• 1 (14 ounce) can coconut milk
• 1 1/2 cups dry couscous
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh scallion greens and whites
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley
• 3 tablespoons chopped fresh mint
• 5 tablespoons toasted pumpkin seeds
• 2 boneless skinless salmon filets (about 6 ounces each)
• 1 tablespoon blackening seasoning (recommended: Blackened Redfish Magic)
• Lemon or lime wedges (optional)

DIRECTIONS

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Bring the coconut milk to a boil in a medium stockpot. Add the couscous and season with salt and pepper. Cover the pot, remove from the heat, and let stand 10 minutes. Finally, stir in the scallion, parsley, mint, and pumpkin seeds.
2. Meanwhile, season both sides of the salmon with blackening seasoning. Place the fish on a parchment lined baking sheet, until just cooked through but still medium-rare in center, about 10 minutes. Make a bed of the couscous, place the fish on top, tear up some extra mint leaves for garnish, and serve with lemon wedges (optional).

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• 1⁄3 cup olive oil
• 1 celery stalk, minced
• 1 medium red bell pepper, stemmed, seeded, and minced
• 1 medium yellow onion, minced
• 1 small carrot, minced
• 2 tbsp. tomato paste
• 2 vine-ripe tomatoes, cored, seeded, and finely chopped
• 1 garlic clove, minced
• 1 zucchini, halved lengthwise and sliced 1⁄4-inch thick
• 4 cups fish stock
• 1⁄4 tsp. saffron threads
• 8 oz. swordfish, cut into 1-inch pieces
• 8 oz. small head-on shrimp
• 1 lb. mussels, cleaned
• 1 lb. calamari bodies and tentacles, bodies cut into 1⁄2-inch rings
• 1 lb. cockles, cleaned
• 1⁄2 cup whole toasted almonds, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp. packed flat-leaf parsley leaves
• 2 tbsp. toasted pine nuts
• Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 6 cups cooked couscous

Instructions

1. In a large Dutch oven, warm the olive oil over medium heat. Add the celery, bell pepper, onion, and carrot and cook, stirring, until soft, about 12 minutes. Add the tomato paste and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes. Increase the heat to high, add the tomatoes, garlic, and zucchini, and cook, stirring, until they start to brown lightly, about 2 minutes. Pour in the fish stock and saffron and bring to a boil.
2. Arrange the swordfish in the stock, followed by, in this order, the shrimp, mussels, calamari, and cockles, then cover the pan and cook, shaking the pan occasionally, until the fish and shrimp are cooked through and the mussels and cockles open, about 10 minutes.
3. Remove the soup from the heat, stir in the almonds, parsley, and pine nuts, and season with salt and pepper. Divide the couscous among serving plates, shaping it into a mound, then ladle over the vegetables, broth, and seafood to serve.

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– 1 tablespoon vegetable oil
– ½ teaspoon salt
– ½ teaspoon black pepper
– 4 skin-on chicken breasts
– 1 small yellow onion
– 1 green chili
– 1 red chili
– 3 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
– ½ teaspoon cumin
– ½ teaspoon ground coriander
– ¼ teaspoon paprika
– pinch of saffron (optional)
– 1 1/4 cups (216g) couscous
– 1 3/4 cups (420ml) hot (almost boiling) chicken or vegetable stock
– 2 lemons
– seeds of half a pomegranate
– small bunch fresh cilantro, chopped

Directions:

1. Peel the onion, then chop into small pieces. De-seed and chop the chiles into small pieces too.
2. Heat the oil in a large skillet and sprinkle the salt and pepper onto the skin side of the chicken breasts. Place in the pan skin-side down and cook on medium-high heat for five minutes. Turn the chicken over and cook for a further five minutes. Add the onion, green and red chiles, garlic, cumin, coriander, paprika and saffron to the pan and stir until the onions are coated in the spices. Cook for three minutes, stirring occasionally until the onion starts to soften.
3. While the onion mixture is cooking, remove the seeds from the pomegranate. Take a medium-sized bowl and hold the cut side of the pomegranate in your hand. Create a cup with your hand and hold it over the bowl. Whack the back of the pomegranate with a wooden spoon and the seeds will fall into your hand. Then you can tip them into the bowl. Any stubborn seeds can be removed by pulling the skin of the pomegranate outward a little, then repeating the spoon whacking until all seeds are removed. Put the seeds to one side.
4. Peel the zest from the lemons and squeeze the juice into a small bowl. Put to one side.
5. Add the stock and bring to a boil, place the lid on and simmer for ten minutes.
6. Take the lid off and pour in half the lemon juice, then carefully add in the couscous to the sides of the chicken, making sure not to leave any couscous on top of the chicken (as it won’t get cooked). You can move the chicken breasts to the side of the pan if it makes it easier. Stir everything, ensuring all of the couscous is covered, then place a lid on the skillet and turn the heat down to very low. Cook for five minutes, then turn off the heat.
7. Take off the lid and fluff up the couscous with a fork. Add the zest from one of the lemons and all but one tablespoon of the cilantro. Stir into the couscous.
8. Top with the remaining lemon zest, the pomegranate seeds and the chopped parsley. Serve with the remaining lemon juice.

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INGREDIENTS

• 1 cup dried couscous (yields approx. 3 cups when cooked)
• 1 cup pomegranate seeds (more power to you if your grocery store carries pomegranate seeds, otherwise, get yourself a pomegranate and start digging!)
• 3 tablespoons fresh orange juice
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 1 tablespoon chopped fresh mint, plus more for garnish
• Salt and black pepper, to taste

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Ingredients:

• 250g couscous
• 250ml vegetable stock, boiling
• 400g can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1-2 tbsp vegetable or olive oil
• 300g courgettes, sliced on the slant
• 300g small vine-ripened tomatoes, halved
• 250g pack cheese, thickly sliced and then halved lengthways

For the dressing:

• 125ml olive oil
• 3 tbsp lime juice
• 2 large garlic cloves, finely chopped
• 2 tbsp chopped fresh mint
• ½ tsp sugar

Method:

1.  Tip the couscous into a bowl, pour the boiling stock over and mix well with a fork. Cover with a plate and leave for 4 minutes. Meanwhile, tip all the dressing ingredients into a bowl and mix well. Fluff up the couscous with a fork, stir in the chickpeas and follow with half the dressing. Mix well and pile on to a large serving dish.
2.  Heat 1 tbsp oil in a large frying pan and fry the courgette slices over a high heat for 2-3 minutes until dark golden brown. Lift out on to kitchen paper. Now put the tomatoes cut-side down into the pan, and cook for another couple of minutes until tinged brown on the underside. Top the couscous with the courgettes and then the tomatoes.
3.  If the pan is dry, pour in a little more oil and heat it up, then add the halloumi strips and fry for 2-3 minutes, turning them over from time to time, until crisp and sizzled brown. Pile on top of the tomatoes, and drizzle with the remaining dressing. Serve as soon as possible.

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It  is a much-beloved traditional dish in Lebanon and is considered a feasting type of meal to which many relatives or friends are  invited. It used to be made with both lamb shanks and chicken but nowadays most people prefer a streamlined version with only one or the other.

It can be purchased fresh in Beirut (at places like Al-Rashidi);  outside of the country,  it is sold dry  in any Middle-Eastern market.

It refers to both the grains and the finished dish. This dish involves  two main  steps: The first is to cook the chicken (or meat) and the onions and obtain a good bouillon which will be used to cook the moghrabieh grains. The second is to cook themoghrabieh grains in the bouillon.

It keeps very well in the fridge for several days without loss of flavor and can be reheated in the microwave.

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• 2 tablespoons pine nuts
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 shallot, peeled and minced
• 1 carrot, peeled and coarsely shredded
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice1 tablespoon garam masala
• 1 1⁄4 cups chicken broth
• 1 cup M’hammes ( israeli couscous )

Directions

1. Heat a medium skillet over med-high heat and add pine nuts. Swirl in pan until they begin to brown. BE CAREFUL NOT TO BURN.
2. Set aside to cool.
3. In a heavy saucepan, heat oil over medium heat and saute shallot and carrot for 1 minute. Stir in lemon juice and garam masala.
4. Add broth to pan and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous. Reduce heat and cover pan. Simmer 8-10 minutes.
5. Remove from heat and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.
6. Put in serving bowl and sprinkle with toasted pine nuts.

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• 2 1/2 lbs. chicken breast, cubed
• 1/2 c. onions, chopped
• 1/4 c. green pepper, chopped
• 1/4 c. tomato paste
• 4 c. couscous (grain available in foreign food section)
• 1 c. mixed vegetables
• 1 c. oil
• 4 c. water

Directions

1. Saute onions, pepper and chicken in oil 5 minutes.
2. Add tomato paste and stir. Add water, mixed vegetables; cover and bring to a boil for 5 to 10 minutes.
3. Add cous-cous slowly and mix well.
4. Remove from heat, cover and let stand for 7 minutes.
5. Stir and serve.
6. Serves a large crowd 

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• COUSCOUS
• 450ml water
• 5ml (1 t) salt
• 15ml (1 T) olive oil
• 500ml (2 c) couscous
• 15ml butter
• BUTTERNUT AND FETA MIXTURE
• 600g butternut, diced
• 1 large onion, sliced
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 15ml (1 T) finely chopped fresh rosemary
• 60ml (1/4 c) olive oil
• 100g feta cheese, cubed
• Extra olive oil (optional)
• Rocket

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 200 C and grease a large roasting pan with oil or non-stick spray.
2. COUSCOUS: Bring the water, salt and oil to the boil in a saucepan and add the couscous to the boiling water. Cover and steam the couscous over low heat. Stir in the butter and fluff the couscous with a fork. Cover and leave to stand for a few minutes.
3. BUTTERNUT AND FETA MIXTURE: Meanwhile put the butternut and onion in the prepared roasting pan. Season with salt, pepper and rosemary and drizzle with a little olive oil.
4. Roast for about 20 minutes or until done and golden.
5. Add the butternut mixture and feta cubes to the couscous, moisten with extra olive oil if necessary and toss.
6. Serve with rocket.

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• medium onion, chopped
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 (14 1/2 ounce) can chicken broth
• 1 (10 ounce) package frozen chopped spinach
• 1 (10 ounce) package couscous
• 3⁄4 cup fresh grated parmesan cheese
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• salt (to taste)
• fresh ground pepper (to taste)
• 1⁄2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

Directions

1. In a saucepan, cook and stir onion and garlic in hot oil until tender.
2. Add the broth and spinach; cook and stir frequently until the spinach thaws.
3. Bring mixture to a boil and stir occasionally.
4. Add in couscous; stir to combine.
5. Cover, remove pan from heat, and let stand 5 minutes or until liquid is absorbed.
6. Add remaining ingredients; stir to combine.
7. Serve immediately.

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