Veggie Couscous

This is the new and improved version of my veggie couscous. The grain, couscous, is a North African dish usually served with lamb or chicken. In the past I have served this dish with chicken, cut up ham, sausage , lamb, panchetta flavored but, most of the time with loads of vegetables, a drizzle of olive oil and plenty of Parmesan cheese.

Lately, the menus have been lightened up. I find couscous to be filling and extremely fast. I made it quite often when I was working because it took less than 30 minutes.

In a non-stick frying pan saute which ever veggies are your favorite. For us, this time, it was onion, tomatoes, zucchini, and mushrooms. Cut them all into bite size pieces. I don't measure so for this recipe you need to "wing it". That's the beauty of couscous. It will turn out great no matter what. I used to start out with 2T olive oil and saute the veggies in that but this time I used some chicken broth to keep it moist.

You can buy boxes of plain couscous or you can get it in the bulk bins. I recommend plain because the fancy flavored ones have too much sodium and, in my opinion, have that "processed" taste. For the couscous just follow the directions on the box, roughly 3/4 c couscous per 1 cup water or broth. Bring the water to a boil, pour in the couscous, stir, cover and remove from heat for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and add to the veggie mixture. You may add seasoning such as torn basil or garlic powder. This is not rocket science.

For those of you who don't need to be healthy you can add butter, olive oil and cheese after serving.