I made this recipe last night for the mister and a guest and it was so easy and yummy. Israeli couscous are just like regular couscous except they're much larger and have this great chewy texture. Almost every Israeli couscous recipe requires that you do a little sauteeing before you boil them to optimize the texture.
You can find the original recipe here, but below is my tweaked version. I served this alongside some fried eggplant topped with crumbled feta cheese.
Ingredients:
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
3-4 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-pound) box Israeli couscous
3 cups veggie broth
2 lemons, juiced
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/2 cup dried cranberries
small package slivered almonds, toasted
Directions:
In a medium saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the couscous and cook until toasted and lightly browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the veggie broth, and the juice of 1 lemon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the couscous is tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the couscous, if needed.
In a large bowl, toss the cooked couscous with the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper and let cool.
Once the couscous is room temperature, add the fresh herbs, and dried cranberries. Toss to combine and serve with toasted slivered almonds on top.
