Chugga Chugga Couscous

When faced with the need to provide a dish for a work potluck, I always think SWEET first. Not sure why. Am I a baker before a cook? I certainly cook more than I bake, but maybe it is the baking process that really gets my creative juices going.

Regardless, I had a really hard time thinking of a dish for hubby to take for lunch until I remembered the boxes of couscous I bought recently. Most people think couscous is a grain, like rice, but in fact it is a pasta. It cooks up really fast because they are tiny pieces of pasta, and also they are steamed, then dried, before you use it so it's almost like reconstituting it. Couscous is of North African origin and can stand up to really strong flavors. It is a great vehicle for any kind of vegetable.

Today I decided to make it with zucchini and the incredibly sweet grape tomatoes we buy every week. Green onions, spice, toasted pine nuts, and hot boiling water and we are there!

Vegetable Couscous Salad

1/2 cup pine nuts
2 1/2 cups water
2 cups couscous
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon turmeric
1/2 teaspoon cumin
2 small zucchini, split lengthwise and sliced thinly
4 or 5 green onions, diced
2 handfuls grape tomatoes, sliced
2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Place pine nuts in a round or square baking pan and heat at 350 degrees for about 2 1/2 minutes. Shake pan. Heat for about 2 1/2 more minutes. Watch them carefully because they can go from toasted to burned in no time. Remove from oven and pour into a bowl to cool.

Bring water to boil over medium-high heat. Add couscous, cinnamon, turmeric, and cumin. Tightly cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Add zucchini, onion, tomato, and pine nuts. Drizzle with olive oil, season with salt and pepper. Refrigerate before serving.