African Red Beans & Couscous

Sharon123's Note:

If you've always thought beans were boring, try this super recipe flavored with almonds. The beans are served over couscous, a grain popular in Africa. I thought this was okay the first day, but the next day, I couldn't keep away from it! The first time I made it, I didn't make the couscous. You can make this in a crockpot too. Just check the water occasionally. Adapted from Shoshoni Cookbook: Vegetarian Recipes from the Shoshoni Yoga Retreat by Anne Saks and Faith Stone(via Delicious Living magazine).

• Total Time: 2 hrs 30 mins
• Prep Time: 30 mins
• Cook Time: 2 hrs

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 2 cups dried red beans
• 6 cups water
• 2 tomatoes , coarsely chopped
• 2 teaspoons olive oil
• 2 onions , finely chopped
• ½ cup celery , finely chopped
• 1 medium sweet potato , peeled and cubed (or white potato)
• 1 cup almonds
• 1 ½ cups soymilk
• 1 teaspoon salt
• ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• black pepper

Couscous

• 4 cups water
• 2 cups whole wheat couscous
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• ½ teaspoon salt

Directions:

1. Soak beans overnight. Drain and rinse beans well. Place beans in a large, heavy-bottomed soup pot with 6 cups water and tomatoes. Bring to a boil, lower heat and simmer 1 1/2 to 2 hours until tender. Add more water during cooking if necessary, using just enough to make a gravylike sauce. You can cook this in the crockpot if you like, on high for 4-5 hours, checking occasionally(remember you still want at the end a gravylike consistency).
2. In a medium skillet, sauté onions, celery and potatoes in olive oil 15 minutes until potatoes are almost soft. Set aside.
3. Puree almonds and soymilk in a blender until smooth. Add sautéed vegetables, almond milk, salt, cayenne and black pepper to cooked beans and simmer for 20 to 30 minutes.
4. While beans simmer, bring 4 cups water to boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous, 1 teaspoon olive oil and salt. Cover saucepan, remove from heat and let sit 10 minutes. Fluff with a fork before serving.