Moroccan Shrimp

Got this recipe from Fresh Direct who got it from Real Simple magazine. I love that you can add a recipe to your shopping cart and it adds all the ingredients you need. Super helpful! You can add some extra flavor and color to this dish by stirring about 3 tablespoons of chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or scallions into the couscous just before serving.

Hands-on time: 25 minutes
Total time: 25 minutes

Makes 4 servings


1 10-ounce box couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large yellow onion, roughly chopped
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 red bell pepper, roughly chopped
3/4 cup golden raisins
1 28-ounce can whole tomatoes, drained and roughly chopped
1 pound medium or large shrimp, peeled and deveined
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 lemon, halved

Prepare the couscous according to the package directions.* Meanwhile, heat the oil in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add the onion, salt, and 1/8 teaspoon of the black pepper. Cover and cook until the onion is softened, 5 to 7 minutes. Add the bell pepper and raisins and cook for 4 minutes more. Add the tomatoes and heat for 3 minutes. Meanwhile, place the shrimp in a medium bowl and sprinkle with the cumin, cinnamon, and the remaining black pepper. Squeeze the lemon over the shrimp and toss to combine. Add the shrimp (but not the liquid) to the tomato mixture in the skillet. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the shrimp are pink and cooked through, about 3 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork, divide it among individual plates, and spoon the shrimp mixture over the top.


NUTRITION PER SERVING
CALORIES 561 (11% from fat); FAT 7g (sat 1g); PROTEIN 35g; CHOLESTEROL 172mg; SODIUM 670mg; FIBER 8g; CARBOHYDRATE 92g

Moroccan Lentil Salad

This dish is loaded with flavor. I found it on a site called mynewroots.com where the blogger tries to show you how to eat healthy every day. I've had my Trader Joe's lentils in the fridge for a hot minute and now I'm excited to cook up lunch. Obviously, this recipe calls for you to cook your lentils. I left that in there. Since mine were cooked already, I skipped that step. I would highly recommend you make this for lunch or as a side dish with dinner. It is super fresh and very flavorful. I labeled this as Moroccan because of the spice blend. Enjoy!


Ingredients:
2 ¼ cups (1 lb.) Du Puy lentils
1 medium red onion, diced
1 cup dried currants (you could also use raisins or other dried fruit - I used craisins)
1/3 cup capers

Vinaigrette:
1/3 cup cold pressed, extra virgin olive oil
1/4 cup apple cider vinegar (I used red wine vinegar)
1 Tbsp. maple syrup (I used Light syrup)
1 Tbsp. strong mustard (I used Nathan's Coney Island Spicy Brown)
2 tsp. salt
2 tsp. pepper
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. turmeric*
1/2 tsp. ground coriander*
½ tsp ground cardamom*
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
¼ tsp. ground cloves*
1/4 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*
¼ tsp. ground cinnamon*

* If you have these individually great, if not use about 1 1/2 tbsp ras el hanout

Optional add-ins:
Arugula
Walnuts
Goat cheese
Fresh herbs: flat-leaf parsley, cilantro, basil (I added basil and cilantro)
Sprouts
Crispy seasonal veggies

Directions:

1. Rinse lentils well, drain. Place in a pot and cover with a 3-4 inches of water, bring to a boil, reduce to simmer. Check lentils for doneness after 15 minutes, but they should take about 20 minutes in total. You will know they are cooked if they still retain a slight tooth – al dente! Overcooking the lentils is the death of this dish. Be careful!

2. While the lentils are simmering, make the dressing by placing all ingredients in a jar with a tight fitting lid and shake vigorously to combine.

3. Finely dice red onion - the salad is best if all the ingredients are about the same size. If using raisins, chop them roughly to make them a bit smaller, and do the same with the capers if they are large.

4. When the lentils are cooked, remove from heat, drain and place under cold running water to stop the cooking process. Once cooled slightly but still a little warm, place lentils in a large serving bowl and toss with dressing. Add other onion, capers, and currants. If using other add-ins such as herbs, greens, or cheese, wait until just before serving. Otherwise, this salad can hang out in the fridge for a couple days.

Cat Cora's North African Fish Stew

 

Ingredients

1. 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2. 2 medium red onions, thinly sliced
3. 2 tablespoons golden raisins
4. 1/4 cup salted roasted cashews
5. 1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
6. 1 yellow bell pepper, thinly sliced
7. 4 medium tomatoes—peeled, seeded and sliced crosswise 1 inch thick
8. 1 tablespoon ras el hanout (Moroccan spice blend)
9. 1 1/2 cups vegetable stock
10. 1 1/2 pounds catfish or tilapia fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
11. Salt and freshly ground pepper
12. 2 cups couscous
13. 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
14. 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
15. 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
16. 2 scallions, thinly sliced

1. In a large, deep skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of the oil. Add half of the onion and cook over moderate heat, stirring, until browned, 8 minutes. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a plate. Add the raisins and cashews to the skillet and cook for 1 minute. Transfer to the plate.
2. Add the remaining 2 tablespoons of oil to the skillet along with the remaining onion and both peppers. Cook until softened, about 7 minutes. Add the tomatoes, ras el hanout (go to Whole Foods for this one) and stock, cover and cook over low heat for 10 minutes. Season the fish with salt and pepper and add to the skillet. Cook over moderately high heat until the fish is cooked, 5 minutes.
3. Bring 2 cups of water to a boil. Put the couscous in a heatproof bowl and toss with the cinnamon and cumin. Pour the boiling water over the couscous, cover and let stand for 10 minutes. Stir in the butter and season with salt and pepper. Spoon the couscous into bowls and top with the fish stew. Garnish with the onion, raisins, cashews and scallions.

Making the Bastilla...

All the things you will need to make Moroccan Chicken Bastilla: Phyllo dough, 7 eggs, butter, whole chicken (about 2 to 4lbs) , 2 yellow onions, fresh parsley (both finely chopped), oil for frying, turmeric, cinnamon, ginger powder, powdered sugar, blanched slivered almonds, orange blossom water, saffron and salt and pepper. Word. Let's get started...

Add oil to pan, then onions, then parsley, then spices. Stir. Add the chicken. Cook for 10 minutes on medium heat, then add a little water (about 2 cups) and cook the chicken on high heat for 25 to 30 minutes.

Separately, fry the almonds...(reserve a little bit of the almond oil for later)

Add 4 ounces of powdered sugar, 1 tbsp of cinnamon and 2 tbsp of orange blossom water. I have a mini food processor, so I had to do mine in batches.

When the beast is done cooking, take it out. Add 6 eggs to the remaining mixture. Cook and stir till eggs are done. Keep cooking on low till the mixture is dry.

Remove the bird from the pot. You can tell it's ready when the meat falls off the bone with a fork. My chicken took me 30 minutes to cook.

Pull the chicken off the bone and then mix one tablespoon of the almond oil into the chicken evenly. This helps flavor the chicken.

Egg mixture is looking ready...

Almond mixture is ready to go!

Add phyllo dough to the bottom of a buttered baking dish. Also have phyllo dough extend out of the dish from each side. (Used to cover the dish in the end)

Add the egg mixture. Separate layers with a sheet of phyllo dough.

Add the chicken.

Add the almond mixture.

Add more layers of phyllo dough. Tuck in the sides as you add the layers.

All wrapped up and ready to go. Coated in an egg wash - there's your 7th egg. Bake at 350 for 20 to 30 min or until golden brown.