There’s no big story behind this recipe. Jason and I got home late from work after a particularly painful commute (we have a loooong commute!), and I had no idea what to make for dinner.
A little background: I’m pretty high-maintenance about menu planning. I usually start on Wednesday by checking the weekly ads for my 3 favorite markets. I start my shopping list (by store) with our regular must-haves (coconut yogurt, spinach, salad fixin’s, etc) then I start to play around with new recipe ideas based on what’s on sale. Then on Saturday morning (or Friday, if it’s our flex week) I sit down with my laptop and some cookbooks and just browse. I look at what I’ve pinned on Pinterest that week and I thumb through my favorite books looking for meals to add to my menu. I put together the weekly menu, then I shop. Yes my weekly menu is highly formatted and pretty, but I’m not totally OCD about it… I mean, I don’t assign a day to each meal in advance. I allow some leeway based on what sounds good when we get home from work… So, see? I’m totally normal! 🙂
Anyhoo, that one particular night last week, nothing from the menu sounded quick and easy enough. We’ve all had those nights when delivery sounds like the only option- except we had gotten Indian take-out the night before, and I try not to do that very often. So I started rooting around in my cabinets and found some Israeli couscous and sweet potatoes and I knew I had some kale in the fridge that was dying to be used (literally), and this dish just sort of came together on it’s own.
The lemon and cumin are a great combination that I’ll definitely be using again. The earthy, warm taste of the cumin added a depth to the dish, and the lemon and gave it a light and almost perky layer. The sweetness of the potatoes round it out nicely. And of course the Israeli couscous, which is actually a pasta, made it quite filling.
- 2 medium-large sweet potatoes, chopped
- Olive oil
- Sea salt
- 1 large bunch of kale, torn or chopped
- 2 cups uncooked Israeli couscous
- 2 cups vegetable stock (plus extra for steaming kale, if desired)
- 1 tablespoon cumin
- 2.5 tablespoon lemon juice, plus zest
- 1 tablespoon dried parsley
- S&P
- Spread the diced potatoes on a baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of sea salt, and bake at 350 degrees for about 15 minutes (or until tender and starting to brown), stirring at least once.
- Saute the kale in a pan with water or vegetable broth until tender. If you have it covered, it should only take about 2-4 minutes.
- Heat a large pot over medium heat, and add 1-2 T olive oil. Once heated, add 2 cups couscous and toast for about 5 minutes, stirring every minute or so. Make sure they don't burn!
- Add 2 cups vegetable broth to the couscous, reduce heat to lowish, and cover. Let it simmer for 8-10 minutes but DO NOT lift the cover to check on it for at least 8 minutes! Then stir and make sure the liquid is gone and the balls aren't clumping.
- Add the kale and potatoes into the couscous and mix. Then mix in all the spices. Add S&P as your tastes dictate, and that's it!
- Serves 4 adults, or more if you're using this as a side!
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Hooray, another delicious use for kale! I will never again let mine go to waste… This sounds both easy and tasty, which is a winning combination by me.
Your menu planning sounds exactly like mine! Except I do go one crazy step further and assign meals to days….mostly for blogging reasons (to ensure I have a post planned for every day of the work week). That couscous looks yummy though!
Some of the best meals I make are on a whim and thrown together- your dinner looks so fresh and light, love the idea of cumin and lemon together!
YUM! This sounds fantastic! What a great combination of ingredients–and so healthy. I’m definitely bookmarking this one!
A lovely & easy vegan dinner: The dish looks lovely & truly appetizing too! 😉
Tasty! 🙂 I so much love kale too!
Sounds like a healthy dinner! I don’t know whereas I’ve really combined lemon and cumin, but I like the idea of it!
This was really good…and pretty, too!
I’m new to your blog, I actually came to this very page when I was looking for simple rice cooker recipes online. I made this the day I saw it and it tastes AMAZING! Soooo sooo amazing. Thank you!
Awww, I’m so happy to hear that! I’m really glad you enjoyed it, and it reminds me what a good, simple meal that was. I need to make it again 🙂