Baked Couscous with Herbed Summer Squash

I'm into baking grains these days. It started a month ago with doing baked rice. The flavor is much more intense.

Ingredients

• 1 (14-ounce) can fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth or water, divided
• 3/4 cup uncooked couscous
• Cooking spray or 1 Tbsp olive oil
  
• 2 cups sliced yellow squash (about 2 small)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions - about 2
  
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil or 1 tsp dried basil
  
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh oregano or 1/2 tsp dried oregano
  
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/2 cup (1 ounce) grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese
• 1/4 cup egg substitute or 1 egg beaten
  
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 4 - 6 small fresh mozzarella balls (optional)
  

Preparation

Preheat oven to 400°.

Bring 1 cup chicken broth/water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in uncooked couscous. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork.

Heat a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray ot olive oil. Add squash, onions, basil, oregano, and garlic; sauté 3 minutes or until squash is tender. Set aside.

Combine couscous, squash mixture, and half of cheese mixture in a large bowl; stir in remaining chicken broth/water, egg, salt, and pepper. Spoon mixture into an 8 x 8-inch baking dish lightly coated with cooking spray. Top with remaining cheese mixture. Place fresh mozzarella balls randomly on top if you using. Bake at 400° for 35 minutes or until golden. Serve warm.

Apple Walnut Curry Couscous

Apple Walnut Curry Couscous Recipe

This recipe works well with other nuts as well. You can also use apricots or raisins. Just something sweet that goes well with curry.

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 tablespoon yellow curry powder
1 medium figi apple, cored and chopped
3 green onions, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1 cup whole wheat couscous (or regular)
1 3/4 cup vegetable broth
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
Small handful of mint, chopped

In a large saucepan over medium-high heat add 2 tablespoons of the butter, the curry powder, and a couple generous pinches of salt, and cook for a minute or until the spices are fragrant. Stir in the chopped apples and cook for about 3 minutes, enough time for the apples to soften up a bit and absorb some of the curry. Scoop the apples from the pan and set aside in a separate bowl.

In the same pan, again over medium-high heat, add the remaining 1/2 tablespoon of butter. Stir in the green onions, let them soften up a bit and then add the broth and salt. Bring to a boil, stir in the couscous, cover and remove from heat. Steam for 8 to 12 minutes and then use a fork to fluff up the couscous. Stir in the apples, walnuts, and chopped parsley (optional). Season with more salt and curry powder to taste.

Serves 2 as a main course, 4 as a side dish.