Meat-Free Friday: Moroccan Couscous with Pistachio and Apricot

Do you ever hear something, and all of a sudden decide that’s what you want to make even if it’s really random? That’s what happened with this couscous – someone on facebook wrote that they were having couscous for dinner, and all of a sudden I couldn’t get it out of my head. I’d also been thinking a lot about the combination of apricots and pistachios since I saw a recipe for chocolate bark that included the two of them. I decided that they would go great in the couscous. And you know what? I was right. This dish was absolutely amazing! AND it cooked up in about 15 minutes.

This isn’t the prettiest dish on earth: I used whole wheat couscous for this, which I found in the bulk bins at the co-op. It tasted great – I actually think I prefer it to regular couscous – but it does make the final dish a little brown. The seasonings also contribute to the brownish color, but the combination of cinnamon and allspice was wonderful and perfect for fall. I also used unsulfered apricots – these don’t have the pretty peachy color of sulfite-treated apricots, but they taste just the same and tey haven’t been treated with chemicals.

All of the flavors in this come together to fill your mouth with a wonderful aroma. I had initially planned for this to be a side dish, but I messed up the lamb that I was planning to serve it with. I was out of the seasonings that I had planned to use, forgot to glaze it with honey like I had planned, and overcooked it until it basically tasted liek shoe leather. What a waste of lamb! But it was ok, because this couscous was fabulous and I was perfectly happy having it on its own (for dinner I had two servings). The leftovers also made a great lunch the next day. I’ll definitely be making this one again!

Moroccan Couscous with Pistachio and Apricot

• 1.5 cups vegetable stock
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 ounce dried apricots, diced
• 2 cinnamon sticks
• 6 whole allspice
• 1 cup whole wheat couscous
• 1 ounce shelled pistachios, roughly chopped
• 4 green onions, chopped
• 6 basil leaves, chopped
• 1 Tbs fresh lemon juice.

In a medium saucepan combine stock, olive oil, cinnamon, allspice, and apricots. Bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add couscous. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes or until all of th liquid has absorbed. Meanwhile, gently toast your pistachios in a skillet over high heat. Fluff couscous with a fork and stir in pistachios, green onions, and lemon juice.

Serves 6.

Approx. 150 calories, 3 grams fat, 2.5 grams fiber, 4.8 grams protein