Lemon Herb Couscous with Almonds

This light and lemony couscous is the perfect side dish alternative when you’re bored of
rice or pasta!

I just returned from a wonderful and adventure packed vacation from Jamaica (food and recipes to come soon!) and as with any vacation/ occasion I gorged on the food. So when I returned I was in the mood for lighter home cooking and a change of pace from all the meat I’d been eating. So I decided to make a lovely Moroccan Chickpea Stew chock full of veggies (next recipe on the blog  ). To deviate from the usual rice I made a light and delicious couscous to go with it.

This form of Middle Eastern/North African  pasta  is super easy and quick (less than 10 minutes) to cook making it perfect as a side for meat or stews for a weeknight meal. But, before I share with you the main dish the couscous was an accompaniment to, I thought I should share  my favorite way of preparing couscous in the first place. It’s as simple as this…

Lemon Herb Couscous with Almonds

This light and lemony couscous is the perfect side dish alternative when you’re bored of rice or pasta!

Ingredients

1. 1 cup instant couscous
2. 2 cups chicken/vegetable stock
3. 1 tbsp butter
4. 1 tbsp olive oil
5. 1/4 onion, finely chopped
6. 2 cloves garlic
7. Juice of 1/2 lemon
8. Salt & pepper, to taste
9. Handful of flat leaf (Italian) parsley
10. 1/4 - 1/3 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. - Finely dice 1/4 onion and mince 2 cloves of fresh garlic.
2. - Melt and heat some butter in the pan along with the olive oil.
3. - Add the chopped onion to pan and sauté till it turns soft and translucent (2-3 minutes) on medium heat. Then add the minced garlic and sauté for another minute.
4. - Add the chicken stock (or vegetable stock to keep it vegetarian) to the pan and bring it to a boil on high heat. {I used a chicken bouillon cube and 2 cups of water to make a stock}
5. - Season the stock with salt and pepper according to your taste, keeping in mind if the stock/broth or bouillon cube already has salt in it.
6. - When the stock comes to a boil...squeeze in the juice of 1/2 a large lemon, pour in the couscous, give it a quick stir, turn off the heat, cover the pot and let it stand for 6-7 minutes.
7. - When you're ready to serve...sprinkle over a generous handful of chopped fresh parsley and the sliced almonds. Then fluff the couscous with a fork.
8. - Serve hot with some extra parsley and sliced almonds as garnish.

Notes

1. Italian- flat leaf is the best for this dish

By Noreen Hiskey (PictureTheRecipe.com)

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