CouscousCouscous

I've been slacking in the blogging department. Sorry :/. We had a super crazy week of events, and now we're experiencing the most quiet week we've had in a long time. It's nice to not have to rush through dinner to get out the door in time. And to have extra time to tidy up the house and do some reading, which has been on my to-do list forever now.

Tonight I made two of Lucas' favorite foods for dinner: couscous and pork chops. The first time I ever had couscous was after we were married, and I fell in love. Of course, I always try to find my own way to sweeten things up and was excited when I found a recipe for couscous with cranberries, carrot, and cinnamon. The first time I made it Lucas was a little overwhelmed by the sweetness, so I had to dial it down a little bit. Tonight though, it was perfect. This side dish is really good with pork chops or chicken. I cooked the pork chops in the same skillet that I used to saute the cranberries and carrots and added about a tablespoon of honey.

Cranberry and Carrot Couscous
Ingredients:

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 large carrot, grated
• 1/4 cup cranberries
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped (optional; I didn't have any on hand tonight and it was just as good without it)
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon cumin
• 1 cup couscous
• 1 cup chicken broth
• salt and paper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring one cup of water to a boil, then stir in couscous, cover, and turn off heat
2. Heat oil in skillet and add onion over medium-high heat; saute for one minute or until translucent
3. Add carrot to skillet and cook for one minute
4. Add cranberries and cook for about 30 seconds-1 minute
5. Add cinnamon and cumin to skillet and mix well, cooking for 15-20 seconds until spices become aromatic
6. Pour skillet ingredients into cooked couscous along with the cup of chicken broth then cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes.
7. Fluff couscous and serve!