Vegetable Couscous with Spiced Yogurt

This is a great way of using up leftover vegetables – anything will do as long as it is chopped finely enough. 

 

½ cup giant couscous

½ red pepper, chopped

2 onions, chopped

½ savoy cabbage, chopped

3 stalks celery, chopped

½ courgette, chopped

1 tbsp bouillon powder

1 tub 0% fat free plain yogurt

1-2 tsp harissa paste

Cook the couscous according to the packet instructions, adding the onion, pepper, cabbage and celery. Just before the cooking time is up, add the courgette.

Swirl the harissa paste into the yogurt, and serve with the couscous.

Chick Pea and Butternut Squash Falafels on Couscous Tabuleh

Searching the net for a falafel recipe, I came across one with carrots, so I thought I'd use up the half a butternut squash which was occupying the vegetable drawer in my fridge. The addition of the butternut squash made the falafels quite moist. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

1 tin chick peas

½ butternut squash, grated

1-2 tbsp fat free plain yogurt

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tsp bouillon powder

½ tsp harissa paste

1 cup couscous

2 cups boiling water

juice and zest of 1 lemon

small handful flat leaf parsley, finely chopped

small handful mint leaves, finely chopped

2-3 shallots, finely chopped

In a food processor, blend the chick peas, squash, cumin, bouillon powder and harissa paste. Gradually add the yogurt (you may need more or less) until the right consistency is obtained. Taste and adjust the seasoning if necessary. Shape into little patties and bake for 20 minutes or so at 200°C, or until nicely browned.

Place the couscous in a bowl and pour over the boiling water. Leave for a few minutes for the water to be soaked up, then fluff up with a fork. Add the lemon juice and zest, mint, parsley and shallots, and stir well.

I served a plain fat free yogurt swirled with harissa paste as a side, along with some pickled garlic. 

 

Couscous Sarda Pudding

This dish is best known cooked with fregola, but as I was unable to locate fregola, I used giant couscous instead, as it is very similar (fregola is a small pasta grain from Italy)

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy*

*Providing you use the milk from your Healthy Extra A allowance

1 cup giant couscous

3 cups skimmed milk

sweetener to taste

½ tsp saffron powder

½ stick of cinnamon

2 whole star anise

5 whole cardamoms

Gently simmer the couscous in the milk with all the other ingredients for around ten minutes until the couscous is soft but still retains some bite. I would recommend stirring almost constantly to avoid it sticking to the bottom of the pan. Remove the whole spices before serving. Sprinkle over a little cinnamon and enjoy!

Swordfish with Orange, Ginger and Baby Sweetcorn Salsa

I went a little mad in Sainsbury's the other week, stocking up on lots of different fish for the freezer. Fish I wouldn't necessarily normally choose, such as swordfish. This recipe is adapted from a Ready Steady Cook dish, to fit in with the Slimming World plan.

The orange and ginger went extremely well with the rich, meaty fish, and a green couscous completed the meal. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 sword fish steaks

2 cloves garlic

juice and zest of 1 lime

1 tbsp dark soy sauce

½ green chilli, finely chopped

2 oranges

small knob of ginger

125g baby sweetcorn

small handful coriander leaves, chopped

1 cup couscous

1 courgette, finely grated

1 tsp bouillon powder

Finely chop the garlic and mix with the lime juice and zest, soy sauce and chilli. Place the fish steaks in a shallow bowl and pour over the marinade. Turn to coat and leave to marinate for 10 minutes.

Remove the skin, pith and membranes of the oranges and cut into segments. Cut the ginger into thin julienne strips. Halve the baby sweetcorn lengthways, then halve again crossways. Lay cut side down on a greased baking sheet, and spray with Fry Light. Grill on a high heat for a few minutes until beginning to go soft and slightly charred on the edges. Leave to cool. Mix together the orange segments, ginger, baby sweetcorn and coriander leaves.

Cook the couscous in plenty of water with the the bouillon powder according to packet instructions. Mix in the grated courgette. I find this is much easier to do before draining.

Remove the swordfish steaks from the marinade and fry over a high heat for a few minutes on each side until cooked through. Drain the couscous and place on two plates. Put the salsa on top of the couscous and finally top with the swordfish steaks. Serve with lime wedges for squeezing. 

 

Apple and Sultana Couscous Cakes

Putting my thinking cap on for cakes that don't contain flour, I remembered a couscous cake we had in a private home in Cape Verde a few years ago. My friend Google came to the rescue again, and I found a nice little recipe which I adapted heavily to fit in with the Slimming World plan.

The cakes are very tasty, and extremely moreish albeit a little crumbly. The recipe filled 12 muffin cases with a little to spare – if you didn't put as much in each case it would probably make 15-18 little cakes.

I added sultanas to mine – although you can reduce the syn value to almost nothing if you leave them out (and use the apple as HEXB).

Syn values for the whole mix:

70g sultanas = 7 syns

2 tsp baking powder = 1 syn

3 apples cooked = 12 syns*

*If you don't use the cooked apple as your Healthy Extra B

1 cup couscous

1 cup diet appleade

70g sultanas (optional)

1 tub fat free vanilla yogurt

½ tub fat free natural yogurt

2 tsp cinnamon

2 tsp baking powder

½ cup sweetener

3 eating apples

2 eggs

Place the couscous and appleade in a saucepan and bring to the boil. As soon as it boils, switch the heat off and put a lid on the pan. Leave for at least ten minutes for the couscous to cook and absorb the liquid. Place in a large bowl and fluff up with a fork.

Whip the eggs until frothy. Mix with the yogurts, sultanas (if using) , cinnamon, baking powder and sweetener.

Grate 2 of the apples and finely chop the third. Mix with the other ingredients and stir well. Place in individual muffin cakes and bake at 170°C for 15-20 minutes until cooked through and slightly browned on top. 

 

Spicy Bean and Couscous Burgers

This is the end of the crushed fava bean mix – the rest went in the bin by special request from Husband. The recipe uses up the leftover beans, as well as the leftover couscous. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

1 cup crushed cooked beans

1 cup cooked couscous

1-2 tsp harissa paste

2 onions, sliced

1 tub fat free natural yogurt

mint sauce and sweetener to taste

Mix together the beans, couscous and harissa paste and shape into burgers. Place on a greased oven-proof baking tray and cook at a high heat for 5-10 minutes until heated through and slightly browned on top.

Meanwhile fry the onions in fry Light until soft. Mix together the yogurt, mint and sweetener to taste.

Serve the burgers topped with the fried onion and mint raita, with Slimming World chips on the side. 

 

Sweet Chilli Chicken

Having searched the net for recipes for sweet chilli sauce, I finally made up a recipe for a sauce that will fit in with the Slimming World plan. It was easy and quick and you can make it as spicy (or not) as you like. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

2 chicken breasts, skin and fat removed

200g passata

½ cup sweetener

¼ cup of rice wine vinegar

2 tbsp dark soy sauce

1-2 tsp chilli flakes

Place all the ingredients except the chicken in a small saucepan and bring to boil while stirring. Boil rapidly for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened and reduced slightly. Adjust seasoning and allow to cool.

Cut the chicken breasts in small trips and coat with the sweet chilli sauce. Place on a wire rack over an oven proof tray and grill at a high heat for 7-10 minutes until the chicken is cooked through and nicely brown on the outside. 

 

Serve with rice or couscous. I like to add some grated carrots and courgettes into mine for the last few minutes of cooking, to bulk it out and add superfree. 

 

Carrot and Chick Pea Tajine

You can use tinned chick peas if you prefer, but I like to use the dried variety as I prefer the taste and texture. I have several different types of chick peas in my store cupboard, and for this recipe I used the brown ones. 

 

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy

120g dried chick peas, soaked overnight

2 onions, chopped

3-4 carrots, thickly sliced

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp ground turmeric

1 tsp chilli flakes

½ tsp freshly ground white pepper

1 tsp sweetener

Drain the soaked chick peas and rinse under cold water. Cook in salted water according to the packet instructions, usually an hour. Sauté the onion in a little Fry Light over a medium heat until soft. Add the carrots, cooked chick peas and spices and stir well. Add enough water to cover the bottom of the pan (I use some of the leftover water from cooking the chick peas) – you don't want it to boil dry, but you don't want soup either. Transfer to a tajine or oven proof dish, cover and bake in the oven at 220°C for 45-60 minutes. 

 

Serve with couscous (I like to cook mine in bouillon powder and grate some courgettes and/or carrots into it for the last few minutes, just to bulk it out and add extra superfree); a pomegranate salad and some plain yogurt swirled with harissa paste.

 

Lamb and Apricot Tajine

A tajine is a Berber dish from North Africa which is named after the earthenware pot it is cooked in. Of course you don't have to own a tajine to cook this dish, any oven proof casserole will do. I always think a large part of the enjoyment of any meal is the visual aspect of it, so I go to great lengths to ensure the table settings look good and the food is presented nicely. I collect plates and other crockery, much to my husband's dismay, as he can never find anywhere to put them. Maybe we need a bigger house?

Lamb and Apricot Tajine with couscous, harissa yogurt and pomegranate salad

Serves 2

Syn Free on Extra Easy providing you use the apricots as your Healthy Extra B

300g diced, lean lamb

2 onions, chopped

4 cloves garlic, chopped

2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground cinnamon

2 tsp turmeric

2 tsp paprika

120g dried apricots, roughly chopped

boiling water

100g couscous

1 carrot

1 courgette

125ml stock

1 tsp mint sauce

1 tub 0% natural yogurt

1 tsp harissa paste

1 packet of pomegranate seeds

½ red onion, thinly sliced

small handful of coriander leaves, chopped

juice of ½ lime

6g toasted almond slivers (optional) – allow 1 syn if using

Sauté the onions and garlic in a little Fry Light until soft. Mix all the spices together and add the lamb, making sure the meat is well covered. Constantly stirring, add the lamb to the onions in the pan and cook for a few minutes until fragrant. Add the chopped apricots and enough water to cover. Transfer to an oven-proof dish and bake at 150°C for 2.5 – 3 hours.

Grate the carrot and courgette and place in a pan with the couscous and mint sauce. The instructions on the couscous packet suggests 125ml water or stock, but I always find I need to use more. Simmer for a few minutes, stirring to ensure the couscous doesn't stick to the bottom (my husband always berates me for welding food to the pan – it makes the washing up doubly hard for him).

Lightly stir some harissa paste into the yogurt. I always use much more than a teaspoon, but it depends on your taste and the strength of the harissa – mine is home made and very hot!

Mix together all the ingredients for the pomegranate salad.

Top the lamb tajine with the toasted almonds and serve with the couscous, yogurt and pomegranate salad.

Bob apetit.

I find this is such lovely comfort food, perfect for a cold dark Saturday evening such as today. The seratonin in the chilli always lifts my spirits and I love the combination of flavours, colours and textures.


I bought the tajine in France and brought the mats back from Burkina Faso. The brown plate is from the Range and the red bowls from John Lewis. The gold plated wooden-handled cutlery was bought over the internet. 

http://www.slimmingworld.com/