Baby Spinach Omelet (left) and Curried Couscous Pilaf. Photo by SG
My semester is finally over and I have a two month break before the new semester begins (yay!). After vegging out in front of the TV over the weekend (a good deal of that was spent watching the Asian Food Channel), I dusted off my recipe binder to make some lunch for the family.
Had the whole house to myself all morning as my parents were out running errands. With fresh veggies in the garden and a new box of couscous to play with, I decided to make a "summer" lunch: Curried Couscous Pilaf and Baby Spinach Omelet.
I made minor modifications to the couscous dish to make it more "Indian"- added in a generous sprinkle of cumin powder, star anise and a couple of bay leaves (was out of curry leaves, they give off a much better aroma). I added carrots and used kidney beans instead of peas to bump up the nutrient contents. I couldn't find whole-wheat couscous so I used a regular medium grain variety out of a box (you can find a few varieties at Carrefour and Tesco).
For the omelet, I omitted the nutmeg but added a few spoonfuls of sugarless fresh soymilk, chopped onions and chopped green chillies for extra flavour. I also used only 4 egg whites and 3 egg yolks and the omelets still turned out pretty tasty.
I made minor modifications to the couscous dish to make it more "Indian"- added in a generous sprinkle of cumin powder, star anise and a couple of bay leaves (was out of curry leaves, they give off a much better aroma). I added carrots and used kidney beans instead of peas to bump up the nutrient contents. I couldn't find whole-wheat couscous so I used a regular medium grain variety out of a box (you can find a few varieties at Carrefour and Tesco).
For the omelet, I omitted the nutmeg but added a few spoonfuls of sugarless fresh soymilk, chopped onions and chopped green chillies for extra flavour. I also used only 4 egg whites and 3 egg yolks and the omelets still turned out pretty tasty.
I made just enough couscous for dinner. It makes a good filling for pita sandwiches, just squeeze a little lemon juice over the couscous before stuffing it into the pita pockets. Add some thinly sliced cherry tomatoes or chopped regular tomatoes, throw in some grated vegetarian cheese (cheddar or Parmesan works best) and microwave for about a minute to melt the cheese. Serve with a crunchy salad on the side and fruit juice to drink and you have yourself a quick and healthy lunch or dinner. The thing I love about couscous is that it is packed with protein and fibre. Plus, it doesn't sit like deadweight in your stomach the way white rice does.
Here're a few more of my favourite couscous recipes:
Here're a few more of my favourite couscous recipes:
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