Spicy Vegetable Couscous

This is based on a recipe from Glamour's Gourmet On the Run cookbook, by Jane Kirby. I love this dish served with whole-wheat pita bread and Moroccan mint tea (you'll find several recipes for this tea on 'Zaar).

• Ready In: 1 hr
• Serves: 4

Ingredients

• VEGETABLES

• 2  tablespoons olive oil
• 1  medium onion, coarsely chopped
• 1  garlic clove, minced
• 1⁄2 medium turnip, diced (2 cups)
• 2  carrots, diagonally sliced
• 1 (8 ounce) can tomatoes, drained
• 1⁄2 teaspoon salt
• 1⁄2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1⁄4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1  cup chicken broth
• 1  small zucchini, sliced
• 1⁄2 cup garbanzo beans (canned chick-peas)

• COUSCOUS

• 1 1⁄2 cups chicken broth
• 4  tablespoons butter
• 1  cup couscous
•  fresh cilantro (to garnish) or  parsley sprig (to garnish)
•  sesame seeds, for garnish

Directions

1. Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat.
2. Add onion and garlic to pan, and saute until tender but not brown.
3. Add turnip, carrots, tomatoes, salt, cumin, crushed red pepper and chicken broth.
4. Turn heat up to high and bring to a boil.
5. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer 10 minutes or until vegetables are tender yet firm when tested a fork.
6. Add zucchini and garbanzo beans; cook until zucchini is just tender.
7. Meanwhile, prepare couscous:
8. In a large saucepan, heat chicken broth and butter.
9. Add couscous.
10. Cover and remove from heat.
11. Let stand 15 minutes.
12. To serve, spoon some couscous on a warm plate; top with vegetables and their broth.
13. Garnish with cilantro or parsley and sesame seeds.