Vegetarian Couscous

 

Vegetarian Couscous

 

Couscous is a great North African dish, it’s easy to make a vegetarian version of it because the recipe calls for lots of vegetable and spices, and then the couscous which is like a small round pasta.

You will need for 6-8 people :

• 3 Carrots
• 2 red peppers
• 3 small Turnip
• 1 zucchini
• 1 Onion
• 3 Garlic Cloves
• 1/2 can of chickpeas ( a can is about 20 fl oz)
• 1 teaspoon Coriander powder
• 1 & 1/2 teaspoon Cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon Paprika
• 1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon Ras el Hanout, or Turmeric if you don’t have that spice
• 1 teaspoon Ginger powder
• 3 Tablespoons Tomato Paste
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• Salt and Pepper to taste
• Harissa or spicy sauce
• 1 pack of couscous

 

Chop the Onion and the Garlic, and cut all the vegetable in pieces about 3 inches long.

 

 

Brown the Onion and Garlic in the Olive Oil

 

 

Add the chopped vegetable and enough water to cover.

 

 

Add the vegetable cube and all the spices. Cook until tender (about 40 minutes)

 

 

Follow the instruction on the pack of couscous to cook it, serve with the vegetables on the side and Harissa or spicy sauce that everybody can add in his plate

 

Peas and Paneer Curry

Peas and Paneer curry

For 4 -6 people you will need:

• 20 oz (600 g) frozen peas
• 1 big onions or 2 small ones
• one package of Paneer cheese
• 2 Tablespoons ghee (butter if you don’t have)
• 4 garlic cloves
• 1/2 a big can of cubed tomatoes or a small one (14oz)
• 2-3 cups water
• 1 teaspoon salt

Spices :

2 teaspoons Turmeric

4 teaspoons of the following mix:

• 3 teaspoons coriander powder
• 1 teaspoon cumin powder
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 3-4 cloves
• 1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

chop the onion

Melt the ghee in a pot

Add the onion and garlic and brown them, then add the spices, water ,tomatoes, salt and frozen peas.

Cook until the peas are done, then cut the paneer into cubes, add them to the mix and cook for 10 minutes

serve with naans and enjoy!

Cumin carrots

Cumin Carrots

Excellent appetizer or side dish, it needs to be made in advance though so it has enough time to cool down in the fridge.

Cilantro

You will need for 4-6 people.

• About 1lb and 3/4 of Carrots
• About 1/2 liter of Orange Juice (may vary depending on the size of your pan)
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin powder
• 1 Tablespoon Cumin seeds
• 1 Tablespoon Sugar
• 1 Teaspoon Salt
• 1/2 bunch Cilantro, fresh
• 1 Teaspoon Chili Olive Oil ( or chili flakes, chili sauce…)
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Peel and cut the carrots in 3 inches sticks, wash them

In a pan, add Orange Juice to cover the Carrots, Cumin Powder and Seeds, Sugar and Salt

Cook on medium heat for about 40 minutes or until the carrots are tender and the orange juice has reduced by more than half.

In the serving dish, mix the Olive Oil, Chili and Cilantro

Add the carrots and cooking juices to the serving dish, mix well and let cool in the fridge

Carrots, Cumin and Cilantro Soup

Carrots, Cumin and Coriander Soup

Very nice on a cold or rainy day.

Celery

Coriander

• You will need :
• About 1.5 lb Carrots
• 2 Stalk Celery chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 3 Garlic Cloves, chopped
• 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1/2 bunch fresh Cilantro (about 1/2 cup)
• 1 teaspoon Salt

Brown the onion and Garlic in the 2 Tablespoons Olive Oil

Add the celery and saute for 2 minutes

Add the carrots and just enough water to cover, the ground Cumin teaspoon and the Salt teaspoon

Cook for about 40 minutes, or until the carrots are tender.

Off the stove, add the chopped Cilantro and mix with a hand mixer, adding a bit of  water if the texture is too thick.

Carrots, Cumin and Cilantro Soup

5 minutes Hummus with toasted Pita

Hummus

Lemons

You will need for 4-6 people

• 1 can of Chick Peas (19 oz)
• 1 teaspoon coarse Salt
• 3-4 Garlic cloves
• 1 teaspoon ground Cumin
• 1 Tablespoon Tahini
• 1 Tablespoon Olive Oil
• 1 lemon juice
• a packet of Pita
• Olive oil to brush on the Pita

Drain the chick peas, do not discard the liquid, you will use it to adjust the consistency of the hummus.

Prepare all the ingredients and put them in a container convenient for the hand mixer.

all the ingredients ready

ingredients in the hand mixer container

Mix, adding some liquid from the chick peas can if necessary.

Transfer into a serving bowl. You can make a swirl on top with a spoon. I like to sprinkle some paprika and place an olive in the middle but you can decorate with ground cumin, a few leaves of parsley or cilantro, tapenade….

paprika and olive on the hummus

When ready to serve, brush the pita with Olive Oil,

Brush Pita with Olive Oil

I grill them in my bread toaster, turning them from time to time, the oven broiler will work as well, or toaster oven.

Toasting the Pita

Cut them in quarters and serve with the hummus.

Cut the pita in quarters