Moroccan-Style Vegetable Couscous

Comes Fall / Winter and I love a good vegetable couscous. All the veg in a nice sauce, just spicy enough and served with fluffy semolina is all I need to feel satisfied on a cold day. We all know by now that fresh organic vegetables are full of fiber, vitamins and minerals and with this dish only, you'll have your five a day! yes, you're welcome! :-)

I pick organic vegetables and make the couscous when I have time as it takes a while to prep and cook. I would say a half hour to prep the veg and about two hours to cook (on low heat! I actually use a heat diffuser) so make sure you have some time on your hands, maybe at the weekend or during the holidays.

(Now if you are a purist, look away. I have always made my own couscous and never copied anyone and although I am sure there is a "proper" way, I find mine really tasty and full of all the nutrients that your body needs, whether you are fighting an auto-immune disease or not.)

INGREDIENTS (for 4 people)

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 small onion
1 clove garlic
3 small potatoes
3 small carrots
1 yellow turnip
1 large courgette
150 g Mangetout
200 g chickpeas
10 cherry tomatoes
About 10 prunes (pitted)
About 10 dried apricots
2 handfuls sliced almonds
1 handful Corinthian raisins
1 large mug filtered water
70 g tomato paste

Couscous Spice Mix:
1 large Tablespoon cumin
1 large Tablespoon paprika
1 large Tablespoon coriander powder
1 large Tablespoon coriander leaves (chopped)
1 large Tablespoon turmeric
1 teaspoon cinnamon
A pinch of Cayenne pepper

Salt and pepper to taste

METHOD:

I use organic veg but I still peel the carrots and potatoes so start by peeling those and cut into chunks.
Also dice the turnip, courgette, cherry tomatoes, mangetout if too big. Peel and chop up onion and garlic.

In a deep saucepan, heat up the olive oil then throw the onion and garlic in there. Stir for a couple of minutes until golden. Add all the spices and roast for a couple of minutes.
Add the tomato paste and the tomatoes. Stir until everything is combined. Add the mug of water to deglaze and stir. Add the vegetables as well as your prunes, almonds, raisins and apricots. Stir and cover. You can now use the heat diffuser and leave on to cook for about 2 hours on low heat. Stir occasionally.

You can prepare your semolina about 15 minutes before you sit down for dinner. I also use millet semolina for a gluten free version.