Cous cous gets a bad rap, I feel. Unlike it’s posher and more fashionable cousin, quinoa (which always seems to turn out like tasteless frog spawn when I make it), cous cous, is really tasty, not at all weird consistency wise, dead quick and easy to cook, and it’s healthy too – which means cous cous is WINNING in my book.
My kids will eat it, even with lots of green stuff in. Ok, Artie does pick out the bits he doesn’t like (“Whhhhyyyyyyy did you put onnnniooooooonsss iiiiin?” accompanied by actual wailing). But I tell him, calmly, to just eat the bits he likes. And he will eat a bit of herbage which is good. Bea is mad, MAD, for halloumi. Artie notsomuch (all the more for me and Bea). But I believe in putting a wide range of things in front of them for dinner, that way they can try everything and find out what they like and dislike. I only ask that they try things once. It’s fine to not like it once it’s been tried. You can tell Bea doesn’t like it if she throws it across the dining room.
This is an adaptable beast, just chuck in any herbs you have. I also added tomatoes the next day to some leftovers, but the recipe below is nice in its greenness contrasting with the fried cheese.
Serves: 2/3 adults as a lunch, more as a side
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 10 minutes
Total time: 10 minutes (if cooking and prepping simultaneously)
Ingredients:
125g cous cous
200ml veg stock
4 or 5 spring onions, sliced into about 1cm pieces
Half a cucumber, diced
Small handful of basil, torn
Small handful of coriander, roughly chopped
2 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil
1 250g packet of halloumi, sliced into about 1cm pieces
Squeeze of lemon
Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions:
- Fry off your sliced halloumi off in a hot pan with a little oil. Turn when quite brown. Should take about 5-10 minutes.
- Pour hot stock onto the cous cous and let it stand for about 8-10 minutes. Fluff when all the stock is absorbed. Drizzle oil, squeeze lemon over, and season.
- Chop your veg and herbs. Combine with cous cous. Taste and season with more oil / lemon / salt and pepper if necessary.
- Add fried halloumi. Toss. Eat up!
Wow! So flavourful & delicious! I made this and had with baked salmon and chickpeas. I craved the greens after starting my day with a berry & beet smoothie