Pistachio and Fig Couscous

My coworker and friend, Nichole, gave me the idea to make a fig couscous. I absolutely adore couscous and while telling her how I love to make it, she asked what ingredients I normally use. I explained that I like to put spinach and pine nuts and for a little bit of a sweet bite, I also add raisins. She told me that if I liked that, I would love a fig couscous and should attempt to make it. Knowing that I had some Greek figs at home, I was so excited to put this Pistachio and Fig Couscous recipe on my to do list. I looked up a few recipes and along with my normal couscous concoction, I came up with this recipe. Normally I don’t add cinnamon or other spices, but being adventurous for this recipe, I thought, why not?

Couscous is a wonderful dish to make, either as a side or even a main meal. It is so filling and the flavors, oh my word, the flavors are amazing. It’s one of those dishes that as long as it’s on the pot on the stove, I’ll keep going back for seconds. While one serving of this miracle pasta might be alright for you, I know full well that two or three helpings is a bit overboard. Seriously though, I can’t help it. Kenton is as much of a fan as I am so I am thankful for that.

I didn’t grow up eating couscous and in fact, it was only in the past year or so that I started making it on the regular. One day we were shopping at Sprouts, a local store that has rows and rows of product that you can place in a bag, weigh, and take to the register. A self-service/farmer’s market themed place. While walking through one of the aisles, we spotted a wheat couscous that was on sale. I decided to try it as I had seen a few recipes in my fitness magazines and was curious about how it tasted. I was not disappointed. It was sooo incredibly easy to make. Takes about 10 minutes in total and the flavors are great. Over time, I started to tweak it to serve our tastes which meant using chicken broth instead of water and adding a few other ingredients to pep up the taste (check out the notes section of the recipe to see my tried and true version).

With the fig couscous recipe, I thought it was definitely time to try something new. By adding the spices it really took this tried and true recipe of mine to a whole new level. What it also made me realize is how this meal is probably altered all over the world to have its own flare. I know that couscous is popular in the middle east as well as other areas, and I can imagine with just a change or two of a spice, this meal can truly take on an entirely new character.

Have you ever made couscous? I hope that I can get some feedback on this recipe and some ideas from the readers. I would adore hearing your unique spin on this delicious dish! Kali Orexi!

Love,

Jane

P.S. Check out the notes section to see my tried and true recipe.

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Pistachios and Fig Couscous

Yield: 7

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Greek Pistachio and Fig Couscous

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Ingredients

• 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
• 1 tsp salt
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1/4 cup chopped onion
• 2 3/4 cups chicken broth
• 1 1/2 cups couscous
• 1 1/2 cups figs, thinly sliced (we used dried figs)
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground allspice
• 1/4 cup frozen spinach
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios, chopped
• 1/4 cup thinly sliced fresh basil
• 1/4 cup feta for garnish

Instructions

1. Combine oil, salt, garlic, and onion into a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Cook for 2-3 minutes or until onion becomes translucent.
2. Add broth to saucepan; bring to a boil.
3. Turn off heat and stir in couscous, figs, spices, and spinach. Transfer pan to a different burner.
4. Cover; let stand until water is absorbed (5-10 minutes).
5. Stir in nuts and basil.
6. Serve with feta sprinkled on top.

Notes

If you want to try my tried and true recipe, do the following: Replace figs with a couple handfuls of raisins.Take out the spices.Replace the pistachios with pine nuts.Take out the basil.

Nutrition Information:

Yield: 7 Serving Size: 1 grams
Amount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g