Spicy vegetable couscous

8 servings

Ingredients

Quantity Ingredient
⅓ pounds Chickpeas or white beans, dried; washed, picked over, soaked overnight or for several hours, drained
1 large Or 2 small onions; sliced
4 Garlic cloves; minced or put through a press
2 Leeks, white part only; carefully cleaned and sliced
1 Bay leaf
6 cups ;water
1 pounds Tomatoes; peeled, coarsely chopped OR
1 can Tomatoes (28 oz); drained
1 Jalapeno orother hot green pepper; seeded, sliced
½ teaspoon Saffron threads
¾ pounds Carrots; thickly sliced
¾ pounds Turnips; peeled and cut into wedges
Salt, pepper to taste
¾ pounds Zucchini; thickly sliced
Cayenne
2 cups Couscous (heaping)
½ cup ;water
1 bunch Cilantro;chopped
Juice of 1/2 lemon (opt)
Whole sprigs of cilantro and harissa sauce for garnish

Directions

Combine the beans, onion, half the garlic,leeks, bay leaf, and water in a large,heavy-bottomed soup pot or a couscoussier.Bring to a boil, cover, reducethe heat, and simmer one hour.

Add the tomatoes,jalapeno, saffron, remaining garlic, carrots, turnips, salt and pepper to taste. Cover and simmer another hour. Add the zucchini and cayenne to taste. Simmer for another 30 minutes, por until the squash is tender. Adjust the seasonings.

Place the couscous in a large bowl or a casserole.

Combine 2 cups broth from the vegetablemixture and ½ cup water.

Gradually sprinkle this onto the couscous.

Add mor waterif necessary to cover the couscous. Let the couscous sit for 20 minutes; stir with a wooden spoon or your hands every 5 minutes or more to prevent lumping. The couscous should swell and soften. Add salt to taste.

Heat the cooked couscous through for 15 to 20 minutes in the top part of your couscoussier, or in a strainer or steamer that fits tightly over your soup pot, or in acoverd baking dish in amediumoven, or in a microwave for 1 to 2 minutes.

Just before serving, bring the vegetable mixture back to a simmer andstir in the chopped cilantro and optional lemon juice. To serve, spoon the couscous into warmed wide flat soup bowls andladle on a generous helping of soup.Garnish with sprigs of cilantro andpass the harissa, with a small bowl of broth so that people can dissolve the harissa in a spoonful before adding it to the couscous.

Note: Harissa is a fiery hot condiment that is traditional with North African dishes such as couscous. Packed in tubes, it is sold in specialty food stores and Middle Eastern markets.

serving size=2 cups 151 calories 1⅕ g fat 0 mg chol 126 mg sodium w/o added salt

Eat More, Weigh Less, by Dean Ornish, M.D./MM by DEEANNE

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