December 10, 2012

Pomegranate, Pistachio and Pine Nut Couscous Recipe


Ahhhhh, the four P's! Pomegranate, pistachios, pine nuts and parsley. Four things that taste incredibly delicious together. I created this recipe out of ingredients that I always have in my pantry and fridge. I was wanting to make up a yummy side dish for this Christmas and was looking for ingredients with Christmasy colours... so I thought that the pomegranate seeds and the parsley would look really festive and compliment each other greatly. Oooooo, the picture of the couscous just makes me excited for the holidays already! Hehehe. Last Thursday I had a radio interview with Break Thru Radio which will be released online this Friday... I will definitely post the link on our press page and on our Facebook and Twitter pages for you to have a look at. One of the things they asked me was what I was going to cook that day... the answer was this couscous and I am so happy that I did. It is an excellent side dish and will make a yummy addition to your Christmas meal plan. Not only is it easy and fresh but it is also so colourful and looks amazingly festive. Try it out and tell me what you think :)

 serves 4 as a side


   1 ¼ cups dried couscous
   1 
¼ cups boiling water or veggie stock*
   salt and pepper
   ½ cup fresh pomegranate seeds
   ½ cup roughly chopped pistachios
   ¼ cup pine nuts
   ¼ cup fresh parsley leaves, roughly chopped
   1/3 cup thinly sliced red onion (optional)
   parsley leaves to garnish

Dressing:
   4 tablespoons lemon juice
   1 tablespoon olive oil
   1 teaspoon dijon mustard
   1 garlic clove
   salt and pepper
   ½ cup tightly packed parsley leaves


  1. Add the couscous, salt and pepper and boiling water to a bowl and stir until combined.Cover and allow to sit for 5 minutes or so until all of the water has been absorbed. Fluff up the couscous with a fork.
  2. Add the pomegranate seeds, pistachios, pine nuts, parsley and red onion to the bowl with the couscous. Toss to combine. Set aside.
  3. Add all dressing ingredients to a processor and pulse until combined.
  4. Pour the dressing evenly into the bowl and carefully toss until combined. 
  5. Garnish with extra parsley leaves.
  6. Serve immediately.

  • Toast the pine nuts beforehand if desired.
  • *Use veggie stock with the couscous for increased flavour.

9 comments :

  1. Oh my gosh - why have I never thought of absorbing my cous cous in veggie stock?? Seriously, I'm so annoyed with myself now! This looks delicious - I'm actually having a cous cous salad for lunch today too so perfect timing :-)

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    1. Hi Jade! Haha your comment made me laugh. It is a great tip! I am glad it helped :)

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  2. Wow, I didn't think you can mix couscous with pomegranate seeds:) I definitely going to try your recipe:)

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  3. I didn't have pine nuts or parsley, and made this with dried cranberries and honey mustard and it was delicious!

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  4. Yummy! Looking forward to trying this. I love pomegranates and I love pine nuts!

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  5. i just stumbled across your blog today you have such a beautiful array of recipes that i cant wait to try out! awesome blog !

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