Wow! Thank you all SO much for helping celebrate the 3rd birthday of Espresso and Cream with all your fun comments about fall. As someone who loves football, I loved reading that so many of you girls (well, mostly girls) are as excited about football season as I am. Joe and I have been counting down the days for a month now. Go Gators!
That said, the winner of the J. Crew giveaway is comment #112, Alina. Congrats, Alina! Please send me an e-mail (madisonjanemayberry@gmail.com) with your full name and e-mail address and I’ll get you your e-gift card sent out right away!
I feel like it’s been quite a while since I shared a recipe with you for something savory. Truth is, Joe and I have been all about the quick and easy meal lately. Okay, I have been all about the quick and easy meal, so we’ve been eating a lot of salads, sandwiches and the occasional bowl of Greek yogurt and bananas with peanut butter for me. Hopefully, now that we’re in the swing of things again and back from vacation I can bust out of my dinnertime rut and try a new recipe or two.
But in keeping with the spirit of quick and easy meals, I thought this recipe for Cheesy Zucchini Couscous was worth passing along. It’s a humble dish, hardly anything worth writing home about, but is the perfect dish to pair with a crisp lettuce salad. At its core, this dish is really mac and cheese made with couscous instead of pasta with some fresh zucchini tossed in for color and bite. Since I’ve never met a mac and cheese I didn’t like, it’s not all that hard to imagine that I fell head over heels for this quick and easy recipe.
Cheesy Zucchini Couscous
Ingredients
*1 tablespoon olive oil
*1 1/3 cups Israeli couscous
*1 3/4 cup water
*1/4 tsp. salt
*1/3 cup milk
*1/2 tablespoon flour
*Pinch of nutmeg
*Salt and ground black pepper
*1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
*3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese (I used a cheddar blend from Trader Joe’s)
*3/4 cup chopped zucchini
*1 slice whole wheat bread
Instructions
*Preheat oven to 375°F. Lightly grease an 8×8-inch baking dish. Set aside.
*In a medium saucepan over medium high heat, combine the olive oil and cous cous and cook for 3 to 4 minutes, until cous cous is browned slightly and fragrant. Add the water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, covered, for 12 minutes or until water is absorbed completely and cous cous is cooked.
*Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over medium heat, whisk together the flour and milk. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes or until mixture is thickened slightly. Remove from heat and stir in the nutmeg, salt and ground black pepper, Dijon and milk. Stir until well combined and cheese is melted. Pour cheese mixture over the cous cous and stir in the zucchini. Pour mixture into prepared baking dish.
*With a food processor, pulse the bread slice until it forms fine crumbles. Sprinkle over the cous cous mixture in the dish. Bake for 15 minutes, or until mixture is bubbly and bread crumbs are toasted. Remove from heat and serve immediately. Makes 3 to 4 servings
Happy Cooking!
Madison