What's in the Box? Couscous with Spinach and Fresh Mozzarella

More lunch ideas for you! I decided I wanted a salad, but not a lettuce-y one.

Notes: My grocery store carries tiny little mozzarella balls, so I used those. If yours doesn't, just grab a regular ball of mozzarella and dice it.

I used a garlic and herb flavored couscous. You could use the plain kind and season it any way you want.

Ingredients:
1 box of couscous
2 cups of baby spinach
1 cup small mozzarella balls or diced fresh mozzarella

Directions:

Chop the baby spinach. Cook the couscous according to the directions. When it's finished, add the spinach to the pot. Stir everything together until the spinach starts to wilt. Once it's cool, add the mozzarella.

Store in the fridge. Scoop some out into your favorite small lunch container and pack it up. Enjoy!

Roasted Broccoli and Chickpea Stew over Couscous

The semester is finally winding down. It's hard to believe I've been here nearly a year already! Time flies. I'll soon be driving down to Louisiana to pack Scott up and move him here. I'm so excited!

Since I'll be leaving town for several weeks, I'm making an effort to use up the things I have in my pantry. I had a can of chickpeas, a can of roasted tomatoes, and some couscous. Enter chickpea stew!

Notes: If you're trying to expand your palate, here's a good tip: the next time you make a dish add one new ingredient you've never tried before. It's much easier to meal plan if you build a dish around one or two ingredients rather than a long list of them. Plus, if you end up not liking the new ingredient, you won't waste as much time or money.

My new ingredient was anchovies. I've only cooked with anchovies once before and it was years ago. I know, I know -- everyone thinks they're gross. They really aren't. They don't taste fishy and they only smell fishy for a few minutes right when you take them out of the jar. Once you get them in the pan with your other ingredients, you won't even know they're there. But you will surely taste the difference in your tomato sauce! I couldn't believe the depth of flavor they added. I'll definitely be adding them to my tomato sauce in the future.


Ingredients:
1 15 oz. can chickpeas
2 small broccoli crowns
2 tablespoons chopped fresh thyme
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon chili powder
4 cloves garlic
2 shallots
4 anchovy filets
1 15 oz. can tomatoes
1 tablespoon tomato paste
1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cups water
Salt
Pepper
Butter
Olive Oil

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400. Cut the broccoli crowns into florets. Toss the florets in 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt, pepper, cumin, and chili powder. Spread them out in one layer on a baking sheet and roast for 20 minutes, flipping halfway through.

Add butter or oil to a skillet and heat over medium high. Chop the shallots and mince the garlic. Add them to the pan along with the anchovy filets. Smash the anchovies so that they break down in the pan. Saute until the shallot and garlic are tender and the anchovies have melted. Add the tomato paste, the tomatoes, and thyme. Rinse and drain the chickpeas and add them to the pan. Season everything with salt and pepper and let simmer while the broccoli roasts.

Bring the water to a boil in a 2-quart sauce pan. When it boils, stir in the couscous, turn off the heat, and let stand for 5 minutes.

Melt two tablespoons of butter into the chickpea stew and add the roasted broccoli when it's done. To serve, put some couscous in the bottom of a bowl and ladle the stew on top. Enjoy!

Q.E.D.: Coconut Couscous

As I've mentioned before, I love dishes that I can put in a bowl and eat while sitting on my couch. And winter is prime couch weather. The coconut milk adds more texture than flavor to this dish -- it makes the couscous creamier than usual.

This is dish has a lot going for it. Pro #1: it's quick and easy. Pro #2: it admits of a lot of versatility. You could flavor it any way you like and add whatever vegetables strike your fancy. It's also a great way to use up any leftover produce you have. Pro #3: since couscous and coconut milk are the primary ingredients, it's a pantry staple. That's a lot of pros.

Notes: I used curry paste in this dish and afterwards I was wishing I had used something else. It still tasted great and I didn't use enough to make it really hot. I think I wanted something more herb-y. No matter! I'll try something else the next time I make this dish.

Ingredients:
1 box of plain couscous (it usually comes in 10 oz.)
1 13-16 oz. can of coconut milk
1 15 oz. can of white beans
1/2 bunch of kale, stemmed
3 cloves of carlic
3 tablespoons of butter or olive oil
1 teaspoon curry paste
Salt
Pepper

Directions:

Start by chopping your garlic and your kale. Drain and rinse your white beans.

Add your fat of choice to a skillet and turn it to medium. Once it's hot, toss in the kale and saute for about 30 seconds.

Scoot (technical term) the kale to the edges of the pan and add in the couscous. Stir it around to coat it in your remaining fat. Toast the couscous for just a minute and then add in your coconut milk. At this point, you may need to add a little water to thin the mixture out. I would just fill the empty can of coconut milk up about halfway. Add the beans and curry paste. Stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper.

Turn the heat down to medium-low. Cover the pan with a lid and let it simmer for 10-15 minutes or until the couscous has absorbed the liquid. Keep an eye on it because your burner might be hotter than mine. It should be creamy and tender, but not mushy.

Add to your favorite bowl and enjoy (preferably on the couch)!