North African Couscous Recipes

NORTH AFRICAN CHICKEN AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• Bring the water to a boil in a medium saucepan, and gradually stir in couscous and raisins.
• Remove from heat.
• Cover; let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• Combine orange juice and next 6 ingredients (orange juice through black pepper); stir well with a whisk.
• Combine the couscous mixture, juice mixture, chicken, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl, and toss well.
• Garnish with green onions, if desired.

NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS WITH TEMPEH

Steps:

• Mix 1/3 cup water, soy sauce, honey, 1 1/2 teaspoons curry powder, garlic, lemon juice, and liquid smoke together in a bowl until marinade is smooth; add tempeh and turn to coat evenly. Marinate tempeh, turning frequently, for 20 minutes.
• Combine vegetable broth, 1 tablespoon olive oil, 2 1/2 tablespoons curry powder, and salt in a saucepan with a tight-fitting lid; bring to a boil. Add couscous, cover saucepan, and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a skillet over medium-high heat; add tempeh and marinade. Cook tempeh until browned on the bottom, about 5 minutes. Turn and brown the other side, about 5 minutes more. Remove tempeh from skillet.
• Pour remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil into the same skillet; cook and stir onion until fragrant and brown, about 4 minutes. Add chickpeas and water; cook and stir using a wooden spoon to break up brown bits of food on the skillet, 3 to 4 minutes. Reduce heat to low.
• Fold couscous into the onion mixture; add tempeh. Sprinkle mint over couscous; cook and stir until warmed through, 2 to 3 minutes.

NORTH AFRICAN COUSCOUS PAELLA

Steps:

• Heat oil in saucepan. Add the peppers, scallions, garlic, coriander, turmeric and cayenne. Saute over medium heat for 3 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the stock or water. Add the shrimp or tofu and cook for another 3 to 4 minutes, until the shrimp is pink. Stir in the peas and cook for another minute.
• Mix in the couscous and butter or margarine. Cover, remove from heat and let stand for 5 minutes.
• Uncover the pan, and using a fork, fluff up the couscous and break up any lumps.
• Add salt and pepper to taste. Serve on a platter, topped with toasted almonds, parsley and lemon wedges.

NORTH AFRICAN CHICKEN AND COUSCOUS

Steps:

• In a large sauce pan, add olive oil and saute onions until caramelized on low heat for about 8-10 minutes stirring frequently.
• Add cumin and sugar and cook for an additional 1-2 minutes stirring on low. (Do not let sugar burn).
• Cut chicken pieces into bite sized pieces.
• Add stock, chickpeas, raisins, saffron, cinnamon, chicken and bring to a light boil, then cover, reduce to simmer and cook for 30 minutes stirring frequently.
• Meanwhile, pre-heat the oven at 350 degrees F. Line a jelly roll pan with baking parchment paper, toast the almonds with the clarified butter drizzled over them for about 10-15 minutes in a 350 degree F oven and set aside.
• Stir couscous into boiling water, remove from heat and cover tightly, let stand for 8 minutes.
• Uncover and fluff with a fork.
• Serve with couscous on bottom, then chicken mixture and top with toasted almonds.
• Enjoy!