Curry Couscous with Garbanzo Beans

I have been a huge fan of one-pot meals lately.  Not only do they minimize time spent in the kitchen, they also create fewer dishes which is a great because I do not have a dishwasher.

My cupboards are currently overflowing with leftover odds and ends of beans and grains, so I decided that before I buy anything new to cook with, I need to use those up.  I was rummaging around and came across some couscous and a can of garbanzo beans, so I decided to cook them with some vegetables I bought at the farmers market last night. I've been using a lot of turmeric, cinnamon, cayenne, cumin, and coriander lately in the Indian cooking I've been doing, so I decided to put those together in this dish, along with some fresh garlic and ginger. 

I wanted to practice my knife skills, so I made pretty small pieces, but it is definitely not essential.

Spice mix:

1 1/2 tsp ground cumin

2 tsp ground coriander

1/4 cayenne (or more, if you prefer your food spicier)

1/2 tsp turmeric

1/4 tsp cinnamon

Mix together in a small bowl and set aside

1 tbsp olive oil

1 large yellow onion, diced

1 tbsp minced fresh ginger

3 cloves garlic, minced

a handful of green beans, thinly sliced (you should have about 1/2 cup of the little slices)

1 small zucchini, diced

1 small yellow summer squash, diced

1 medium carrot, diced

1 15-oz can garbanzo beans, drained

1 tsp salt

1 cup couscous

3 cups vegetable broth

1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

Bring the broth to a simmer in a medium saucepan.

Heat the oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium-high heat.

Add the onions and cook, stirring until translucent and slightly browned.

Add the garlic and ginger and cook, stirring, for one minute.

Stir in the green beans, zucchini, squash, and carrots, salt, and spice mix, and cook for 5 minutes, or until vegetables are crisp-tender.

Stir in the garbanzo beans.

Add the couscous and mix until evenly distributed.  

Stir in the broth gradually.  

Turn off the heat, cover the pan, and wait 10 minutes.

Fluff with a fork, sprinkle cilantro over the top, and serve.