Instant Pot Farro With Peas

Farro, is an ancient strain of hard wheat.

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An Easy Side Dish
I was preparing an eggplant and tofu stir fry for friends and was just about to cook some rice to go with it when I decided to make something different. I looked in the pantry and found a nice bag of pearled Italian farro. Farro, also known as emmer wheat, is not gluten free, but it is high in fiber, a good source of protein, magnesium and B vitamins. It's similar to barley and has a nice bite and texture.

1/4 cup dry farro provides:
170 calories
1 g total fat - 0 saturated
3 g dietary fiber
32 g carbohydrates
7 g protein

Here's a simple farro recipe using your instant pot. Serve with a stir fry, ratatouille, steamed vegetables, or tomato sauce.


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Instant Pot Farro with Peas
Vegan, Dairy Free
[makes 8 servings]

Requirements
Instant Pot Electric Pressure Cooker

Ingredients
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup diced onion
1 cup diced celery
1 1/2 cups pearled farro
2 1/2 to 2 3/4 cups vegetable broth
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/4 teaspoon black pepper, or to taste
1 1/2 cups frozen peas, thawed, room temperature
1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Directions
Using the Sauté feature of the Instant Pot, heat the oil. Add the onion and celery and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently.

 Stir in the farro and then the broth, salt, and pepper.

Hit the Manual button and set for 7 minutes. When it is done, hit the Off button and let the pressure release naturally.

After the pressure comes down, carefully open the cover and stir in the room-temperature peas.

Close the cover and let sit for 5 minutes until the peas warm. If the mixture is still watery, just close the lid for a while longer until it absorbs.

Stir in the fresh parsley, adjust seasoning if needed, and serve immediately.

Nutrition
Per Serving (8): 177 calories, 3 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g protein, 30 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber, and 448 mg sodium.

Raw Spring Vegetable SoupLess Than 150 CaloriesLose Weight With A Raw Food Cleanse

Raw Spring Vegetable Soup - Vegan and Gluten Free!

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Eating for Spring Time
With warmer weather comes access to more fruits and vegetables, allowing us to lighten up our diet. In Spring, I try to eat at least half of my food raw. And to lose a few pounds, get more energy, and detox from a winter of way too much fun, I do a raw food cleanse. 

Today's recipe is a simple raw soup that blends garden peas and kale with a creamy avocado and is topped with shredded carrots. Fresh garlic, lemon juice and cayenne provide the main seasoning. 

Eating raw soups is the perfect way to lighten up your spring diet and they are suitable for a raw food cleanse.

There are numerous posts on how to optimize the amount of raw food you eat throughout the seasons and how to do a Raw Food Cleanse on this site. But If you would like a more comprehensive summary of this information and more than 150 tested and optimized recipes, download my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen: Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan PLUS Raw Food Cleanse. It's only $9.99 and is available on Amazon and iTunes.

You Don't Need a Kindle or iPad to Read an eBook!
Some of you have written saying that you would like my ebook but don't have a Kindle or iPad. You can now download my eBook onto your computer with this free Kindle for PC reading AP. 

Enjoy today's recipe - it's becoming one of my favorite ways to enjoy my garden kale. And it's perfect for the warm weather and for your Raw Food Cleanse. Best of all, it's less than 150 calories per serving!


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Raw Spring Vegetable Soup 
Raw Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]
Requires a High Speed Blender

2 cups fresh peas, or frozen (thawed)
2 packed cups kale (cleaned with stems removed)
2 cups chopped celery
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 avocado, peeled and seed removed
1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 cups water
1 teaspoon salt, or to taste
1/2 teaspoon black pepper
2 dashes cayenne pepper, or to taste
1 small carrot, peeled and shredded

Place all ingredients, except the carrot, in a high-speed blender, such as a Vitamix or Blendtec. Blend until smooth. Adjust for salt and pepper if needed.

Pour into 4 bowls. Top with shredded carrot and serve.

Per serving: 145 calories, 6 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 121 mg omega-3 and 777 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 20 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber and 720 mg sodium.

Vegan And Gluten-Free Cherry Tomato Pasta With Peas - And, The Story Of The Wedding Tomato

Cherry tomato pasta with peas.

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The Story of the Wedding Tomato
On September 1st  we had the honor of hosting our nephew's wedding ceremony in our vineyard. Our daughter-in-law is a professional floral designer and generously volunteered to do the flowers. A gardener herself, she thought it would be great if we grew all the flowers for the arrangements and bouquets. And while we were at it, we should fill all our vegetable raised beds with flowers too since they would be the backdrop for the ceremony. (I will do a future post on growing your own wedding flowers.) 

The beds were filled with a variety of seeds, from zinnias, to sunflowers. There was, however, a tiny cherry tomato plant in the center of the main flower bed. We asked the bride and groom if they minded us leaving it there since it would be the only edible thing we were growing this summer besides the wedding flowers. They didn't mind at all. Since they are both would-be farmers, they would have been just as happy getting married in a field of zucchini.

So with much love and care, the little flowers grew into bigger flowers. And the tiny cherry tomato plant, getting more water than it should because of the flowers, grew into a giant, almost mutant, tomato plant about 5 feet tall and 5 feet wide. I continued to ask the bride and groom if they minded having a massive tomato plant as the backdrop of their nuptials, but they insisted that it was ok. I hated to rip it out as, despite it's healthy growth, it hadn't yet produced a single tomato! 

So there sat, in all it's glory, proudly beside the wedding chuppah and beds of lovely flowers, our massive tomato bush and it's unripened green tomatoes. You can see it, in the picture below, behind the yellow snapdragons.

Wedding tomato

Here we are in October getting bombarded with these beautiful, plump cherry tomatoes that eluded us all summer. Today's recipe makes a cherry tomato sauce with peas that you can put over pasta, rice, quinoa or any other grain. My pesca-vegan friends can add a can of oil-packed Italian tuna fish, which can be flaked in at the end.

Finally, the wedding tomato plant starts to deliver!

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Cherry Tomato Pasta with Peas
Vegan, Gluten Free (with gluten-free pasta]
(makes 4 servings)

8 ounces gluten-free or whole wheat pasta
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 cup chopped onions
3 cloves garlic, minced
4 cups ripe, halved, cherry tomatoes
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
2 teaspoons dried parsley
1 teaspoon dried basil
1 can organic peas with liquid
1/4 teaspoon salt, or to taste

Prepare the pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.

Use gluten-free or whole wheat pasta

While the pasta is cooking, heat the oil in a medium saucepan, on medium low heat.
Add the onions and cook until they soften, about 5 minutes.
Add the garlic and cook until fragrant, about 1 minute.
Add the cherry tomatoes, black pepper, parsley, and basil and simmer until the tomatoes soften and begin to get juicy and break down, about  8 to 10 minutes. If they look dry, add a splash of water or white wine.

Cook until tomatoes break down.

Add the peas and their liquid. 

The liquid from the peas adds to the flavor of the sauce.

Cook for several minutes until the peas are heated through and serve over pasta.

Per serving (with gluten-free pasta): 338 calories, 5 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 60 mg omega-3 and 574 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g protein, 67 g carbohydrates, 10 g dietary fiber, and 423 mg sodium.

Per serving (with whole wheat pasta): 333 calories, 5 g total fat, 0.5 g saturated fat, 75 mg omega-3 and 875 omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 14 g protein, 63 g carbohydrates, 11 mg dietary fiber, and 423 mg sodium.

For more delicious vegan recipes, preview my eBook, Health Begins in the Kitchen: Delicious and Easy Vegan Recipes and Seasonal Food Plan PLUS Raw Food Cleanse.

Take A Fresh Look At Peas And Carrots - Young English Peas Make All The Difference!

Fresh English peas and tender young carrots on quinoa.

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It's Time For English Peas
Fresh English peas are starting to appear in the markets here in Northern California. And if you planted your garden early enough, there may be some in your backyard. 

While shucking peas, I always ask myself if it's worth the trouble or if I should bother my blog followers with such a time consuming task. But then I see that small but beautiful pile of bright green peas and I immediately have the answer.

Perfection inside a pea pod.

Peas and Carrots
I was looking for something to cook for dinner last night. All I had in the house was a pound of fresh English peas and some carrots. I thought to myself, hmmmm, peas and carrots. How simple, how cliché. But sometimes the simplest dishes can surprise and delight us. 

When you think of peas and carrots, a frozen box of vegetables comes to mind - not a pretty picture. But when you shuck a pound of fresh English peas and chop tender young carrots into pea-size pieces, it is a beautiful thing to behold!

Shucked English peas and small diced carrots.

So here is a very simple dish of fresh peas, chopped carrots and some seasoning and a squeeze of lemon that when put on a bed of fluffy cooked quinoa, will make a surprisingly tasty meal rich in protein and dietary fiber.

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Fresh Peas and Carrots with Quinoa
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 servings]

1 cup dry quinoa
2 cups water
1 vegan bouillon cube*
1/2 cup boiling water
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/2 cup small diced onions
1 pound fresh English peas (about 1 to 1 1/3 cups)
1 full cup small diced carrots
1 1/2 teaspoons dried parsley
Squeeze of fresh lemon
Salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

* I use 1 serving (half a large cube) of Rapunzel Vegan Vegetable Bouillon with sea salt and herbs

Prepare the quinoa. Place the quinoa in a fine-mesh strainer and rinse in cold water for several minutes. Place in a small saucepan with 2 cups of water and bring to a boil on high heat. Reduce the heat to medium-low, cover, and cook until all of the water is fully absorbed, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from the heat and set aside, covered.

Meanwhile, prepare the peas and carrots.
Make broth in a small cup by dissolving the bouillon cube in the boiling water. Set aside.

Heat olive oil in a medium saucepan that has a lid. Add onions and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft, about 5 minutes.

Stir in the peas, carrots, parsley and the broth. Bring to a boil. Lower  to a low boil, cover, and cook until tender, stirring occasionally, about 5 or 6 minutes.

Cook fresh peas, carrots, onions and seasoning
in a small amount of broth

When tender, squeeze a little fresh lemon juice over the peas and carrots. Season with salt if needed (remember, the bouillon cube already has some salt) and freshly ground black pepper.

Fluff up the quinoa. Serve the peas and carrots over the quinoa.

Per serving: 162 calories, 4.5 g total fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 114 mg omega-3 and 1,126 mg omega-6, 0 mg cholesterol, 6 g protein, 25 g carbohydrates, 4 g dietary fiber and 187 mg sodium (from bouillon cube only, no added salt). 

Vegan Cauliflower And Peas On Barilla's White Fiber Mini Shells - Enjoy The Taste Of White Pasta With The Fiber Of Whole Wheat!

As delicious as white pasta with 6 g of fiber per serving!

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New and Exciting Products from Barilla!
Getting sufficient dietary fiber in your diet is one of the most important things you can do for your health. For pasta lovers this means having to forgo the comforting taste and texture of semolina or "white" pasta when they opt for higher fiber, whole grain pasta. This is where even my most health conscious friends and family draw the line. 

But I recently discovered a new product from Barilla that looks, cooks, chews and tastes just like regular white pasta but has 6 grams of fiber per 2 ounce serving - the same amount that you would get from whole grain pasta. 

A 2 oz serving of "white fiber" mini shells has:
200 calories
1 g fat/ 0 saturated fat
0 cholesterol
43 g carbohydrates
6 g dietary fiber
6 g protein

The ingredients listed for this new pasta are: 
Semolina wheat (sorry, these are not gluten free), durum wheat flour, whole durum wheat flour, and corn starch. The fiber comes from the whole durum wheat flour and the "hi-maize 260" (which is listed as corn starch). 
Hi-maize resistant starch is made from corn that has been hybridized through a natural plant breeding program.  It does not contain genetically modified material. After harvesting, the corn is milled and dried to a fine, cornstarch powder. This powder contains a "resistant starch" that resists digestion in the small intestine and behaves as dietary fiber in the large intestine.  

White fiber pasta comes in three shapes:
Mini Shells
Mini Penne
Mini Rotini

This pasta has a great taste and texture and besides the mini shells, it comes in mini penne and mini rotini. I wish it came in some other shapes and sizes - let's hope they are working on that right now!

Here's a delicious and simple recipe that's under 300 calories per serving, provides 10 grams of protein and around one third of your daily requirement of dietary fiber.

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Cauliflower and Peas with Mini Shells

Vegan

[makes 4 servings]
Requires a large pot to cook the pasta and a large saucepan with a cover 

2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil (divided)

3 cloves garlic, minced

1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes*
1 small head cauliflower, cleaned and cut into very small florets

15 ounce can organic peas with juice

1 cup water

1 vegan bullion cube

1 teaspoon dried parsley flakes 

6 ounces (1/2 box) Barilla white fiber mini shells
* for less spice, you may omit red pepper flakes or substitute ground black pepper

Fill a large pot with water and salt for the pasta and bring to a boil.

Meanwhile, make the sauce. Heat 1 tablespoon of the olive oil in a large saucepan. Add garlic and red pepper flakes and cook on medium low heat until garlic is fragrant and slightly brown, 1 to 2 minutes.

Always let minced garlic sit for 15 minutes before cooking to help it maintain its beneficial properties.

Cut the cauliflower into very small florets so that is cooks quickly.

Stir in the cauliflower florets to coat and add the juice from the can of peas, water, the bullion cube, the dried parsley flakes and the remaining tablespoon of olive oil. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil on high heat. Lower the heat, and stir until the bullion cube dissolves. Simmer, covered, until the cauliflower begins to soften, about 6 to 8 minutes.

Cover and simmer until cauliflower begins to soften.

While the cauliflower is cooking, prepare the pasta according to directions. Drain and set aside.

When the cauliflower begins to soften, stir in the peas and cook, covered, until the cauliflower is tender, about 5 minutes. Add salt to taste.

Stir in peas, cover and simmer.

Stir in the cooked shells and serve immediately. 

Add the cooked shells and serve.

Per serving: 299 calories, 8.5 g total fat, 1 g saturated fat, 115 mg omega-3 and 788 mg omega-6 fatty acids*, 0 mg cholesterol, 10 g protein, 49 g carbohydrates, 10.5 g dietary fiber and 546 mg sodium (not including salt added to taste).
* Omega-3 and omega-6 fatty acids do not include any contribution from the pasta since that information was not available from the manufacturer.

Roasted Vegetable Paella - Perfect For Christmas Dinner! Vegan and Gluten Free

Vegetable paella is a colorful and festive dish
Perfect for Christmas and holidays

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Christmas Dinner
My son and his wife requested that we have a Spanish theme for this year's Christmas dinner. So this week I dusted off my 18" paella pan and did some experimenting.
Paella is very colorful and festive looking, especially when it's full of red and green vegetables! It's perfect for all guests as it is vegan and gluten free. 

This is my version of Paella. Being from an Italian family, the most difficult thing for me is to let the rice cook without stirring it as I would be constantly doing were I making risotto. I use arborio rice here although the proper paella rice is called "bomba". Arborio is more readily available and works just fine.
The proper pan to use is, of course, a paella pan. It's important that you have a big enough stove top to heat the large paella pan evenly. It took part of 3 burners to heat my large 18" pan.

Traditionally the vegetables are cooked in oil in the paella pan and then removed until later. I roast the vegetables in the oven instead as it uses a bit less oil and I prefer the flavor and texture of the roasted vegetables.

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Roasted Vegetable Paella
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 6 to 8 servings]
Requires large roasting pan and large paella pan (~18")

For the roasted vegetables
1 red bell pepper, seeds removed and sliced 
1/2 pound asparagus, cleaned, bottom part of stem removed
1/4 pound oyster mushrooms separated into pieces
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon black pepper

For the paella
4 1/2 cups vegetable broth
Pinch of saffron threads
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
2 C arborio rice
1/2 cup white wine
salt and pepper to taste
6 to 8 ounces frozen artichokes, thawed and rinsed (I used Trader Joe's)
1 cup frozen peas, thawed

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. 
Place peppers, asparagus and mushrooms in a large roasting pan. Sprinkle with oil, salt and pepper and mix until well coated. 
Roast for 7 minutes. Stir and roast until lightly brown, another 6 to 7 minutes.
Remove from the oven and set aside.

Before roasting

After roasting

Heat broth in a small saucepan and keep warm. Crumble the saffron threads while adding them into the broth. Salt and pepper to taste. If you are using  bouillon cubes for your broth, they may already contain adequate salt.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the paella pan. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. 
Add garlic and cook another minute, until fragrant.

Cook onions and garlic

Add the tomatoes and cook, stirring frequently, until they are dry.This combination of onion, garlic and tomatoes is called the sofrito.

Add tomatoes

Cook until thick and dry
This is called the "sofrito"

Add the rice to the sofrito. Stir well until combined. Cook on medium high heat, stirring continually, until the rice is translucent, 1 to 2 minutes. 

Add the white wine to the rice and cook, stirring continually, until it is absorbed.

Add rice and then wine.

Add hot broth to the rice and stir in the peas. Bring the stock to a boil.
Do not stir the rice again after the broth is boiling.

Add broth and peas

Arrange thawed artichoke hearts and roasted peppers, asparagus and mushrooms over the rice. 

Place vegetables over the rice 

Cook uncovered on medium high heat. Move the pan over several burners and rotate occasionally to make sure it is cooking the rice evenly.
Cook until the rice begins to appear above the liquid, about 8 to 12 minutes. Reduce the heat to medium low and cover with foil until the rice is cooked, another 8 minutes.

Rice begins to appear above liquid - reduce heat

Cover with foil

If the rice is dry and still a bit hard, add another 1/2 cup of broth or water and cook until done, another 5 minutes.

Remove from the heat with the cover on and let rest for 5 minutes.  Serve immediately.

Per serving (6): 390 calories, 5 g fat, 0.8 g saturated fat, 84 mg omega-3 and 674 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 9 g protein, 70 g carbohydrates, 7 g dietary fiber and 275 mg sodium (plus whatever additional salt is added to taste). 

Per serving (8): 293 calories, 4 g fat, 0.6 g saturated fat, 63 mg omega-3 and 506 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 7 g protein, 52 g carbohydrates, 5 g dietary fiber and 206 mg sodium (plus whatever additional salt is added to taste). 

Spaghetti Squash "Aglio E Olio" Con Piselli -Vegan, Gluten Free And Low In Calories!

Spaghetti squash and peas in a classic "aglio e olio" sauce.

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Remake of a Childhood Favorite
Once a week my grandmother would make us "piselli con pasta" or peas with pasta. Only with her Neapolitan dialect she pronounced it "pizella ga bast". It wasn't until years later while studying Italian at the University of Texas did I learn the correct way to say it. It's kind of funny that a girl from Brooklyn being raised by a Neapolitan grandmother would have to go to Texas to learn how to speak proper Italian! But that's exactly what transpired. In any case, making peas and pasta always warms my heart because it makes me think of my sweet grandma.


Aglio e Olio
Most Italian white sauces have a base of garlic and oil or "aglio e olio". Making "aglio e olio" for spaghetti takes a lot of oil because the pasta soaks it up. Most recipes for a pound of pasta call for as much as 1/2 cup of extra virgin olive oil. Needless to say, the calories can really pile up. But when you use spaghetti squash instead of wheat spaghetti, you accomplish many healthful things:
* you can use a lot less oil
* spaghetti squash is naturally gluten free
* you are consuming a few servings of phytochemical rich veggies instead of starch
* it's lower in carbs (if that is a concern for you)
* it's lower in calories

Aglio e olio is a simple Italian sauce with a base of extra virgin olive oil with fresh garlic and crushed red pepper.

Spaghetti Squash
The first time I made spaghetti squash I was amazed at how the strands of steamed squash turned into spaghetti. But to get nice strands, you have to be careful no to overcook it or it will turn to mush.  I like to steam it for only about 15 to 18 minutes. 

Steam spaghetti squash in a large pot with a few inches of water.

Using a fork, carefully scrape the squash from the sides.

Spaghetti Squash and Peas "Aglio e Olio"
Vegan, Gluten Free
[makes 4 servings]


3 pound spaghetti squash
reserved cooking water
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 to 2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 can organic baby peas with liquid (~1/2 + 1T liquid) *
1/2 teaspoon salt, or to taste
freshly ground black pepper to taste
*  (Although I usually prefer frozen or fresh to canned peas, I use canned in this recipe because the liquid from the peas makes up an important part of this sauce).


Cut squash in half, remove seeds and sprinkle insides with salt.
Place in a large pot with several inches of water. Cover and steam until barely fork tender, around 15 to 18 minutes. Do not overcook.


When cooked, remove from pot reserving cooking water.
When cool enough to handle, gently pull the squash away from sides using a fork, forming strands of spaghetti. Place in a bowl and set aside.


In a large saucepan, heat oil on medium low heat. Cook garlic and chili pepper flakes for one minute until fragrant. Add can of peas with their liquid. Season with salt.


Mix spaghetti squash in with peas. If dry, add a few tablespoons of reserved cooking water. 


Top with freshly ground black pepper, if desired, and serve.


Per serving: 184.8 calories, 7.5 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 260 mg omega-3 and 884 mg omega-6 fatty acids, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g protein, 25.8 g carbohydrates, 5.6 g dietary fiber and 657 mg of sodium.

Vegan Kabocha Squash Coconut Curry With Peas, Red Bell Pepper And Israeli Couscous -

Kabocha squash is also known as Japanese pumpkin

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Fusion Cuisine
When you take a Japanese pumpkin, add Indian curry to tropical coconut milk and stir in Israeli couscous, you may just want to wave that zippo lighter while breaking out in a chorus of "We are the World"! I love "fusion cuisine" where you mix different types of cooking. Yesterday, I think I found my new favorite restaurant, "Avatar's" in Sausalito. I will do a proper restaurant review of this amazing eatery in the future, but they feature dishes that combine elements of both Mexican and Indian cuisine. The owner surprised me with a vegan curried pumpkin enchilada with a drizzle of mango sauce! Do you have any favorite combinations of ethnic dishes or ideas for some? Write a comment!
Kabocha Squash
Also known as "Japanese pumpkin", this lovely squash has bumpy, dark green skin and is a bit sweeter and denser than a sugar pumpkin. It almost has the consistency of a sweet potato. I really love everything about this squash, especially the fact that you don't have to peel them! Just pull out the seeds, dice them up and throw them in a curry - so easy! I will warn you, however, if you leave the skin on when making a pumpkin pie, you'll end up with a pretty unattractive brown pie!

A 2.5 pound kabocha squash or Japanese pumpkin

A Simple Curry
I find it almost impossible to write up a curry recipe for you because there are an infinite number of curry blends using ingredients like turmeric, cumin, coriander, cayenne, ginger and other spices. I usually keep a "sweet curry" and a "hot curry" in my spice cabinet and blend them together in different ratios depending on how spicy I want the dish. So the amount of curry in this recipe is merely a suggestion. 
I like adding the curry when I am sautéing the veggies as it seems to mix in more easily.

Sautéing the veggies in a 5 quart Dutch oven

Israeli Couscous
Larger than regular couscous, Israeli couscous are really just small, round balls of pasta. I love their size and texture. Unfortunately they are difficult to find in "whole grain". There are a few on the internet but read the reviews carefully before you order. Roland, sold on Amazon, has some bad reviews claiming the couscous tasted "stale". If you have had luck finding a good whole grain couscous, let us know!


Vegan Kabocha Squash Curry with Israeli Couscous
[makes 6 servings]
A 2.5 pound kabocha squash, seeds removed and cut in 1/2 inch cubes
1 cup dry Israeli couscous
2 cups or more water with a pinch of salt
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
1 small onion, chopped
1 medium red bell pepper, chopped
1 1/2 tablespoons sweet curry, or to taste
1 teaspoon hot curry, or to taste
1 cup frozen peas, rinsed in hot water to thaw
One 15.5 ounce can light coconut milk
1 cup veggie broth or water
1/2 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste


Steam kabocha squash for 5 minutes or until barely fork tender. Do not overcook. Remove from steamer and set aside.
In a small saucepan, bring water to a boil, add couscous, lower heat and cook for 10 to 12 minutes, or until done but still firm. Stir while cooking to prevent pasta from sticking to the bottom. Add more boiling water if needed.
In a 5 quart Dutch oven, heat olive oil and sauté onions and peppers for 5 to 8 minutes until tender. 
Add sweet and hot curry and mix thoroughly.
Add peas and cook for several minutes.
Add coconut milk, broth and salt and bring to a boil.
Lower heat and mix in cooked kabocha squash and couscous and heat for several minutes.
Serve immediately.


Per serving: 242.2 calories, 6.3 g fat, 3.8 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 6.4 g protein, 39.6 g carbohydrates and 3.6 g dietary fiber.