Colorful Couscous Side Dish with Carrots and Sage

Couscous with sweet carrots and earthy sage makes a healthy side dish for grilled chicken, seafood, and beef.

Seattle is seeing some very nice weather this summer. For this Seattleite, this is a welcome change from our typical rain. All this lovely weather means we're grilling even more than usual. While Mike mans the grill, I'm in charge of side dishes and salads.

I'm one of those people who doesn't mind warmer temperatures, so turning on the stove doesn't bother me.

I sautéed finely chopped carrots, celery, leeks (love leeks!) and fragrant sage in a skillet, while whole wheat couscous waited in a saucepan to be fluffed with a fork.

Couscous isn't often on our dinner menu, but it will be from now on. This colorful pasta recipe complimented Mike's grilled pork perfectly.

I know many of you are experiencing excessive heat waves, and the thought of hanging out in the kitchen over the stove isn't a remote possibility. I'm guessing firing up the grill doesn't sound appealing either.

I hope you save this recipe, and when the weather improves you can give this easy side dish a try. It makes a terrific lunch the next day with pork or chicken chopped into the mix.

Happy, healthy cooking!

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Ingredients

• 2 cups carrots, chopped into small pieces
• 1 cup leek , finely chopped
• 2 cups celery, chopped into small pieces
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• ½ cup vegetable broth
• 2 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons sage, fresh minced
• 2 cups water
• 2 cups whole wheat couscous
• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 ½ tablespoon balsamic vinegar

Instructions

1. Preheat a non-stick skillet over medium high heat with 1 tablespoon olive oil. Add carrots, celery and leeks and cook for 5 minutes to soften.
2. Add vegetable broth, garlic and sage, then cover the skillet. Simmer for 30 minutes until vegetables are tender. Add more broth as needed to keep from burning.
3. In a medium saucepan add water and bring to a boil over medium high. Add couscous and stir. Remove from heat and cover. Wait 15 - 20 minutes for water to absorb, then fluff with a fork. (Read package directions as the directions on your package may differ.)
4. Toss vegetables and couscous together with remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar.

Notes

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