Sweet Potato (or Acorn Squash) and Pear Soup

My friend Monique gave us some recipe books when she was cleaning out her closets last year, and one of the books that she gave us was Veggie Food, edited by Kay Scarlett. Because I love soups, I was excited to find that there is a whole section of veggie soups, lots of which are rich and creamy. There are several chilled soups, which I want to explore, but so far the favorite in our house has been the Sweet Potato and Pear soup, which I've adapted here, to use with sweet potatoes or acorn squash.

Sweet Potato (or Acorn Squash) and Pear Soup
1 Tbs butter
1 sweet white onion, medium-small to medium (larger if you like lots of onion flavor)
6-7 medium sweet potatoes, peeled and cubed,
       or 2 medium acorn squashes, roasted and peeled. Might also use a large butter nut.
3-4 firm pears
4 C vegetable or chicken stock
1 C cream
Black Pepper to taste
A pinch of cinnamon and/or nutmeg if you're feeling adventurous

-Saute the onions in butter
-Add the cubed potato or squash, cook for 2-3 minutes
-Add the cubed pears
-Add the stock, bring to a boil then cook an additional 20 minutes, or until potato/squash are soft.
-Using a hand blender, or by transferring the soup by batches to a stand blender, puree the soup.
-Just before serving, add the cream.  (I actually only add about 3/4 C cream, but I think I prefer less cream in soup than the average person.)
-Salt and pepper to taste. (maybe a pinch of salt, but I like a generous amount of black pepper.)



Kirsten tells me that she prefers the soup with the squash, but I liked the potato iteration better. They were both really good. You could make this basic soup with lots of firm, winter vegetables: almost all of the winter squashes will work, potato, yams, etc. It is a rich, creamy soup that is great for cold days. We served it with a side of sauteed veggies and some hearty whole wheat bread to round it all out.

Super Simple Vegetarian Navajo Tacos

Navajo Tacos are essentially Indian Fry Bread with taco filling on top. Indian Fry Bread is essentially just fried bread dough, so you can use any fried dough for the scone. (This is not technically true, Fry Bread does have a particular flavor and feel, but regular bread dough will work. I recommend using Andrew's Honey Whole Wheat bread dough for this. When you make the bread, keep some extra dough on hand for such things.)

To make the fry bread, follow the scone recipe from a few days ago, except use a slightly larger amount of dough and stretch it out as far as you can.

To make the beans:

Drain and rinse a can of black beans.

In a sauce pan, mix the black beans with a third cup of any pureed or especially liquidy salsa (if you like a lot of sauce on your taco, add more). Add a dash of cumin, a clove or two of minced garlic, some chopped cilantro if you have any on hand, and a few dashes of Tabasco or red pepper flakes if you like heat. A bit of oregano and/or thyme can also add a nice flavor reminiscent of chili. Simmer everything together for a few minutes, until it is thoroughly heated through; the longer it simmers the longer the beans will have to soak in the flavor, but also the more likely that the salsa with evaporate, so if it gets dry add a bit more salsa.

Serve the beans on top of a scone, and top that with a dollop of sour cream and some grated cheese. Fresh tomatoes, chopped olives, or anything else you like in tacos will also be good. Serve with some dark leafy greens such as spinach or romaine for a more well-rounded color palate and varied textures.

Honey Whole Wheat Scones

If you enjoyed Andrew's Honey Whole Wheat bread, then you will love making scones with the dough! (If you didn't enjoy Andrew's Honey Whole Wheat bread, then you haven't tried making it yet. Get on that, because this post will be useless without it. Unless of course, like me, you can be satisfied with just looking at and drooling over food pictures. If that is the case, then you should check out FoodPornDaily, which, despite its naught name, is guilt-free gluttony.)

Anyhow. Here in Utah when we say "scone" we mean fried and sugary. (I didn't realize that this was just a Western US thing, but Wikipedia backs me up here). And, though I do love a good English scone every now and then, this is what I want when I say "scone."

The key to a good scone is a good dough. Sure, you can make these with the store-bought frozen dough, but I think that the homemade dough has a flavor that can't be beat.

TO make the scones:

Fill a skillet or frying pan about half an inch with vegetable oil. Pre-heat on Medium-High.

Start with a small ball of bread dough. Any yeasty dough will work, but as I said earlier, my favorite is the Honey Whole Wheat dough.

Roll a small piece of dough into a ball, then flatten it out, stretching it as far as you can. If you like doughy scones (I do), don't stretch the dough out as much, but let it remain more of a ball. If you are adventurous, you can make a filled scone! After you've stretched the dough out, place a small amount of something in the middle; banana, peanut butter, cheese, or jam have all worked well for me. Only use a small dab of the filling, then fold the dough over and pinch it closed, making sure that it is well sealed, as holes in the seal will make the filling leak out into the oil.

By now, the oil in the pan should be hot. Test the oil by dropping a small crumb of dough into the oil. If it sizzles right away then it is hot enough for the scones. Using tongs, place the scones into the oil and cook until the one side is light brown, then flip, and cook the remainder until it is also light brown. Place the cooked scones on a plate with a paper towel to soak up the excess oil.

Serve hot. I prefer mine with honey, but they are also good sprinkled with powdered sugar. I have eaten them with natural maple sugar or jam as well, and that works equally as well.

Orange and Almond Cream Pie

Happy Pi(e) Day!

Pi Day is one of the very best holidays ever because pi is one of the coolest numbers around, and pie is probably my favorite food.

So, to wish you a Merry Pi(e) Day, I offer the Orange and Almond Cream Pie. It is a fresh-fruit pie, and a versatile recipe because the orange can easily be substituted for almost any fresh fruit.



Orange and Almond Cream Pie

Ingredients
1 prepared pie crust
~2 Tbs raw sugar
~2 Tbs finely chopped almonds

1 quart whipping cream
1 tsp vanilla (or more, as desired)
8 oz (1 package) cream cheese
1/2 C or so powdered sugar (to taste)
1/2 C finely chopped almonds
1 C blueberries (optional)

3-4 medium oranges, peeled and chopped
1 Tbs powdered sugar
An additional orange and some more chopped almond for garnish


Crust

For the crust of this pie, I just used a traditional pie crust recipe, in this case the one I found in Fanny Farmer's Cookbook, so use your favorite crust recipe here, doesn't need to be fancy. After you've placed the crust in the pan, sprinkle the dough with raw sugar and a bit of chopped almond. Lightly press the sugar and almond into the crust. Bake as recipe directs.

After the crust has cooled, fill it as follows.

Filling
Whip the cream until it is thick. Add the powdered sugar to taste. Mix in the vanilla and cream cheese. Stir in the crushed almonds and the blueberries. Generously fill the pie shell with cream mixture, reserving some for garnish.

In a separate bowl, mix the chopped oranges with just a little bit of powdered sugar. Once mixed, layer the oranges over the cream.

Use a dollop of the whipped cream mixture for garnish, and make it uberfancy by placing some orange slices artistically. Sprinkle the whole thing with some more almonds.

Enjoy!

Honey Whole Wheat Bread, From a Whole Wheat Poolish

Honey Whole Wheat Bread, From a Whole Wheat Poolish

There are actually four saucy siblings (as part of this blog anyway, if all our siblings were involved it would be eight), so I decided that I had better post.  My specialty tends to be breads, pastries, and desserts, though I can also make lots of other stuff.  As such, my meals tend less toward the healthy and more towards the sinfully good.  However since Skoticus likes Honey Whole Wheat Bread quite a bit, I tend to make this version which combines the best of both whole wheat and normal bread flour for a whole wheat taste (and honey, mmmm... honey), without the texture problems that can come from using whole wheat flour.

The dough for this recipe also makes very good scones.

Makes 2 one-pound loaves

For the Poolish:

1 cup whole wheat bread
1+1/2 cups bread flour
~1+1/2 cups water
1/4 teaspoon instant yeast (use a little more if you are using active dry, as it is less powerful)

For the Remainder:

2 Tbs softened butter
1/4 cup honey
1 tsp yeast (see note above)
2 tsp salt
~1+1/2 cups water
3 cups bread flour

Combine the poolish ingredients in a large bowl until all the flour is wet.  You want the dough to be soft and sticky, almost like really think pancake dough.  If the poolish is too dry add more water (this will depend upon the humidity of your location, I live Provo which has a very low humidity so I always have to add more water).  Cover the bowl with plastic wrap.  You may use the poolish after about 3 to 4 hours or when it has become bubbly and foamy.  If you are not going to use it immediately or just want a more flavorful bread, you can refrigerate the dough overnight. If you decide to refrigerate the dough, be sure to take it out 1 to 2 hours before use so that it can come up to room temperature.

Once your poolish is ready, add the butter, honey, yeast, and salt.  Stir lightly.  Add the water and 2 cups of the flour.  Stir with a strong spoon, or get your hands dirty.  Knead the dough, adding flour until the dough is smooth, elastic, and very lightly sticky.

Cover your dough with either flour and a cloth, or with plastic wrap that has been sprayed with oil.  Let your dough sit until doubled.  Separate into two pieces.  Now you have a lot of options.  You can forms balls (also known as boules), or into the longer, torpedo shape, that I made as well as many many other options.  If you have a couche it is wonderful to raise the dough on that, if not I recommend that you raise it on what it will be baked on.

When your dough has almost doubled preheat the oven to 350 F, and prepare about 1 to 1+1/2 cups of boiling water. (Or other methods see below)

Once the oven is ready, pour the water into the oven. (CAUTION) Be very careful doing this, firstly so that you don't break the glass in your oven door due to thermal shock. Secondly, this should probably not be done in any oven that has vents in the bottom of the oven, like many gas ovens.  As an alternative, you can preheat the oven with a warp-proof pan on the lower rack and pour the steam into that.  Warp-proof pans tend to be solid steel or iron, most aluminum pans will warp from the shock.  Also, don't use anything with a teflon coating.  One additional option is to spray a large amount of water into the oven using a spray bottle.  If you are doing that, be careful not to hit the light or oven door.  (CAUTION)

Bake for about 20 minutes.  Look in the oven, and rotate the pans if the bread is cooking unevenly.  Bake for another 15-25 minutes or until the bread is golden brown.

Enjoy!

Amaretto Custard Ice Cream

One of the best things that has happened in my life is getting an ice cream maker. This will either tell you about my enthusiasm for ice cream or the sad state of my life, but let's assume the former and discuss this delicious treat. Here's a recipe for some chocolate amaretto ice cream.



Amaretto (Chocolate and Almond) Custard Ice Cream Recipe

2 C granulated sugar
1/4 C all-purpose flour
1/8 tsp salt
2 C milt
1.5 C dark chocolate chips or baking chocolate
2 eggs
4 C light cream (or 3 C heavy cream and 1 C milk)
1 Tbs vanilla extract
1/4 tsp almond extract (just a drop, really)

*I should remind the reader that I don't usually cook by measuring. So, I am not 100% accurate on the amount of chocolate, light cream, vanilla, or almond, but the above are approximates and will serve you well. Add more/less of the chocolate, vanilla, or almond as your taste dictates, but in saying that I remind you that almond extract is very strong.

1. Combine the sugar, flour, and salt in a double boiler. Slowly add the milk until the solids are dissolved, and then add the chocolate. Cook on medium/low, stirring constantly, until thick. Cook ten minutes longer.

2. In a separate bowl, lightly beat the eggs.

3. Stir a small amount of the chocolate mixture into the eggs, slowly adding more. Once it is all stirred in, return the mixture to the double boiler and cook for about 3 minutes more, then let stand until it is lukewarm or even cold (putting it in the fridge works great). This is the longest stage of this recipe. When I made it I played a game with some friends while we waited. I recommend doing the same.

4. Mix the cooled chocolate mixture with the cream, vanilla, and almond extract.

5. Freeze the ice cream according to your ice cream maker's instructions. (Our model has a piece the needs to be frozen first. I keep that in the freezer all the time, in case I need to make ice cream in a pinch.) After the ice cream has been frozen in your ice cream maker it is ready to eat, but will be soft like soft serve. If you like harder, firmer ice cream, then put the ice cream in a tupperware and freeze for an hour or so.

6. Enjoy! This would be delicious topped with your favorite toppings, some fresh fruit, or even some crushed almonds and chocolate shavings.



This recipe made more than our ice cream maker could hold, so I made half one night and refrigerated the rest of the unfrozen mixture, which meant that I got to make some ice cream really quickly a few nights ago when I needed some.

This recipe does take longer than most ice cream recipes, since it is a custard and thus requires some boiling and then cooling before going into the ice cream maker. So, make it ahead of time if you're expecting company, or keep the unfrozen mixture in your fridge and pretend to whip it up while the company is distracted and then put it all in the ice cream maker if you feel like they would appreciate the experience of having the ice cream come right from the maker.

Green Smoothies and Thoughts on Them

Monique, one of my best friends, has for a long time been telling me about Green Smoothies. She loves them, raves about them, praises them. A few months ago I was at her house to watch the LDS General Conference, and we were putting together a haphazard lunch between sessions, and she made us each a green smoothie [see pictures here]. I was surprised how unlike a salad it tasted.

Then, a few weeks ago, I was in the store looking for breakfast foods. I feel like breakfast, more than any other meal, has been taken over by the mass production and sugar culture, (Who has time in the morning to cook any more?) and so I find it hard to find satisfying breakfast foods. I'd been making a lot of omelettes, which were great, but I was getting tired of having eggs for breakfast every day. I love pancakes, but those take me too long to make, so are more of a weekend thing. French toast is actually pretty quick, too, but I feel like I can't make it delicious with out also making it super sugary, thus not the ideal choice for everyday breakfasts.  As I mused on theses things, I found that I'd wandered to the frozen fruits and I remembered Monique's green smoothies. So, I called her up, asked her for the recipe, and started making some smoothies for breakfast.

I'll be honest...sometimes they do taste like salad if you're not careful. But, most of the time they are delicious.



Random memory: Many, many years ago, I was talking with a friend who was describing his in-laws to me. He told me about how his father-in-law made "shakes out of lettuce and spinach and stuff." [I like how I use quotes there, as though I could actually remember verbatim what he said all those years ago...] For a long time I thought that Mr. In-Law must have been a strange dude... Spinach Shakes? Gross.

It was only a few days ago, as I was preparing the pictures for this post, that I remembered what my friend had told me and realized that the in-law must have been making what we now, perhaps he then, called green smoothies. Of course, maybe it was "green smoothies" in the story I was told, I don't know, I wouldn't have known what that meant without the description anyways. I know that I am more food savvy now, but I also think that the popularity of the smoothies are on the rise. In fact, they're all the rage now, almost trendy. When I brought up green smoothies with my friends at work everyone knew what they were and one girl said that she also has been making them for over a month, and also likes them. She said she had heard about them for a while, but didn't want to try them, just cause they seemed too popular. They have the same stigma as yoga: once for hippies, but now for trendy health nuts.

Well, trendy or crazy as they are, I like them, so I am going to keep at it. The recipe below.



Green smoothies have a lot of room for variation, which is one of the reasons I like them. Thus, the description below is probably better called a Guideline then a Recipe

Ingredients:

• 1 C Water (or a fruit juice! I've recently been doing 1/2 C natural Lemonade and 1/2 C water)
• 2 generous handfulls of spinach, kale, dark green lettuce, etc.
• 1 Carrot
• 1 Banana (The banana is a must. Nothing hides the salad flavor better than a banana!)
• 1 C frozen fruit (I've been using mixed berries of late)

Other ingredients:

• Really any fruit will taste good in this. I've sometimes been adding a pear butter that we made last summer, and that gives a nice mellow flavor. Apples would be good.
• Honey or agave. Sometimes I add a bit of honey to sweeten it. Though, with the fruit juice this has never been necessary. 
• Dairy. My friend at work said that she sometimes put milk, yogurt, or even cottage cheese in hers. I had recently made some chocolate ice cream and still had the unfrozen base left, so I put some chocolate cream in, and that was good too.

I don't have a very good blender yet, so I've been using a food processor, and I found that the following process works best for me:

1. Put the water/juice in first.
2. Add the carrot. Let this blend for a bit so that the carrot gets as liquidated as possible.
3. Add the greens slowly, in about three batches, and blend until they are liquefied as well.
4. Add the banana and any other fresh fruit.
5. Add the frozen fruit.
6. Blend it all until it is at smoothie consistency.

The following picture is from before I developed the perfect step by step process, so that's why they're all in the blender together. If I had a Blendtec blender I would just put it all in. But alas...they are expensive.



So, there you have it, green smoothies. Once I thought they would be gross, now I enjoy them frequently. They are not as fast as cereal or toast, but they are about as quick as eggs or French toast, quicker still then pancakes or waffles. They are filling, and will keep my satisfied until lunch on most days.

Ever since I was a kid I thought that it'd be great to have smoothies for breakfast everyday, but never did. Now I get to live my childhood dream. Also, I am getting a lot more greens in my diet. So my kid self and my responsible self both get what they want. Besides, it is the only time I have ever been trendy. Win-win-win.



I thought it was essential to make one that was actually green. This one is made without the berries, but extra pear and banana.

Homemade Marshmallows

It was during the holidays I got the idea to make homemade marshmallows. I was searching for a great candy recipe and found it. Life being what it is, it wasn't until February that I finally got around to trying my hand at this simple treat. It really is simple, having a kitchen aid stand mixer made it all the easier. The hardest and messiest part was putting the corn starch and powdered sugar coating around each piece so they wouldn't stick to each other. Next time I think I'll need to add more flavoring.

I made them on Valentine's Day, so dyed them pink and cut out heart shapes for my kids. Growing up, my mom always gave us a valentine from her and Dad. She never put any additional words, but would get one of the standard valentines we handed out to our classmates and write, "love mom and dad". She would be sure to put in a little bit of candy, usually conversation hearts. When my older siblings moved out, I saw she would make a little care package for Valentine's day. I was still living at home when she died, so I never got one. I've always wished I had.
I really wanted to make the marshmallows for this cookie recipe. Chocolate with soft marshmallow with sour cream chocolate frosting is a definite hit! Even though the cookies were a little weird on account of me adding wheat flour (bad habit of trying to make treats healthy), every time I bit into a cookie and meet the soft marshmallow I was happy.

The cool triple layer look helps a lot, too.

Chocolate Suprises From Family Fun Dec/Jan 2011

Ingredients:

For the cookies:

2 cups flour

1 cup cocoa powder

3/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened

1 cup light brown sugar, packed

1 large egg

1/2 cup whole milk

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

10 strawberry or other flavored marshmallows, cut in half

For the icing:

3 cups confectioners' sugar

1/3 cup cocoa powder

1/2 cup sour cream

Heat oven to 350. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa powder, salt, cinnamon, and baking powder and set aside.
Using an electric mixer on medium-high speed, cream all the butter and the brown sugar until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the egg and beat until mixed, about 1 minute. Combine the milk and vanilla. Turn the mixer to low speed and add half the milk mixture. Slowly add half the flour mixture, then the remaiing milk mixture, then the remaining flour mixture. Mix until well blended, about 1 minute.
Line a cookie sheet with parchment paper. Using a 2 tablespoon scoop, drop balls of the dough onto the sheet, leaving about 3 inches between them. Bake for 10 minutes. Remove the cookies from the oven and top each with a halved marshmallow, cut side down, pressing it into the dough. Bake for an additional 4 minutes then cool the cookies on a rack. (I think you need to press the balls of dough before they start cooking, when I made them they didn't spread out at all)
Make the icing; sift the confectioners' sugar and cocoa powder in a large bowl. Stir in the sour cream until it's smooth. Top the cookies with the icing so that the marshmallow is completely covered. Allow the icing to set, about 1 hour, before serving.

Let's Marinade in Fun - by Amy

I threw a party recently for my best friend Lara before she and her husband moved to Montenegro. Giving the couple a chance to say goodbye to their friends and the friends a chance to wish them well was, of course, the goal. But could this, or any gathering, be accomplished without the help of snacks and drinks? It would have been a shorter, less festive gathering, thats for sure! So, let's talk about food...

My perspective? I could spout the usual: food is sensual, food is communal, food is about tradition, family, ritual. Eh - I don't know that we need to wade in those waters too much.

I eat because it is entertaining, while sitting down to a fresh plate of arugala with apples and gorgonzola with Lara at our party, we talk about what they will eat in Montenegro, what our favorite foods are here in San Diego (fresh avocados are our favorite!!) Because talking about food is almost as fun as the consuming and cooking of it. Well, definately more fun than cooking it, even though I like cooking. I like it more for the final product, you feel me here, don't ya?

With festivities in mind, I want to share ideas for entertaining:

1. Let your guests bring something if they offer - this lets them feel like they are really part of the part-y, get it?

2. A few really great savory dishes and two sweet ones are better than an over abundance of choices, this way you can stick to a theme and people will have an idea of what to bring .

3. Present your food purposefully, use platters, either matching or artfully mismatched. Paper plates, or tubberware don't make guests feel like the food is all that special. Also, you do double duty - you've decorated for the soiree at the same time. A well dressed table with a vase of flowers is all you need.

4. Enjoy yourself - this is basically my rule all the time, anytime.

Here's a coloful drink for any occasion:

Hibiscus Flower Mocktail

1 - hibiscus flower in syrup (check out your local gormet shop or http://www.wildhibiscus.com/ to order)

5 oz - sparkling clear soda ( I like diet sprite)

1 oz - cranberry juice

Hibiscus Flower Cocktail

Substitute your favorite sparkling wine for the soda.

Cream of Asparagus Soup and Couscous-Stuffed Squash

One of my favorite, favorite things ever is having friends over for dinner. One of the reasons that I love this is because I have super great friends, and so it is fun to get together for food, games, and just catching up. So, a little while I ago I invited some friends over for dinner. And, I love cooking, so the other great thing about having people over is that I get to cook.

And, when I cook, I tend to be adventurous. So, when my friends came over, I made one dish that is quickly becoming a staple and one that was a first time, though I will make something like it again.



Cream of Asparagus Soup
I am happy, maybe a bit pridefully, that this Asparagus Soup recipe is one that I came up with, through trial and tests, entirely on my own. It is also delicious and ridiculously easy to make. So, here's the how to:

(forgive the lack of measurements, but I don't really cook that way, and really, you can't mess up the proportions on this one)

Fresh Asparagus, chopped
Butter
Turkey Gravy (or use broth of any sort with a flour thickener)
Water
Fresh grated Parmesan for garnish

1. First, chop the asparagus and then sautee it in the butter (sometimes I add a bit of garlic, here, too, but optional). Add a bit of salt and pepper at this point, for flavor, if you want. Cook the asparagus until it is soft. Then, add water to the pot.

2. Once the water is boiling, add the turkey gravy. I always make as much gravy as I can at Thanksgiving time and then freeze some of it, so that I have some for soup bases. If you don't have any homemade poultry gravy, use less above, and then use either a chicken or vegetable soup stock, and thicken the soup using flour (mix about 1/4 C flour with 1/2 C cold water, and then add to the soup)

3. Puree the soup, either using a hand blender or by transferring it to a blender. I highly recommend the hand blender method, so much easier.

4. Let the soup boil again, add some salt and pepper to taste, if you wish. Once the soup has boiled and thickened a bit, let it simmer until you are ready to serve. Serve with a garnish of Parmesan.

This soup could easily be made vegan by substituting olive oil for butter, and using vegetable stock to make the gravy, and then omitting the garnish. I am sure that it would be just as delicious.

Also, I have made this soup with a variety of vegetables: It is fantastic with cauliflower, broccoli, or spinach. I am sure that it would taste great with carrots or any other substantial vegetable.

Couscous-Stuffed Squash
This was a meal that we found on Allrecipes.com, and then added our own flare. Luckily, recipes aren't copyrightable, because I am not sure that I changed it the requisite 40%, but anyhow, here's what we did:

4 acorn squashes, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon butter, melted
2 tablespoons olive oil
3 cloves garlic, chopped
2 stalks celery, chopped
2 carrots, chopped
1 cup garbanzo beans, drained
1/2 cup raisins
1 1/2 tablespoons ground cumin (or to taste, I added more)
red pepper to taste
1 (14 ounce) can vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked couscous
2 large chicken breasts, cubed
2 large red bell peppers, cut in strips


1. Bake the acorn squash halves face down at 350, or until soft all the way through and lightly browned in the flesh. When they are done, brush them with melted butter and brown sugar. Then stuff them with the mixture, as follows:

2. Meanwhile: sautee the garlic, celery, and carrots in the olive oil. Really, we could have used any vegetable: zucchini, especially, would have been great. Once the vegetables are soft, add the raisins and garbanzo beans. Season with the cumin, salt, and red pepper.

3. Once the vegetables are sauteed, add the cubed chicken. (If you are serving this as a main course, it really does need the chicken, or maybe mushrooms, or anything substantial. If it is just a side, then the chicken could easily be omitted.)

4. When the chicken is cooked through, add the broth and the couscous. Wait until the couscous has absorbed the liquid (about 5 min) and then add the cut up bell peppers, saving a few for garnish.

5. Put the mix in the squash, garnish with some chopped peppers. I also roasted the squash seeds and used those as part of the garnish. The roasted seeds were also excellent to put out after dinner, as something to munch of while we were playing games.


This makes a TON of the couscous mix. The originally recipe calls for two squashes, but we used four and still had left over couscous.

You could also skip the squash altogether and serve this as a great side salad.

Skip the chicken to make it vegan!