Seven-vegetable Couscous

Total Time: 1 hr Preparation Time: 30 mins Cook Time: 30 mins

Ingredients

• 3 1/2 cups water (or stock of your choosing-i like vegetable)
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/2 cups couscous
• 1/4 cup black currants (or dark raisins)
• 1/2 cup olive oil
• 1 tablespoon garlic, minced fine
• 2 medium carrots, peeled and diced small
• 1 cup butternut squash, peeled and diced small (use packaged frozen if desired)
• 1 eggplant, diced small
• 1 yellow squash, diced small
• 1 medium green zucchini, diced small
• 2 cups diced tomatoes (or use grape tomatoes)
• 1 red bell pepper, diced small
• 1/2 cup cooked chickpeas
• 1 tablespoon chili powder
• 2 teaspoons smoked sweet paprika
• 1 teaspoon toasted ground coriander
• 1 teaspoon toasted ground cumin
• 4 cardamom pods, whole
• salt and pepper, to taste

Recipe

• 1 couscous:.
• 2 place the water or stock on the stove, bring to a boil, and season with 1 teaspoon salt.
• 3 in a large bowl, add the couscous and currants(or raisins), pour the boiling water over the top of the couscous, and stir to mix. cover with plastic wrap and set aside.
• 4 vegetables:.
• 5 place a large sauté pan on the stove and heat over medium. when the pan is warm, add the olive oil. once the oil is hot, sauté the garlic until golden. add the carrots and butternut squash, toss to coat with oil, and cook until golden brown. add the eggplant, yellow squash, and zucchini and cook until tender.
• 6 toss in the remaining ingredients up to and including the cardamom pods. stir to coat evenly with the spices and cook for about 8 minutes or until the vegetables are tender and aromatic. season to taste with salt and pepper and serve over the couscous on a large platter.