Don’t be scared off by the use of sugar in this highly aromatic one-dish meal. It just heightens the flavors of the spices, onions, and pecans.
Recipe information
Yield
serves 4, 1 cup beef mixture and 1/2 cup couscous per serving
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
In a large nonstick skillet, heat the oil over medium-high heat, swirling to coat the bottom. Cook the beef for 2 minutes, stirring constantly and turning and crumbling the beef. Drain and discard any liquid.
Step 2
Stir in the squash, bell pepper, and onion. Cook for 8 minutes, or until the onion is soft, stirring frequently. Remove from the heat.
Step 3
Meanwhile, in a small saucepan over high heat, heat 3/4 cup water to boiling. Remove from the heat and stir in the couscous. Cover tightly and let stand for 5 minutes, or until the liquid is absorbed. Fluff with a fork.
Step 4
In a small skillet, dry-roast the pecans over medium heat for about 4 minutes, or until just fragrant, stirring frequently. Remove from the skillet so they don’t burn. (For pine nuts, dry-roast over medium-high heat for 1 to 2 minutes, or until they are fragrant and turning golden, stirring frequently.) Stir the pecans, sugar, cinnamon, cumin, allspice, salt, and remaining 1/4 cup water into the beef mixture. Serve over the couscous.
Cook’s Tip
Step 5
Whole-wheat couscous is available in major supermarkets, usually near the rice, and in health food stores. Couscous doesn’t have a lot of flavor, so it lends itself well to the addition of many different herbs and spices.
nutrition information
Step 6
(Per Serving)
Step 7
Calories: 368
Step 8
Total Fat: 17.0g
Step 9
Saturated: 3.0g
Step 10
Trans: 0.5g
Step 11
Polyunsaturated: 4.0g
Step 12
Monounsaturated: 8.5g
Step 13
Cholesterol: 47mg
Step 14
Sodium: 215mg
Step 15
Carbohydrates: 33g
Step 16
Fiber: 7g
Step 17
Sugars: 6g
Step 18
Protein: 25g
Step 19
Dietary Exchanges
Step 20
2 Starch
Step 21
1 Vegetable
Step 22
2 1/2 Lean Meat
Step 23
2 Fat
