Couscous recipes, one for each day of the month

Couscous is a delicious, nutritious version of semolina wheat that’s associated with Morocco. It’s easy to cook, and there’s no end to what you can do with it. It makes a great side dish, but it can also be your entree. This is a wonderfully versatile staple to keep on hand. Like rice, it’s also easy to store, so you can buy it in bulk and save money. In fact, if you can’t find it in your local grocery stores, you can order it online. I’ve put together this collection of thirty-one couscous recipes – not that you’ll want to have couscous every day for a month, but just to show you that it could be done. If you’ve never cooked or eaten couscous before, now’s the time to start!

A Month of Couscous Recipes

Butternut Squash & Herbs Couscous

• 1 1/2 cups chicken stock or broth
• 1 teaspoon coarse (kosher) salt
• 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
• 4-6 cloves garlic, chopped fine
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 1 butternut squash, chopped into cubes
• 1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
• 1 cup chopped basil
• 1 cup chopped cilantro

Put the chicken stock or broth in a small saucepan over high heat. Turn off the heat when it reaches a boil. Add the salt, pepper and garlic to the stock and let it steep for 15-20 minutes.  While that’s happening, put the butter and olive oil in a sautee pan on medium heat. Add the squash and cook for 12-15 minutes or until tender. Return the stock to a boil. Put the couscous in a large bowl with the squash. Pour the boiled stock over them. Cover the bowl with a lid or plastic wrap and let it steep for another 15 minutes. Add the basil and cilantro, and toss. You can serve this warm, at room temperature or chilled as a salad.

1. Mushroom and White Bean Stew Over Couscous – with parmesan and garlic, and just a dash of cayenne. A lovely, filling dish that can be an entire meal.
2. Alaska Seafood with Couscous – seasoned with green onion, coriander, hot pepper sauce and more, with almond slices and currants. If you love seafood, this one is not to be missed.
3. Apple Cinnamon Couscous – apples, raisins and cinnamon. Simple, lightly sweet and delicious, this one makes a great snack, side dish or dessert substitute.
4. Couscous with artichokes and walnuts – with mild seasonings. The walnuts add something very distinctive to this dish.
5. Arugula Salad Orange Couscous and Citrus Vinaigrette – also with mango and pine nuts and chives, this makes a terrific salad
6. Chocolate Cream Couscous Cake – dairy free! Yes, you can really make a dessert out of couscous
7. Poached Salmon with Moroccan Giant Couscous – delicately seasoned with ginger, tarragon and pomegranate, with a hollandaise sauce and black peppercorns.
8. Greek Chicken with Lemon Couscous – lemon, parsley and oregano season this delicious recipe, which is paired with a recipe for Greek chicken, creating a whole meal.
9. Basil Couscous with Red Pepper and Sunflower Seeds – the toasted sunflower seeds give this one a fantastic crunch, and the distinctive flavor of the basil makes it memorable.
10. Chicken Couscous with Raisins and Almonds – cayenne, cloves, cinnamon, garlic and more season this tasty dish with chicken drumsticks.
11. Moroccan Lamb and Vegetable Couscous – slow-cooked lamb and poached veggies with wonderful seasonings. Definitely one for the lamb lovers!
12. Bartlett Pear and Couscous Salad – it sounds sweet, but this recipe also uses bacon, green onions and spinach, so it makes a wonderfully balanced salad
13. Moroccan Couscous – cooked in chicken stock with shallots, currants and nuts. The chicken stock gives it a wonderful texture.
14. Couscous Tabbouleh – actually sort of a couscous form of tabouleh salad, with mint, feta cheese and extra virgin olive oil
15. Couscous with Mergez Sausage – with this red spicy sausage from North Africa, plug veggies and garbanzo beans, you’ve got a full meal
16. Salmon and Pearl Couscous – seasoned with lemon, dill and onion, and served with a baked salmon filet.
17. Quick Couscous with Chicken – it sounds so simple, but then it adds jalapenos, ginger and curry powder for a unique blend of seasonings
18. Tilapia Baked in Couscous – with slivered almonds and sun-dried tomatoes and the light, non-fishy flavor of tilapia, this dish will satisfy even those who aren’t wild about fish in general.
19. Beef Kebabs with Couscous Salad – a marinade for beef kebabs with a couscous recipe featuring pumpkin and currants. This one is really two recipes that create a full meal with very complimentary flavors
20. Roasted Chicken Thighs with Zucchini and Couscous - chicken, zucchini, red wine vinegar and a very simple couscous. This is a “back to basics” kind of recipe that relies on the quality of ingredients rather than a bunch of exotic spices to make it delicious.
21. Honey Scallops with Couscous – sweet and tangy scallops in couscous with baby spinach. This makes a terrific seafood entree.
22. Couscous Salad with Dried Cranberries and Pecans – a tangy, nutty salad. Add the cucumbers at the last minute so they retain their crunch
23. Hummus-Couscous Loaf – a vegetarian alternative to meat loaf. It doesn’t taste so much like meatloaf, but the texture is fairly close (depending which meatloaf recipe you compare it to), and you do slice it just like a meatloaf
24. Couscous Stuffing with Currants, Apricots and Pistachios – a really cool alternative to traditional bread stuffing recipes. You can tweak this recipe to be more like your usual stuffing recipes. It’s just such a great way to use couscous!
25. Chicken Satay Style with Couscous – with a coconut milk and peanut butter based sauce, this is a Thai-inspired couscous recipe.
26. Chicken and Sausage Couscous – featuring kielbasa, chicken, carrots and turnips, this is a one-dish meal you can throw together quickly.
27. Sunny Breakfast Couscous Cereal – a super easy dish, the couscous gets cooked in orange juice, which gives it a fantastic flavor. This is great in place of oatmeal or breakfast cereal.
28. Blueberry Couscous Cake – yep, it’s another couscous based dessert, this time a cake made from blueberries, using couscous instead of wheat flour
29. Stuffed Aubergine with Couscous and Tomatoes – a flavorful recipe using garlic, chili, curry and ginger, with pine nuts and poppy seeds
30. Coconut Almond Couscous – couscous cooked in coconut milk. This one comes out light and fluffy and delicious, with a light sweetness and a nice amount of spice.