Couscous with Snow Peas and Radishes

Couscous with Snow Peas and Radishes

Jake really loves snow peas so I wanted to try this recipe from the Vegetarian Times website out. I didn’t have asparagus in the house, so I ended up altering the original recipe a bit. This was an okay dish, but I don’t think I’ll be making it again any time soon. It didn’t really wow either of us, unfortunately. I think it could potentially be altered to be more delicious, but I’m not exactly sure how I would do that at this moment.

Couscous with Snow Peas and Radishes
1/4 lb. snow peas, sliced crosswise into 1/4-inch strips (about 1 cup)
2 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
3 2-inch strips lemon zest
1 10-oz. pkg. couscous
3 radishes, thinly sliced (about 1/3 cup)
3 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. chopped chives
2 Tbs. chopped parsley
1 Tbs. chopped mint

1. Cook asparagus and snow peas in large pot of boiling salted water 2 to 3 minutes, or until crisp-tender. Drain and rinse under cold water.
2. Bring broth and lemon zest to a boil in large pot. Put couscous in bowl, and stir in broth. Cover, and let stand 10 minutes. Discard lemon zest.
3. Fluff couscous with fork, and stir in snow peas, radishes, lemon juice, chives, parsley and mint. 4. Season with salt and pepper. Eat hot.

Simple Seasoned Black Beans

Closeup of the simple seasoned black beans

This recipe from the “Vegetarian Times cookbook” was spicy and fabulous. We used Israeli couscous, and it was okay, but I wish we’d used the other type. If you don’t know what Israeli couscous is, it’s the kind that comes in kind of creepy little tapioca type balls, as you can see in the photo. It’s yummy, but we should’ve used the more grain-y type for this particular recipe. As you can see we used this side dish as an excuse to finish up the last of the baby shrimp in the freezer, which I sauteed with some thyme and Old Bay seasoning. I also decided to make a chili cream sauce to pour over the shrimp, which I got from this recipe I made last summer for Spaghetti with Halibut, Shrimp and Chili Cream Sauce. I ADORE this sauce. I would probably drink it when no one’s looking, but we never have leftovers when I make it.

Simple Seasoned Black Beans
1 1/2 tablespoon olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 16-oz. cans black beans, rinsed
1/2 cup vegetable broth
juice of 1/2 a lemon
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and black pepper, to taste
2 cups uncooked couscous

1. Heat the oil in a large saucepan. Add the onions and saute over medium heat till soft, stirring often, about 10 minutes.
2. Add the garlic and cook, stirring till the onions turn golden.
3. Add the beans and vegetable broth and bring to a simmer.
4. Mash a quarter of the beans with a potato masher to thicken the mixture.
5. Add the lemon juice, cumin, salt, and pepper. Simmer over low heat for 15 minutes.
6. While the soup is simmering prepare the couscous according to the package directions.
7. Serve the seasoned beans over the couscous.

The whole dinner.