I continue to dabble in the land of gluten and dairy (ie. normal people land) – no substitutions or restrictions. This week, I decided to cook up some couscous – a grain that I had never really enjoyed as a kid…but am very much enjoying as an adult – specifically after discovering it is the easiest thing in the world to cook. I had to reread the instructions on the box just to believe that it actually only took five minutes.
To make the flavor of the couscous, I went with my can’t lose calculation: saute tons of onions and chickpeas, add in some vegetable broth, and call it a day. Sauteed onions make everything better, I think that’s a law or something. For the vegetable saute, I simple cooked down chard and tomatoes – but you could really throw together any seasonal veggies in a pan and pair with the couscous. This made 4 servings.
Ingredients:
1 bunch of Swiss chard, rinsed
1 10 oz container of cherry tomatoes, rinsed
3/4 cup of uncooked couscous
1/2 teaspoon of vegetable bouillon (or half of a cube)
1 can of chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 Vidalia onion, peeled and chopped
1/2 cup of crumbled goat cheese
Water, olive oil, salt, pepper
Directions:
In a large pot, add a few drops of olive oil and all of your chopped onion over medium heat. Cook down the onion for about 10 minutes, then add in the chickpeas. Continue sauteing for a few minutes, or until the onion has softened enough to be pierced easily by a fork.
Pour in the 3/4 cup of dried couscous, followed by 1 cup of water and 1/4 cup of vegetable broth (I dissolved the bouillon in this 1/4 cup, but it will dissolve anyways once over heat with the water). Stir. The water should begin bubbling rather soon, at which point you should remove the pot from heat and cover.
Meanwhile, chop your Swiss chard into strips and leave out the bottom portion of the stems. Slice your cherry tomatoes in half as well.
In a saute pan over medium heat, add a few drops of oil and toss in both the chard and the tomatoes. Saute until the chard has fully softened – it will shrink significantly – about 7 minutes. The tomatoes should also soften a bit. Remove from heat.
To finish your couscous, add a few shakes of salt and pepper and use a fork to fluff it and stir everything together. Plate with the sauteed chard and top with goat cheese crumbles. Serve warm.
