Thursday, February 17, 2011

New Family Favorite!!


Everyday I look at one or more foodie blogs or website. Everyday I probably watch 2-3 cooking shows on TV I amass quite a few recipes on a daily basis.... For the longest time I never really made any of them but recently that "Meatloaf again?" feeling hit us so I dug into my folder and started unearthing some NEW things.
This Recipe for Moroccan Chicken with Cous Cous has definitely been added to the rotation! I found this recipe here: http://thepioneerwoman.com/tasty-kitchen/ This is one of my most favorite sites to troll for recipes. Some hits some misses but I have never made a recipe of Pioneer Woman's that was not a HUGE success in this house!
I made it and we both really liked everything about it except the chicken I used Chicken Breasts instead of the chicken thighs it called for but we loved everything else about it! The veggies the garbanzo beans but we especially loved the spices. There is this beautiful harmony between the cinnamon and the tomato that is sooo unexpected and amazing. We think this would even be delicious as a vegetarian dinner which we might try sometime. I think it could also easily be made gluten free by using quinoa instead of cous cous. You'd add even more nutritious protein that way! This is a great one pot kind of meal too with a salad you're all set. It really delivers a lot of nutritional bang which makes me happy. This probably makes 4 good size servings. Steve and I always eat it for dinner then happily eat more for lunch the next day.
Tonight due to our disappointment with the chicken version we thought we'd try it with ground beef and it was a HUGE success Jeriah even ate up the squash and tomato. So Here's the recipe with my changes.

Moroccan Beef with Cous Cous (if you wanna be exotic it would be divine with ground Lamb!)

  • 2 T Olive oil
  • 1 lb ground beef
  • 1 whole onion, sliced or chopped
  • 2 cloves garlic, minced
  • 1 whole red and green bell pepper, seeded and chopped
  • 1-2 whole zucchini, chopped ( I used yellow squash with equal success)
  • 1 tsp. Cinnamon
  • 1/2 tsp cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 14 oz can diced tomatoes
  • 1/2 c chicken stock
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1/4 ts black pepper
  • 1 tsp sugar
  • 1 15 oz can Chickpeas/Garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
  • 2 Cups chicken stock
  • 1 1/4 c cous cous
  • 2 t oil oil or butter for cous cous

In a large deep skillet brown your ground beef, drain and set aside. Add Olive oil and cook onions til soft. Add garlic and cook an additional minute. Add chopped peppers and zucchini cooking another minute or so. Add Cinnamon, Cumin and coriander to vegetables and stir until fragrant. Pour in chicken stock and tomatoes, stir to combine. Add salt pepper and sugar stir. Return cooked beef to pan and allow to simmer 20 min or until sauce has thickened. Season to taste.

In a saucepan bring 2 cups on stock to a boil add cous cous and stir. Remove from heat and cover with a lid. Let sit for 5-10min until liquid is absorbed. Fluff cous cous with a fork and drizzle in olive oil.

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