Vegetarian couscous

Today we came home from an afternoon out with not much in the fridge. I've been meaning to make it to the supermarket for days now, and simply find myself to never really be in a position to take the time to do it.

Ah. First world problems.

On a side note, I find herbs and spices to be my best friend these days. They give flavor to the flavorless and color to the bland.

So this dish is more or less made up of things that were sitting around our house.  It is quite a light dish, and would probably be better suited for lunch, possibly served cold. Not the prettiest of meals, but The Dude hoed it down, so I'd say it was a success (granted, he isn't much of a picky eater when he's hungry, Goose is my measuring stick for picky). I found it delicious, if possibly a bit dry. Nothing a bit of hummus or natural yogurt couldn't sort out...







Ingredients:
2 Tbl olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, chopped
1/4 tsp tumeric
Zest of a lemon
1 1/4 tsp ground coriander
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 cups cauliflower, finely chopped
1-2 parsnips, grated
1 tin chick peas, strained
1 cup water or stock (your choice of kind, no point being picky!)
1 cup couscous

Directions:
In a medium sized pot heat the olive oil and brown the onions and garlic with the spices and lemon zest. Add the chopped cauliflower and parsnip, cook to sweat.  Add the chickpeas and water, cover and cook for 5 or so minutes (until veggies are soft). I added a little bit of extra water to accommodate for steam, and add the couscous. Stir, cover, take off the heat, and wait 2-3 minutes for the couscous to absorb. Fluff up and serve with hummus or yogurt and top with lemon juice (which I haven't done in the photo above, but imagine with me).    :)

Serves: 1 pregnant lass, 1 hungry toddler, and 1 working man. No leftovers. You work out what that means to your family!

Enjoy!