Maple-Dijon Salmon with Warm Israeli Couscous Salad (and some belated baby news)

As I'm sure you've figured out by my lack of posting for the last few weeks, we've had a new addition to our family. Entering the world a week past her due date, our new daughter, Maisy, was every bit worth the wait. She is the sweetest little baby, and we are completely in love. As well as a little tired. Adjusting to a newborn in the house has been the easy part- it's also having a three year that makes things a little trickier.

Like cooking dinner...especially when Sage isn't home. I haven't really figured out how to manage that one yet. You'll have to bear with my scarce posting for a while. Clearly I am not dedicated enough to have stockpiled recipes to post, nor do I have much time to be blogging anyhow.

This was a meal we cooked together that we really enjoyed. Originally the salad contained wheat berries, but I chose to use whole wheat Israeli couscous instead. I also added zucchini, eliminated the toasted pecans and played around a good bit with the ingredient quantities. I loved the maple-dijon glaze on the fish and how it paired with the couscous and veggies. I wasn't sure about the cranberries, but they definitely added something and I glad I included the zucchini. I've never had wheat berries before, so I would like to try this with them, but I thought the couscous version was great, not to mention way quicker. If you don't have to stop to feed a baby, while also showering attention on a big brother, this entire meal would be an absolute breeze to prepare.

Beckett meeting his baby sister for the first time

Maple-Dijon Salmon with Warm Israeli Couscous Saladadapted from Health, as seen on MyRecipes (via Erin's Food Files)
serves 3
for the salad:
1 tbsp plus 2 tsp olive oil, divided
1 cup whole wheat Israeli couscous
2 cups boiling water
2 medium carrots, in small dice
1 stalk celery, in small dice
1 medium zucchini, in small dice
1/2 cup dried sweetened cranberries
kosher salt and fresh ground pepper2 tbsp red wine vinegar
for the salmon:
3 (4 oz.) pieces of wild-caught salmon, skin on
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1 tbsp pure maple syrup
Preheat oven to 450.In a medium saucepan, heat 1 teaspoon oil over medium heat. Add couscous and toast for 1 minute. Add boiling water, cover pan and reduce to a low heat. Cook for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove from heat, drain excess water if needed and set aside.
Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large skillet over medium. Add carrots and celery and cook for 3 minutes. Add zucchini and cranberries, season with a couple pinches salt and a good bit of pepper and continue to cook for another minute or two, or until vegetables are tender. Remove from heat, stir in prepared couscous, vinegar and remaining tsp of oil. Adjust salt and pepper if needed. Cover to keep warm.
While vegetables are cooking, stir together dijon and maple syrup. Mist a baking sheet with olive oil or brush with additional olive oil. Arrange salmon, skin side down on baking sheet and spread dijon-maple glaze over top. Bake for 4-5 minutes or until almost cooked through, then turn broiler on and broil until golden on top, about 2 minutes.
Serve salmon atop couscous salad.

Kidney Bean Curry

I would love to have some clever story or entertaining antidote to accompany this post. But the thing is, I spent my day getting ready for and then hostessing a birthday party for my son, and my pregnant self is tired. All I want to do is get to the point, let you know how much we really liked this meal this meal and share the recipe with you.

It's beans. It's hearty, healthy and easy. It's basically a chili with Indian flavor. And it is delicious.

I knew I would love it, so I made a bigger batch to ensure there would be leftovers. Which was very wise, since it tastes just as awesome the next day. Serve with rice or naan (or whole wheat couscous, which was what I was more in the mood for that day) with a dollop of yogurt and a scattering of cilantro.

Kidney Bean Curry
adapted from Smitten Kitchen via Branny Boils Over
serves 5-6

2 tbsp olive oil
1 large green pepper, chopped
1 medium-large onion, chopped
2 tbsp minced fresh ginger
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 tsp kosher salt
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 1/2 tsp ground coriander
1/2 tsp turmeric
1/4 tsp cayenne
1 (28 oz) can whole peeled plum tomatoes (or diced tomatoes)
2 (15 oz) cans of kidney beans, drained and rinsed (I used one light red and one dark red)
1/4 cup water
rice (or couscous) or naan
plain yogurt, for serving
chopped cilantro, for serving

Heat oil in a Dutch Oven or large stock pot over medium. Add onions and peppers and cook until becoming soft, about 7 minutes. Add ginger, garlic and spices and cook for a few more minutes.

If using whole tomatoes, use kitchen shears to snip them into smaller pieces right in the can. Add the now chopped tomatoes with juices to the pot and use a wooden spoon to break up any remaining large tomatoes pieces.

Add in the beans and the water, and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer gently for about 30 minutes or until thickened.

Serve over rice (or couscous) or with naan, topped with a dollop of yogurt and garnish with cilantro.

Sauteed Shrimp with Spinach, Couscous, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts

From the moment I saw the recipe for Shrimp, Kale and Spinach with Couscous, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts on Florida Coastal Cooking, I knew it would be something I had to make very soon, and that my husband would absolutely love it. And I was right. In the first few bites alone, Sage proclaimed it as both "awesome" and "phenomenal." And other than "the leaves," my toddler devoured it as well. And since this had feta, spinach and couscous in it, I don't need to tell you how much I enjoyed it.

I got a much later start on dinner than I intended, but luckily once you've got your shrimp peeled, your pine nuts toasted, and your ingredients prepped, this comes together in a matter of minutes. I think dinner was ready in about 20 minutes or so from start to finish, although you'd never guess by the taste of it. I did make a couple small changes, eliminating the kale and increasing the spinach (Sage isn't a big kale fan) and omitting the white wine. I was worried it might be lacking without the wine, but the dressing the shrimp was in gave it plenty of flavor.

If you would like to see the original with the kale and wine, please visit Dawn's blog. She also has tons of other wonderful recipes (all with gorgeous pictures) worth checking out. I have loved every recipe of hers I've tried.

Sauteed Shrimp with Spinach, Couscous, Feta and Toasted Pine Nuts
slightly adapted from Florida Coastal Cooking

1 lb wild-caught shrimp, peeled, deveined and tails removed
Italian or Greek dressing, to cover shrimp (I used roughly 1/4 cup worth of Roasted Red Pepper Italian)
1 cup water or broth
2/3 cup uncooked couscous
1 tsp olive oil
olive oil mister or cooking spray
1 medium onion, chopped (Dawn used a Vidalia, I used half of a yellow and half of a red)
2 large garlic cloves, minced
8 cups loosely packed baby spinach
1 tsp red wine vinegar
fresh ground pepper
handful of toasted pine nuts
reduced fat feta cheese, for serving

Place shrimp in a medium bowl and cover with dressing. Toss to coat.

In a medium saucepan, bring water/broth to a boil and stir in couscous and oil. Cover and remove from heat.

Mist olive oil (or cooking spray) on a large, straight-sided skillet and heat over medium. Add onion and cook until soft, about 5 minutes. (If needed, you can add a few tbsps of water or broth to keep them from sticking.) Add garlic and cook for another minute.

Add shrimp with the dressing to the pan and cook for about a minute and until the first side begins to turn pink. Turn over and cook for an additional few minutes, until cooked through. Remove from heat.

Stir in spinach until wilted slightly. Fluff couscous and add to spinach and shrimp mixture. Season red wine vinegar and fresh ground pepper. Toss gently to combine.

Top each serving with some of the pine nuts and a tbsp or two of crumbled feta.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew & Moroccan-Style Couscous and Chickpeas

I love chickpeas. So much, in fact, that I typically eat them a couple times a week. My favorite way to enjoy them is with couscous, veggies and a Moroccan-inspired flavor. These two dishes, while containing many of the same ingredients, manage to taste quite different from one another. Its hard to say which one I prefer more. I have no idea if they are anything close to authentic (and most likely not) but I don't care, as they are both so good! This absolutely delicious recipe is from Cooking Light (found on myrecipes.) Its super easy and one of those kind of meals where you find yourself excited about the leftovers. (Or at least I did!) The recipe originally called for serving with brown rice, but suggested trying it with couscous, which I definitely think is the better choice. Due to a sensitive little mouth, I seed my jalapeno, and it isn't hot at all.

Moroccan Chickpea Stew
adapted from Cooking Light (they say 6 servings, I say much more like 4)
2 tsp olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 large carrot, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 jalapeno pepper, minced (seeded, if desired)
1 1/2 cups cubed peeled Yukon Golds (Several small or 1 large)
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp chili powder
1/2 tsp ground tumeric
2 (15 oz.) can diced tomatoes, undrained (you can also just use one)
1 (15 oz.) can reduced sodium chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 cup vegetable broth
2 tbsp tomato paste
3 cups hot cooked couscous (or brown rice)
plain yogurt (or sour cream,) for serving
cilantro, for serving

Heat olive oil in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, garlic, and jalapeño to pan; sauté 6 minutes or until tender.

Stir in potato, spices, tomatoes, chickpeas, broth and tomato paste. Bring to a boil. Cover, reduce heat, and simmer 15 minutes or until potato is tender. Serve over couscous. Top with yogurt and sprinkle with cilantro.

This equally wonderful dish has already been shared on my blog once before, as the stuffing for acorn squash. It was great that way, but I loved the "stuffing" so much, I've made some changes and now make it without the squash. It would make a great side dish to chicken, but in our house, we're just as happy to eat it as an entree along with a baked sweet potato, for a filling meatless dinner. If you have leftovers the next day, its just as good hot or cold.

Moroccan-inspired Chickpeas and Rice
adapted from allrecipes (about 5 servings as a side, 2-3 as a meal)
2 tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 celery rib, finely chopped
1/2 medium onion, chopped
2/3 cup chopped red bell pepper (about 3/4 of a large pepper)
1 large carrot, chopped
sea salt and fresh ground pepper
1/2 an apple, peeled, cored and chopped (I used fuji)
1/3 cup rasins
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp ground corriander
1/4 tsp tumeric
1/4 tsp cinnamon
2/3 cup uncooked couscous
1 cup vegetable broth

Heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add garlic, celery, onion, pepper and carrots. Season with salt and pepper, and cook 5 minutes.

Mix in the garbanzo beans, apples and raisins. Season with cumin, coriander, tumeric and cinnamon, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.

Add couscous and broth, mix well. Cover and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absord liquid for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous. Taste and adjust seasonings, if needed.

Warm Couscous and Chickpea Salad

Whew! What a crazy busy month December has been. I had no other choice but to basically abandon my blog, between multiple sets of houseguests, my working quite a bit at the flower shop, holiday get togethers and parties, not to mention the whole shoppping, wrapping, preparing for and baking part of the holidays. (All while in the company of an extremely active and perhaps too-smart-for-his own-good almost 2 year old.) Not that I'm complaining. The past two weeks especially have been a whirlwind of spending time with best friends and family, delicious dinners out, countless bottles of wine consumed, and just all around amazing times. However, I am looking forward to a quieter January of just spending time at home with my son and husband, and returning to eating healthy (or least healthish) homecooked meals.

Last night my sister in law and her boyfriend were heading back to the other coast after spending Christmas with us. For our last dinner with them, I was certainally not in the mood for anything rich, heavy or decadent, nor was I in the mood to go out again (finer dining establishments and a toddler are not my favorite combination.) I really just wanted something simple and vegetarian, that I could eat as a main course and everyone else could eat as a side, so I prepared this delicous coucous, served with grilled chicken breasts and a large garden salad. I came up with it a few months ago, when I needed a quick and easy dinner and also had certain perishable ingredients I wanted to use up, but never got around to posting it.

This yummy dish makes about six side servings or several meal sized servings. Having a made it a couple of times, I can give you this advice: Use any color combination of peppers (other than green, which are too bitter in this. ) I prefer using yellow and orange for visual interest, since the tomatoes bring a lot of red to this already. (I sent Sage to the store this time and he returned with 2 red peppers, reminding me I need to either a little more clear with my expectations or more accepting that he is not a mind reader.) I've have used dried parsley when fresh wasn't looking so great at the store, which when added along with the other seasonings, worked just fine. And lastly, what ever you do, don't skip the feta. It is crutial to this dish. It really brings it alive. I like to top the couscous just before serving, and have extra at the table.

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 bell peppers, chopped (any color combo, excluding green)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 (15.5 oz. can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1 cup vegetable stock
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp dried oregano
sea salt and pepper
2/3 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)
4-6 oz. crumbled feta (either regular or fat free)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and onion, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chickpeas, saute another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper (if using dried parsley, add it as well.) Bring to a boil.

Add couscous, stir to combine, cover and turn off heat. After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with crumbled feta.

Moroccan-Style Stuffed Acorn Squash

Sage had to work late yesterday for a tournament with an awards dinner afterwards, so I decided to make a meatless meal that I wasn't sure if he'd like. After a few bites, I knew he would, so it was fortunate he didn't eat much at work. I wouldn't have thought of this combo on my own, but it was one of my favorite dinners I've had lately!

I used less couscous and way more veggies and chickpeas, and I thought it was perfect. I wasn't so sure about raisins in my dinner, but they really make the meal. I added yellow bell pepper, but its beautiful color faded right in, so next time I'll use red instead for more contrast. Originally, the only spice it called for was cumin. While I like cumin, I like it in smaller amounts, so I reduced it and added some other spices used in Moroccan cooking.

The recipe called for brushing the roasted squash halves with butter and brown sugar (or honey or maple syrup) before stuffing, but I forgot. I'm glad I did, because it wasn't neccesary and would've been a waste of calories. The squash tasted very nice with paired with the couscous stuffing and made a pretty presentation, but the couscous would be a terrific side dish on its own. My version makes more than you can stuff in two squash halves, which I wanted, but there weren't any leftovers as I'd hoped for. If you're not a fan of vegetarian meals, cooked chicken could easily be added to this meal.

adapted from allrecipes.com

1 large acorn squash, halved and seeded
2 tablespoons olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1 stalk celery, finely chopped

1/2 small onion, chopped

1/2 yellow or red bell pepper, chopped
1 carrot, finely chopped (I used about 9 small baby carrots)
1 (16 oz) can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup raisins
1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp ground coriander

1/4 tsp tumeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon
salt and pepper, to taste
2/3 cup vegetable or chicken broth
1/3 cup uncooked couscous

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Arrange squash halves cut side down on a baking sheet. Bake 30 minutes, or until tender. Keep squash warm while preparing the stuffing.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a skillet over medium heat. Stir in the garlic, celery, onion, pepper and carrots, and cook 5 minutes. Mix in the garbanzo beans and raisins. Season with cumin, coriander, tumeric, cinnamon, salt, and pepper, and continue to cook and stir until vegetables are tender.

Pour the broth into the skillet, and mix in the couscous. Cover skillet, and turn off heat. Allow couscous to absorb liquid for 5 minutes. Taste and adjust seasonings if needed. Stuff squash with couscous mixture to serve.