couscous vegetable soup

Want a hearty and healthy lunch? This soup makes the grade and it's flexible enough so that you can add in whatever vegetables you've got lingering about in your fridge. I wanted to use up the bits and bobs of vegetables, so for me it was broccoli, carrots and onion. For you, it might be zucchini, red pepper, cauliflower and spinach. Whatever, mix it up. Live a little.

When I was making this soup, I was also in the middle of work. So I let this soup sit a bit longer on the stove than I wanted and thus, the couscous soaked up more of the broth than I would have normally liked. But rather than go mushy and bland like regular pasta, the couscous still had bite and chew. Israeli couscous is a very forgiving grain and my lunch was delicious.

couscous vegetable soup
1/2 c israeli couscous
2 c vegetable broth
1 small carrot, diced
1/2 - 1 c broccoli, chopped
1/4 small onion, diced
salt & pepper
a few healthy dashes of your favorite hot sauce

Heat up couscous in broth. When it starts to boil, add in vegetables. Cover and simmer for 10 minutes and serve with your favorite hot sauce, a few grinds of pepper and a sprinkle of salt, if needed.

100 breakfast proof: pina colada fruit salad

Pineapples are one of my favorite fruits. I love them plain, grilled or shoved into a burger. It doesn't take much to transform the pineapple into something special. When we were couch-surfing in Utrecht last September, our hosts had served pineapple tossed with fresh mint. That's it. It was a very memorable end to a great evening.

This morning I had a small pineapple that I had found on special for 99 cents in Chinatown. I also had some strawberries that were a little past their prime. So I cut them up and created a boozy syrup out of rum and honey and vanilla. A little shredded coconut sprinkled about and it was perfect! It lifted what could have been a ho-hum fruit salad into the realm of fancy pants-ness. The heady scent of rum, vanilla and coconut is seriously intoxicating without being down-right boozy. It definitely made my Monday morning, but it's more suited for a light summer dessert or weekend brunch item. This would be great with waffles, scones or pancakes or tossed with a bit of fresh mint or, oooh, even pistachios! Imagine the pineapple possibilities.

pina colada fruit salad
1 small pineapple, diced
1 basket of strawberries, sliced
3 T unsweetened angel flaked coconut
3 T honey
4 T amber rum (I used my favorite Appleton Estate from Jamaica)
1 t vanilla extract

In a large bowl, whisk together honey, rum and vanilla. Add fruit and coconut and toss. Serve in small bowls.

Want more pineapple recipes? Dig into my archives:
African yam & peanut soup
Ginger pineapple chicken
Jerk chicken pineapple skewers
Pineapple baked beans
Pineapple-coconut vegetable curry
Strawberry-pineapple popsicles