Holiday Side Dish Recipe of Couscous

Sometimes we get in a rut and our holiday meals seem like the same old thing every year. This dish will help to add a little variety to the traditional holiday meal. It is easy to prepare because I know all you cooks have no time for a complicated side dish. Also the ingredients are easy on the pocket book and readily available. You can prepare the vegetables a day ahead to save time.

You will need:

INGREDIENTS:

3 Tablespoons of olive oil (or you can substitute any vegetable cooking oil)

1/2 medium yellow onion (about a cup)

1 cup water

2/3 cup of uncooked couscous

2 large carrots (thinly sliced or diced)

2 Tablespoons of crushed garlic (you can use fresh or out of a jar)

1/2 medium zucchini or any soft squash such as yellow (zucchini adds a nice green color) thinly sliced or diced

1/2 tomato (diced) optional

Heat the oil in a large frying pan on medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saut'e about 10 minutes. Bring the water to a boil in a medium pan, remove it from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile add the vegetables to the frying pan with the onion and cook until almost soft. Be careful not to over cook. Mix with couscous and put in a serving dish. Top with diced tomato.

There are so many different ways to make couscous. You almost can't mess up. Try using your favorite spices and vegetables that your family likes. It makes a great change from plain potatoes and it's naturally low in calories so you can serve it all year round. It is also made with no meat or animal products.