The First Step to More

They say all big journeys start with a single step. I say if I want to change how Americans look at food the best place to start is with my own family’s dinner plate. Now this is a challenge as my guy is a typical Midwestern-raised, corn-fed man who would happily eat chicken wings, green beans and beer every night of the week So I am constantly sneaking in new items onto the dinner table when my family isn’t looking. I have found that the key to acceptance is usually just naming the dish to be something that sounds familiar.

My favorite new dish that I am sneaking onto the dinner table is couscous. It is ridiculously simple to make and very tasty to eat. Couscous looks kind of like rice but it is actually more like a tiny little pasta. It is perfect for a night when you need side dish in a hurry as it cooks in about 5 minutes. Couscous is traditionally a North African or Middle Eastern dish but don’t let the fact it is from a region whose cuisine you aren’t familiar with deter you from giving couscous a try. The flavor of couscous is really mild so it works well in all kinds of dishes. You can find couscous on the ethnic aisle or near the rice in your grocery store.

Below is a really simple basic couscous recipe. Try it in the place of rice one night and let me know what you think. Just tell your family it is tiny pasta and I bet they will probably like it too.

Couscous

1 cup dry couscous

1 tablespoon olive oil

2 cups vegetable broth (or chicken broth)

-Put vegetable broth and olive oil into a pot and bring to a boil.

-Pour in 1 cup dry couscous. Stir well.

-Cover pot, turn off heat and let sit for 5-6 minutes.

-When ready to serve, give couscous a quick stir before spooning onto serving dish.