Couscous with Provençal Vegetables

My all time favorite recipe for couscous using roasted red peppers. I bought a huge 14" deep skillet from Costco and use that to make a lot so that we have plenty of leftovers.

Couscous with Provençal Vegetables (adaptation)

2 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
1/4 tsp. crushed red pepper flakes
1 - 14.5oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1/2 lb green beans (cut in 1 1/2" lengths)
1 red bell pepper, diced (I use roasted red peppers) ______________________________________________________

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup couscous
____________________________________________________

10 kalamata olives
2 Tbsp pine nuts*
2 Tbsp minced fresh basil **(or 1-2 cubes of frozen basil & olive oil)

1. Heat oil and sauté garlic and red pepper flakes on medium for 1minute. Stir in tomatoes and juice and bring to a boil. Mix in green beans and peppers and cover the pan. Cook until green beans are tender 10-15 minutes.

2. Make couscous, set aside.

3. After green beans are tender, add olives, pine nuts and basil. Then mix in couscous and serve.

I make this all the time, and always double the amounts of the green beans and peppers. Most the time, I don't even measure how much of the vegetables I put in. This way, my husband can eat to his heart's content, and I know it is healthy.

*We buy a huge bag of pine nuts and keep in the fridge as they go rancid quickly. Same thing with olives, we buy a 2 lb container and it lasts forever.

**Basil/olive oil mix. If you can get a lot of basil, put the leaves into the food processor and add enough oil to make a consistency between a liquid and paste (you have to be able to pour it). Then pour the basil mix into an ice cube tray and freeze. Pop out the cubes, put into a freezer bag and you have freeze basil year round for pesto, adding to soups and other recipes.

I have adapted this recipe for myself from a cookbook called Main Course Vegetarian Pleasures. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0060950226?v=glance