Tag: vegetarian

Meatless Monday: Fall Harvest Couscous

kswemba
Flavorful way to eat your veggies

I am always pleasantly surprised when an idea comes to fruition. My husband had asked if we could have a dish with couscous and I jumped at the opportunity. After looking around at recipes, I found one that used chickpeas, cranberries and squash. Per usual, I did not have the necessary ingredients! Of course….so I do what I always do….wing it. I prefer my dishes to have some wiggle room. So once again, I bring you a dish that you can seriously tailor to your preference.

Preheat oven: 400 degrees Cook time: 20 minutes
Ingredients (makes 2, double for more)
Place below ingredients on a sheet pan lined with parchment paper
Add small amount of extra virgin olive oil to each item on pan, coat with hands.
1. Half stalk Asparagus – snap of bottoms
2. One pepper – diced
3. 1/2 cup blanched slivered almonds. Watch these bc they can burn (may need to be taken out early)
4. 2 roma tomatoes – diced
5. 1/2 cup canned chickpeas -wash and remove thin shell on each – time consuming but worth it b/c it cooks to a nice crunch
***Sprinkley 1tsp garlic salt and 1 tsp onion powder over veggies – pepper, tomatoes, chickpeas
***Sprinkle a couple shakes salt over almonds
(save 1/2 cup of craisins to add to dish AFTER out of the oven. Don’t cook the craisins.)

While veggies are in the oven, boil 1 and 3/4 cup water and 1 tsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil in saucepan. Follow directions on box of Near East Pearled Couscous Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil. This stuff is magic in a box! So good!
When the veggies come out, use scissors to cut your asparagus into small pieces. Put everything into the pot and stir. I chose to add craisins to mine to have a sweet contrast to the garlic. You could also use yellow raisins, regular raisins or even dates. (I have no advice on how to use dates, but I saw it suggested somewhere and wanted to pass it along. I prefer craisins and yellow raisins myself.)

And that’s it! Let me know what you think!



This is the couscous I use

I don’t think you’re ready for this Chili…..

kswemba

Do you like it hot? Well, this ladies and gentlemen, is my spiciest chili yet! And…..wait for it…..it’s vegetarian! Ok, don’t sign off yet, my chili is made with morning star chorizo crumbles….if you prefer, all you have to do is substitute it for real chorizo….it will be just as amazing! Easy fix, everyone wins.

Here’s the recipe: (I actually measured everything….usually I’m more of a shake and tweak as I go kinda gal.)

To speed up the process I combine the following in a frying pan and heat together on the stove top til the kidney beans are soft. The Morning Star chorizo crumbles only needs about 8 minutes to be thoroughly cooked. (If subbing regular chorizo, your cook time will vary, and you may want to use a separate pan)

  1. I can of diced tomatoes – 14-15 ounces (basil, oregano, garlic – use the whole can, even the juice)
  2. 1 can of light red kidney beans 15.5 ounces
  3. 1 tbsp garlic salt
  4. 2 tsp onion powder
  5. 1/8 tsp chili powder
  6. 1 tsp ground red pepper (to make it less spicy, omit this)
  7. 1 bag of Morning Star Chorizo crumbles (10 ounces)

In a large pot, heat 2.5 cups of water, and about 1.5 tbsp tomato paste (I used what I had, Italian style with basil and oregeno). Continue to heat on medium low. Add ingredients from frying pan and cook together covered on low for ten minutes. (If the heat is on high, you’ll lose your water and have to add more.) Add cheese and favorite toppings.

That’s it! Congrats on making one spicy chili! I hope you enjoy! If you try it, let me know how it worked for you! If you have a substitution, let me know what it is! Enjoy.