Vegetarian couscous with squash and two savory recipes with cinnamon

Berber dish originating from the Maghreb, couscous is prepared to garnish a base of durum wheat semolina. In Morocco, there are hundreds of recipes, each more delicious than the last… For this recipe, we have chosen to do without meat and spice up the preparation with an aromatic hint of cinnamon. A spice that we also find in two other succulent recipes, winter specials: carrot soup and cinnamon cauliflower.

What if we cooked savory with cinnamon? Here is a recipe for vegan couscous for you, a very easy soup to make and an idea for a side dish.

Vegetarian couscous with butternut squash (or not): cinnamon mixes in!

Cinnamon is one of the queen spices in cakes, gingerbread, Christmas cookies and even the famous cinnamon rollsthese cinnamon buns adored across the Channel and across the Atlantic. However, we often forget that cinnamon is a complex spice, which goes well with many flavors.

Vegetarian couscous with squash: the ingredients (for 6 people)

Couscous was not always presented with meat. THE chickpeas, rich in vegetable proteinshave this function. Here is a vegetarian couscous, and even vegan.

• 200 g cooked chickpeas
• 300 g of raw couscous or even bulgur seeds (with or without gluten)
• of the seasonal vegetables : whether you preserve or not, dig into squash, parsnips, rutabaga, leeks, celery, zucchini, carrots, turnips, tomatoes, etc.

• two medium onions
• two cloves of garlic
• two tablespoons of organic olive oil
• half a cube of vegetable broth + 400 ml of water
• spices: half a teaspoon of organic cinnamon powder, half a teaspoon of saffron, half a teaspoon of organic turmeric
• a few sprigs of coriander, preferably fresh
• coarse salt and ground pepper
• optional: dried fruits for the couscous semolina

Recipe

• Wash the vegetables with a vegetable brush, peel them if desired and cut them into cubes
• In a casserole dish, sweat the onions in olive oil
• Then add the vegetables that take the longest to cook and the garlic. Salt and pepper then add a liter of water and cook for around twenty minutes with a lid.

Semolina with dried fruits and cinnamon – © Eva Gruendemann

• Then add the softer vegetables, dried fruits if you wish to add them and chickpeas. Add the turmeric and cook for around twenty minutes, still covered.
• Meanwhile, prepare the vegetable stock, bring it to the boil and remove it from the heat. Then add the cinnamon and saffron. Bring to the boil again.
• In a couscous dish (or a sufficiently large dish), add the couscous, then the vegetables. Pour in the hot broth and let the couscous swell for 10 minutes.
• Mix if desired and serve with cilantro.

Savory cinnamon: carrot soup recipe

Cinnamon can be added to other savory dishes for special flavors. Example with this carrot and orange soup.

Preparation: 20 mins
Cooking time: 45 mins

For 5 people

Ingredients

• 1 kg of organic carrots
• 3 large organic oranges for juice
• 2 medium organic onions
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• two tablespoons of organic olive oil
• spices: a pinch of chili pepper or a little red Ras-El-Hanout, a teaspoon of organic cinnamon powder
• salt and ground pepper

You can also add fresh herbs to the carrot soup – © Elena Veselova

Recipe

• Wash the carrots with a vegetable brush, and cut them into slices
• In olive oil, sweat the onions
• Then brown the carrots with the spices
• Let the oranges cook until they soften a little, and add the orange juice and the stock cube.
• Cover with water and simmer for half an hour. Check the cooking.
• Mix, check the texture, salt, pepper and serve.

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by Jean-François Mallet
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Organic recipe: cauliflower with cinnamon, a very easy Lebanese mezze

Lebanese mezze category, here is a vegan recipe that is both original and subtle. Mediterranean cuisine never ceases to amaze us.

Ingredients for 4 people (side dish)

You can serve this Lebanese mezze with a little cream – © simona flamigni

Recipe

• Boil enough water to largely cover the heads of cauliflower. Cook them and drain them.
• In a pan, heat the olive oil and brown the cauliflowers.
• Place them in a dish and sprinkle with cinnamon. Salt, pepper.

For example, you can serve this mezzé with a lemon sauce and other Lebanese dishes, such as homemade hummus and eggplant caviar.

Article updated