Cous Cous and Roasted Vegetables

For anyone trying to diet cous cous is a tasty alternative to rice or pasta and surprisingly filling for such a tiny grain. It also takes no time at all to cook and can be added to a huge variety of ingredients to liven up side salads and main meals. 

Cous Cous and Roasted Vegetables

Ingredients: (serves 1)

• 100g cous cous
• 2 carrots
• 1/2 courgette
• 1/2 leek
• 1 red onion 
• 1 red pepper 
• 1 tbsp olive oil

Method:

For the roasted vegetables:

• Pre-heat oven to 200 degrees Celsius.
• Chop up the carrots, courgette and pepper into 1/2 cm chunks.
• Dice the onion then cut the leek into quarters to form four long strips. Chop along the strips at 1cm intervals. It may look like you have a lot of veg but it shrinks down a lot. 
• Place all the vegetables into a mixing bowl then add the olive oil. Stir until the vegetables are coated then place on a baking tray and roast for 30 minutes. (Note: I'd keep a close eye on the vegetables after about 25 minutes- they can burn very easily) 

For the cous cous:

• Place the cous cous into a saucepan. Boil the kettle then measure out 250ml of water and pour into the saucepan on a medium heat. Constantly stir the cous cous for 5 minutes adding extra tablespoon's of water if it starts to dry out. The constant stirring is key- otherwise it will just stick to the bottom. 
• After 5 minutes all the water should have absorbed and the cous cous will be cooked. If you have added too much water by accident just drain the cous cous in a sieve. 
• Serve and spoon the roasted vegetables over the top.

Notes:

• For a bit more flavour when stirring in the oil add 2 tsps of garlic granules, 1 tsp of chilli granules and a sprinkling of pepper to the chopped vegetables.
• I tend to make huge batches of roasted vegetables then stir in 2 tablespoons of tomato puree once cooked, using the mixture as a filling for wraps and pitta breads with a bit of lettuce and goats cheese or extra mature cheddar.