Spiced Couscous with Chicken and Broccoli

I don't know about you, but the holidays seem like they get busier every year. With all the shopping, birthdays, a funeral, family gathering out of town, and job hunting, I haven't really been able to make as many new meals and it has been almost a month since my last post!  I finally had some time yesterday to try this dish out and I think it might be my new favorite! I thought the cinnamon might be overpowering, but I was wrong. It's buttery, spicy, and comforting...definitely a keeper.

Ingredients
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
1 tsp ground pepper
1 tsp kosher salt
3-4 medium carrots, thinly sliced
1 bunch of broccoli, rinsed and chopped into smaller pieces
3 cloves of garlic, minced
pinch of red pepper flakes
3 Tbsp olive oil
1/2 cup chicken broth
1 cup uncooked couscouse (plain)
2 cups cooked and shredded chicken
3 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/2 cup slivered or sliced almonds
small handful of raisins (about 1/4 cup or more if you like)
3-4 green onions, chopped
1/2 cup fresh chopped cilantro
sour cream and sirracha for topping

Directions
Heat olive oil, garlic, and red pepper flakes in a large skillet over medium heat until garlic starts to brown. Add the broccoli and cook for about 3 minutes. Add the chicken broth, a little salt and pepper to taste and cook for about 3-5 minutes or until tender. Set aside.

Bring 2 1/2 cups of water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add 1/2 tsp cinnamon, the ginger, 1 tsp kosher salt and 1/2 tsp pepper.  Add the carrots and cook for about 3-4 minutes or until tender. Drain the carrots and reserve the liquid.

Put the couscous and chicken in a medium bow and pour in 1 cup of the reserved carrot liquid. Cover with a plastic warp and let sit for 5 minutes. Then fluff couscous with a fork.

While you are waiting for the couscous to cook, melt the butter (in same skillet as broccoli) and add the raisins, green onions, almonds, and remaining 1/4 tsp of cinnamon. Cook for about 2 to 3 minutes then add the broccoli back in for just about a minute to heat it back up. Stir in the cilantro and remove from heat.

Divide the couscous/chicken into seperate bowls. Top with the carrots and add more cooking liquid if desired. Sprinkle with the almond and raisin mixture and more cilantro. Garnish with sour cream and sirracha.


Recipe Source: barely adapted from Food Network-I combined their Spiced Couscous and Chicken recipe with their Sauteed Broccoli recipe

Grilled Veggies with Couscous, Feta & Orange-Balsamic Vinaigrette

 

This was one of the side dishes I made for our Labor Day weekend cookout. I knew I wanted some kind of grilled veggies with our meal and finally found this recipe on my Whole Foods app that I decided to try. I had a box of Isaraeli Pearl couscous in my pantry that worked perfectly and the orange-balsamic vinaigrette dressed this dish up just enough without being too overpowering ( I may actually add more next time to give it just a bit more flavor). You could easily substitute quinoa or white or brown rice and use whatever veggies you have on hand.  This recipe served 5 people and we had some leftovers.

 

Ingredients

6-7 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 1/2  tablespoons lemon juice
1 tsp teaspoon dried oregano
Salt and pepper to taste
1 large red onion, thickly sliced
1 large yellow squash, chopped (can also slice into rounds if desired)
1 large zucchini, chopped (can also slice into rounds if desired)
1 red bell pepper, cored, seeded chopped
1 small shallot, finely chopped
1/2 cup + 2 or 3 Tbsp orange juice
2 1/2  teaspoons balsamic vinegar
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
1/3 cup feta cheese crumbles
1/4 cup chopped parsley

Directions
1.Combine 4 Tbsp of the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano and salt and pepper in a large bowl. Add onions, squash, zucchini and peppers and toss gently to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 30 minutes, or up to 2 hours.

2.Preheat grill. Arrange marinated vegetables in a single layer on the grill and cook, flipping once, until tender and golden brown, about 10 minutes total. Transfer to a platter and keep warm.

3.Heat 1 to 2 tablespoons of the remaining oil in a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, until translucent, about 3 minutes. Add orange juice and reduce liquid by half, 6 to 8 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper, then remove from the heat and set vinaigrette aside.

4.Cook couscous according to package directions (should take about 15 mins or less to cook)

5.Arrange couscous in the middle of a large platter. Top with grilled vegetables and drizzle with warm vinaigrette. Garnish with feta cheese and parsley and serve.



Recipe source: adapted from Whole Foods