Super-Veggie Couscous

(PHOTO COMING)

I'm in love. (with a recipe, that is). Super easy and PACKED full with great vegetables, some of which you may not have tried before. Enjoy!

INGREDIENTS:
- 3 cloves garlic, smashed
- 2 small turnips, peeled and chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered lengthwise, root end intact
- 5 Small organic carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch long pieces
- 1 fennel bulb, thickly sliced lengthwise, root end intact
- 1 celery root, peeled and cubed
- 1/2 cup golden raisins
- 1 tablespoon peeled, minced fresh ginger
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt
- 2 teaspoons each ground cumin, paprika, and sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon ground turmeric
- 1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (or 1 cinnamon stick, napped in half)
- 1 pound butternut squash
- 4 sprigs fresh flat-leaf parsley
- 1 zucchini, cut into 2-ich rounds
- 1 15.5oz can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 cup canned whole peeled tomatoes
- Toasted almonds

COUSCOUS:
- 1.5 cups uncooked coucous
- 2 cups water


DIRECTIONS:
1 - For the stew: put the garlic, turnips, onions, carrots, fennel, celery root, raisins, ginger, salt, cumin, paprika, sugar, turmeric, cloves, and cinnamon in a large soup pot (i use a dutch oven). Add 2 cups cold water and bring to a boil over high heat; cover., reduce the heat, and simmer until the vegetables are somewhat soft, about 10 minutes.

2 - Halve and seed the butternut squash and cut into wedges. You can choose to leave the skin or peel it off. Make sure to clean it well if you keep it! Tie parsley sprigs together with kitchen string. Add squash, zucchini, chickpeas, and parsley sprigs to the pot.

3 - Using your fingers, tear the tomatoes into big pieces OVER THE POT and add the torn pieces in. Simmer the stew, covered, about 10-15 more minutes. Vegetables should be somewhat tender - still intact but cut-able with a fork. Remove the cinnamon sticks.

4 - For the couscous: Bring 2 cups water to a boil, add the dry coucous, cover and remove from the heat. Set aside for about 5-10 minutes. Fluff with a fork as soon as the water is absorbed.

5 - Set the oven temp to 400 degrees and spread the almonds over a baking sheet. Toast the almonds for roughly 4-6 minutes. Remove from oven and loosen the pieces on the baking sheet. Pour onto a plate and set aside.

6 - To serve, spread the couscous over a large serving platter and, using a slotted spoon, mound the vegetables in the center. Pour some of the broth over the vegetables and sprinkle with the almonds.

*recipe was adapted from the Food Network Kitchen cookbook. pg. 109.