garlic & olive oil Couscous lastnight... It looks SOOO yummy.

[Tigerlily]

She's talking about me, everybody!

The bad thing about the organic/natural food section of SuperStore here, is that you have walk by the fish market. And they display their fish heads on ice and they have real live fish in tanks. Like out in the open. And the water's all gross and it smells bad.

You could also get to it through the pharmacy section but you still have to walk through a bunch of animal-tested products.

And it's also across the large aisle from the meat area.

I was thinking of complaining but I don't know where else they could put it.

[Roxy]

Ahhhh ok.

I love couscous. Haven't had any for a couple of months. Maybe I'll buy some next grocery shop.

[Tigerlily]

On topic:
I never tried couscous. Is it nutritious like quinoa? Or even rice?

[Plunder Bunnie]

On topic:
I never tried couscous. Is it nutritious like quinoa? Or even rice?

The stuff i bought was just regular couscous (?), i should have gotten whole wheat. The stuff i have dosent seem overly nutritious, just not unnutritious. It might have fibre or something, but dosent even lsit any vitamins or minerals.

[speedylemons]

Yum i just got done eating a stuffed pepper i made with couscous. I used whole wheat couscous, a can of blackbeans, a can of corn [i'm trying to use up my canned foods], one medium tomato, curry spice, nutritional yeast and four green peppers. i mixed everything together and then packed the mixture into the four hollow peppers. i cooked em for a while after sprinkling more nutritional yeast on top and when they were done i put a chunk of fresh avocado on top. OMG..... so good. i just got done scarfing one down.

[mew_76]

Everyone always mentions nutritional yeast, I don't even know what that is...

[Litsea]

That sounds really good Ashley! I'll have to try that... especially since my son keeps picking my red bell peppers from the garden before they're red.

[pat sommer]

Hint: fill bottom of shallow pan with cous cous, pour over boiling water while shaking. This prevents lumps

goes nicely with egyptian chestnuts: simmer a pan full of raw peeled chestnuts with juice of 1 orange, drizzle of olive oil, dash of rosewater, garlic, coriander, cumin, cinnamon, salt, chopped apricot and enough water to keep pan from going dry before chestnuts are tender

[GoodbyeGirl]

MINT COUSCOUS WITH TART CHERRIES

1c water
1t olive oil
1/2c packed dried tart cherries, coarsely chopped
1c couscous
1t crumbled dried mint leaves, or 2T chopped fresh
salt & fresh pepper to taste

boil water in a 2 quart saucepan. remove pot from heat and add oil, cherries, couscous, mint, salt & pepper. cover and let rest 5 minutes. fluff with a fork and adjust seasoning.

[GoodbyeGirl]

COUSCOUS WITH APPLE GINGER TOPPING AND ORANGE SAUCE

SAUCE:
3/4c fresh orange juice
1 1/2T triple sec

COUSCOUS:
1 1/3c apple juice
3T vegan butter
1/4t salt
1c uncooked couscous
2t grated orange rind

TOPPING:
2T vegan butter
2T dark brown sugar
2c diced peeled granny smith apple
2T raisins
2T finely chopped crystallized ginger
1 1/2T triple sec
1/2t ground cinnamon

to prepare sauce bring orange juice to a boil in a large saucepan; cook until reduced to 1/3c (about 6 minutes). stir in 1 1/2T liqueur. pour into a small bowl and set aside.
to prepare couscous bring apple juice, 3T of butter & salt to a boil in a saucepan, and gradually stir in couscous nd rind. remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. fluff with a fork.
to prepare topping melt 2T butter in a medium nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. add sugar and cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. stir in apple and raisins; cook 5 minutes or until apple is tender, stirring frequently. remove from heat. stir in ginger, 1 1/2T liqueur, and cinnamon.
spoon about 1/3c couscous into each of 8 dessert glasses or bowls. top each serving with bout 2T topping and 1T sauce. garnish with mint sprigs if desired.

[Roxy]

Thanks for those recipes GoodbyeGirl Sometimes I like to take couscous to work for my lunch - these are going to come in handy when I want to jazz things up a bit!

[veggedoutnluvinit]

i always like to make couscous with a pesto sauce on top...w/ some of my favorite sauteed veggies as well! i think the pesto is the key thing though...i love it!! a good recipe for couscous!!