Time: 1 hour

Kale and couscous are not always ingredients that make people excited, but they really deserve a second chance… trust me you will find it worth the effort. I made this recipe and brought some to my uncle G this past week, I was a little unsure if it would be something he’d enjoy – I could not believe how he tucked in to this dish (pushed his chicken out of the way to eat the couscous)!! Made me smile all week!

Music Selection: 38 Special – Second Chance

Ingredients:

3 cups uncooked couscous

3 cups chicken broth

1 Tbsp chicken bouillon

1 bunch (about 4 large leaves) of kale, torn from stems and torn in small pieces

5 Tbsp olive oil

1 cup toasted pine nuts (toast at 350 for 5 – 10 min, watching)

1 cup dried pomegranate (or fresh) seeds

8 oz crumbled goat cheese

1/2 red onion, finely diced

1 green onion, diced

2 Tbsp tahini

3 cloves garlic, minced

juice from 1 lemon

3 Tbsp white balsamic vinegar

3 Tbsp honey

Salt/pepper to taste

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

On a small pie plate, lined with foil, sprinkle the  pine nuts and toast 5 – 10 minutes until light brown. Let cool. Leave oven on.

Line a cookie sheet with foil and spray with oil.

Spread chopped up kale on foil.

In blender, mix the olive oil, tahini, garlic, lemon juice, balsamic vinegar, honey, salt/pepper, mix well.

Sprinkle 2 Tbsp of the vinaigrette on the kale. Salt/pepper it a bit more. Put in the oven and bake until it starts to get crispy -about 15 minutes.

In meantime, bring the chicken broth with bouillon to a boil. Remove from heat, add in the couscous, stir and cover for 10 minutes. When ready, use a fork to fluff and put in a large bowl. Let cool.

Once cooled, add the kale, cheese, red onion, pomegranate seeds and the remaining vinaigrette. Add salt/pepper to taste.

Sprinkle on top the toasted pine nuts and green onion. Serve alongside steak, porkloin, BBQ or shake n bake chicken, aji verde, or pebre.