At our house, when we’ve busy enough that grocery shopping has been put off for a few days too many, we start throwing together “desperation” dinners. A Desperation dinner is just like it sounds; a meal that is put together with what is left in the fridge. This fast and healthy couscous stirfry recipe is a delicious result of one of those cooking adventures.

This recipe offers vegetables that add fiber and vitamins, and oils and pistachios that add a good amount of heart healthy fats. It is low in sodium and saturated fat and makes for a satisfying, filling meal.

The good thing about this dish is that you can easily tailor it to work with whatever is in your refrigerator, as long as you’ve got a bit of couscous, rice, pasta, or quinoa - basically any kind of base that you like - sitting in your cupboards. As long as you have a couple different kinds of fresh veggies, you should be able to pull off your own easy and healthy recipe.

What you need for this couscous stirfry:

Ingredients for couscous:
1 Cup Couscous, dry
1 ¼ Cup Water
¼ Tsp Salt
How to Cook It

4 Large Carrots
1 Large Onion
½ Cup Pistachios, diced
2 Tbsp Sesame Oil
2 Tbsp Brown Sugar
2 Tsp Ginger
Dash Red Pepper Flakes (to taste)
Soy Sauce (if you must, to taste!)

Cook the couscous and set aside. In a large skillet, warm the sesame oil on low-medium heat. Add all of the veggies, spices, and sugar and cook until they have reached the desired tenderness for your particular taste. Add the diced pistachios and cook for another 4 minutes.

Once the vegetables and pistachios for the stir fry are ready, add in your couscous. If you want a stir fry that is thick with vegetables, you may want to set some of the portion of the cooked grain aside.

Note: Couscous burns easily, so keep the heat on the skillet low and stir frequently.

This Recipe makes roughly 4 servings.

Other things that might taste great in this stir fry:
• Mushrooms
• Broccoli
• Various beans
• Zucchini
• Chickpeas
• Diced tomatoes
• Bell Peppers
• Cauliflower
• Celery
• Different kinds of nuts
• Eggplant

Get creative!


Nutrition Information
Calories: 370
Total Fat: 14 g
Saturated Fat: 1.9 g
Cholesterol: 0 mg
Sodium: 57 mg
Total Carbohydrates: 52 g
Dietary Fiber: 6.5 g
Sugars: 10 g
Protein: 10 g