Plant-Based Fall Recipe: Mediterranean Couscous and Couscous Stuffed Squash

In the previous blog, we discussed some alternatives to eating turkey on Thanksgiving. For this recipe you will need; A medium saucepan, pearl couscous, feta cheese, pitted kalamata olives, sun-dried tomatoes, Italian seasoning, and baby spinach. 

• Start by filling the saucepan with 1 ¼  cup of water.

•  Bring water to a bowl and add salt and Italian seasoning. Once the water is boiling add couscous. 
• Reduce to a simmer and cover for 10-15 minutes. When the couscous has absorbed the water, fluff it with a fork and check for any leftover water. Remove from heat.
• Next, you will add your desired amount of olives and sundried tomatoes. I recommend adding more than less. 
• After that, add a cup of spinach and top with feta cheese and pepper. 

There you have it! A fresh meal to share with family and friends. 

For the second recipe in this blog, we will learn how to make stuffed squash with kale, apple, and apricot couscous. For his recipe you will need; one delicate squash, Israeli couscous, sage, veggie stock concentrate, lemon, apple, apricots, kale, shallots, and cream cheese. This recipe takes about 40 minutes all together but is a great meal filled with flavors of fall. 

• First, preheat the oven to 450 degrees.Halve the squash lengthwise. Scoop out and get rid of the leftover seeds. Place squash on a baking sheet; drizzle each half with oil and add salt and pepper. Once the oven is preheated, roast until tender for about 25-30 mins. 
• Next, you should quarter the lemon.
• Halve, peel, and thinly slice the shallot. 
• Roughly chop kale into smaller pieces.
• Halve, core, and dice the apple into ¼ inch pieces. 
• Chop sage leaves into tiny pieces. 
• In a small microwave-safe bowl, combine apricots and juice from a lemon. Place in microwave for 30 seconds and set aside for later. 
• In the next step, we will begin to prepare the couscous. Heat a drizzle of oil in a medium pot over medium-high heat.
• Add shallot and cook until browned. 
• Add kale and a splash of water, and season with salt and pepper.
• Add couscous, 1 cup of water, and stock 2 TBSP of veggie concentrate. Bring to a boil, cover, and reduce heat to low. Should take about 6-8 minutes until the couscous is tender. 
• When couscous is finished, stir in apple, apricot, and lemon juice. Season with salt and pepper. Keep covered off heat. 
• Next, you will melt 3TBSP of butter in a small pan over medium-high heat. Add chopped sage and cook for 1-2 minutes. 
• Stir sage butter, lemon zest, and a pinch of salt into the pot with a couscous mixture. 
• n the next step, we will begin to make the sauce. Heat the pan you previously used to make brown butter over medium heat. Add ¼ cup of water, 4 TBSP of cream cheese, reserved soaked apricots, and 1 TBSP of butter, salt, and pepper. 

In the final step remove the squash from the oven. Carefully flip the squash and stuff it with couscous filling. Drizzle with cream sauce and enjoy!