Israeli Moroccan Couscous (R)

I found the recipe for Israeli Moroccan Couscous here.

INGREDIENTS:

1 tablespoon olive oil, 1 onion, diced, 3 cups vegetable broth, 2 carrots, peeled and julienned, 2 turnips, peeled and julienned, 1 sweet potato, julienned, 1 zucchini, julienned, 1 red bell pepper, julienned, 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained, 1 (15 ounce) can tomato sauce, 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric, 1 pinch saffron, 1 pinch curry powder, 2 cups uncooked couscous

DIRECTIONS:

First, I chopped the onions, and julienned the veggies (minus the turnips...the ones at the store looked pretty nasty, so I left them out). By the way, a "julienne" (also called a "matchstick") is a type of cut that makes a long, thin strip. You could also just cube the vegetables...you may just have to cook it longer (and they wouldn't look as pretty)!

Next, I poured the oil in a large pot over medium-high heat; and sauteed the onion until golden. I poured in some veggie broth, brought it to a boil, then stirred in the carrots and sweet potato. (If I'd used turnips, I would've added them at this point). I reduced the heat, and let these simmer for about 15 minutes.

After some simmering, I added the zucchini, and red bell pepper and simmered for another 20 minutes.

When the veggies were all soft, I stirred in the garbanzo beans, tomato sauce, cinnamon, turmeric, and curry powder. (I ommitted the saffron...I wasn't going to spend $15 for a little jar...I'm not sure what flavor it would have added). I simmered until everything was heated through.

The recipe calls for cooked couscous, but I used cooked quinoa instead.

JOE'S GRADE: B

My husband claims that he would never "crave" this dish, but he would definitely eat it again! My kids loved it, and I thought it was great! The sauce was savory, yet sweet. I would love to try it with turnips, and I'm curious what flavor the saffron would add. I loved it with the quinoa, but I'm sure it would also be great on rice or couscous. I will make it again when I'm in the mood for a warm, hearty meal.