{Recipe} Vegetable and Cous Cous Bake

This is a very ‘flexible’ dish, meaning you can use whatever you have languishing in your fridge. Don’t have capers? Use sun-dried tomatoes; Don’t have fresh tomatoes? Use red capsicum (bell pepper); All out of pine nuts? Use sunflower seeds. You get the picture. My 6 year old son loves this dish with the addition of sliced vegie sausages. Sometimes I add store-bought marinated tofu. You can see why this dish is different each time I make it!

My husband and three eldest children are in Sydney at the moment, visiting loved ones. I am missing them madly.

I had dinner with my parents tonight, and I made this dish.

Quantity – 4-5 serves

You will need:

For the marinade:

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp apple cider vinegar

1 tsp maple syrup

1 tsp tomato paste

1 clove garlic, minced

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5 cups root vegetables, chopped (I used a combination of carrot, potato, sweet potato & pumpkin)

1/2 cup tightly packed kale, shredded

1 cup broccoli, chopped

1 medium-sized tomato, diced

1/4 cup raw nuts (I prefer macadamias. I used almonds this time)

1 tbsp raw pine nuts

1 tbsp capers

2 tbsp olives, sliced (I used black olives)

1-2 tbsp fresh herbs, finely chopped (I used a combo of basil, parsley & mint from my garden)

4-6 artichoke hearts, cut in half

1 cup cooked beans or 1 can (I used cannellini (white) beans)

1 cup of cous cous grains (whole wheat or Gluten-free)

Method

1. Place all marinade ingredients in a small bowl or jug and stir with a fork.

2. Arrange chopped root vegies in a large baking dish, lined with parchment/baking paper:

3. Pour marinade on vegies and mix to achieve even coverage.

4. Place in a pre-heated oven (180 deg C/350F) for approx. 35 mins, removing at the 25 min mark to stir vegies. My vegies took 40 mins on this occasion.

5. While root vegies are baking, prepare other ingredients:

6. Prepare cous cous:

Bring 1 cup of water to the boil, add 1/2 tsp salt, 1 tsp olive oil. Add cous cous. Stir. Cover saucepan, and remove from heat. Leave for 3 mins.  After 3 mins, fluff cous cous grains with a fork. If cous cous is clumping, return to heat and add vegan margarine or olive oil; stir through with a fork to help the grains to separate.

7. Once root vegies are baked, add them to a large mixing bowl. Add cooked cous cous, white beans and other ingredients (except fresh herbs). Stir well.

8. Remove parchment/baking paper from the baking dish, and add the cous cous mixture:

9. Bake in oven for 10 mins.

10. Serve on plates. Sprinkle with fresh herbs.

11. We served our Vegie & Cous Cous Bake with a simple salad of baby spinach, lettuce, red onion, cucumber, mushroom, and tomato:

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The tomatoes were fresh from my mum’s garden – yum!

Each Monday, I feature a delicious vegan recipe – one that is enjoyed by my own family. I hope your family enjoys it too.

Ally