The Kind Life
I found this recipe in a magazine and changed it up to make a healthier version.  It's SO good.  When I make this, I have it for breakfast, lunch, dinner, and for leftovers.  Definitely make a big batch of it.  It's great for big family meals, and stays good in the fridge for a few days.  And ladies, it's a great dish to have right before your period. 

I just made it for my dad and he loved it!  I surprised him and my mom by cooking them a huge meal.  I made the Couscous, the Sweet Potato-Lentil Stew, Baby Bok Choy Drizzled with Ume Vinaigrette, and the Peach Crumble for dessert.  It was a massive feast!  They were super impressed. 

SERVES 6

INGREDIENTS
2 cups peeled butternut squash, cut into 1/4” to 1/2” cubes
2 cups yellow onion, large dice
1 1/2 cups carrots, cut into 1/4” to 1/2” cubes
1 1/2 cups zucchini, cut into 3/4” cubes
2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
Fine sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
2 tablespoons Earth Balance butter
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon saffron threads
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

STEPS
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F.
Place the squash, onion, carrots and zucchini on a baking sheet and toss with olive oil, 1 teaspoon salt, and 1 teaspoon pepper.
Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, turning once with a spatula about midway through.
While the vegetables roast, bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan.
Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter, remaining 1/2 teaspoon pepper, cumin, saffron and salt to taste.
Cover the pan and steep for 15 minutes.
Scrape the roasted vegetables and their juices into a large bowl, and add the couscous. 
Bring the vegetable broth back to a boil, and pour over the couscous mixture all at once.
Cover tightly with a plate and allow to stand for 15 minutes.
Add the scallions, toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve.


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  • Categories: food , the kind diet , recipes
This was the first dish I made from the book and have made it several times since! It's so easy and delicious. I think I paid about $6 for the saffron, I bought the brand that comes in the little green boxes, not sure of the name. You only get about enough to use once, but I could try using half and see if it still tastes saffron-y.

The first time I made this I bought a big ol' squash and got about 4 cups from half of it! Now I know to just get a small-ish butternut squash and just use the whole thing. I think I end up using 3 carrots and 3 zucchinis and one onion. I don't really worry about measuring the veggies too much.
@Julie Gerlach- turmeric and some lemon juice is a fairly good sub for saffron. It'll give the yellow colour and the slightly earthy note, although I've never really been able to taste saffron in anything I've made, usually saffron is in dishes with other flavours that crowd it out. Turmeric can get quite earthy if you use a lot, but it doesn't take very much to add colour. Also, it's very good for you:)
This was a nice tasting dish.  I didn't add saffron (because of the cost) but I think it came out great even without it!
I made this dish over the weekend and loved it!
I was able to find enough saffron for one time use (1/2 tsp exactly) and it was only 5-7 bucks.  Totally worth it!  The saffron makes the dish taste so exotic! love it!
Didn't anyone have a problem with the couscous being hard and uncooked?  I did!  What did I do wrong?  Never mind - we just figured out we used Quinoa instead of couscous!  Oh my!!!!
Does the 1 1/2 cups of whole wheat couscous need to be cooked or uncooked? I'm thinking you add it to the veggies uncooked and the vegetable broth you pour in is what cooks it. Or do you add the broth to cooked couscous and the veggies. It wasn't to clear..I just want to make it right. What has everyone else done?

I made this last night and had a veggie burger too!  I didn't add the saffron due to almost $18 a bottle..wow!  It tasted clean but needed a bit of spunk. So today I reheated some more veggie stock in a pan, added just a bit of fresh garlic, ginger, curry, and cayenne pepper....and voila! It's got some spice!...maybe next time I will just add some sesame seed oil and see what happens...I love to cook and experiment with different flavors :)

I made this with kabocha squash. First time I've ever cooked with saffron. It was so warm and sunny and tasted delicious! Here's a pic: http://whyiconsumeart.blogspot.com/2011/01/moroccan-couscous-with-saffron-from.html

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