Making a meal of it

I confess, I looked at the ingredients for this dish and I thought it didn't really sound like an entree, but rather a list of ingredients for nachos. Not that I don't love nachos (and I confess, I even like the ones you get in the movie theater with fake cheese poured over them.... mmmmm), but it wasn't exactly a main dish, at least from the ingredients. But nothing ventured, nothing gained, particularly since, if I told the kids that we were having nachos for dinner, I was pretty sure that the response would be positive. Surprised, but positive!

And in actual fact, this does turn out to be a substantial main dish in itself, and another one I'm adding to my growing veggie repertoire. It turns out you can make a meal of nachos :-) The recipe comes from the magazine Everyday with Rachel Ray, and you can throw it together almost as quickly as a bowl of nachos. I did add some tomato, as I thought it needed another color to make it look pretty! It needs nothing more than a nice salad to accompany it, and the warmth of the chiles (warmth, rather than heat, don't worry) is perfect for the darker, cooler evenings of fall.

Baked Green Chile Chilaquiles
Serves 5

2 TBSP olive oil
2 poblano chiles, seeded and cut into thin strips
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 cups mild green tomatillo salsa
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro (coriander leaves), plus more for garnish
8 oz bag of corn tortilla chips
10 oz Monterey Jack, shredded (you could use mild cheddar instead)
1 can black beans, drained and rinsed
1 avocado, sliced
2 green/spring onions, trimmed and thinly sliced
1 roma tomato, chopped
1 lime, cut into wedges, to serve

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. Heat olive oil in large skillet and cook the chiles over medium/high heat, until beginning to brown. Add garlic and cook for a further 20 seconds. Stir in the salsa and bring to a simmer. Remove from the heat and stir in the cilantro. Set aside.
3. Place half the chips in a 2 qt baking dish. Top with half of the salsa mixture, half the cheese and half the beans. Repeat the layers with remaining chips, salsa, cheese and beans.
4. Bake until casserole is hot and the cheese melts (18-20 minutes).
5. Garnish with avocado slices, green onions, tomato and remaining cilantro before serving the lime wedges.

Dessert? Why not!

Let's just say, for the sake of argument, that you have just treated yourself to an awesome salad entrée (perhaps this one). Well, in my book, that means you have earned yourself a dessert. And I have a great one for you. This recipe comes from one of those little free books you get when you re-subscribe to a magazine, in this case, Good Food magazine in the UK (so don't even think about telling me Brits can't cook). It's a cake, but one with a texture unlike most other cakes, and a combination of flavours more usually associated with a savory dish. It's rich, fragrant, fresh, and quite frankly delicious, and if you have an overgrown patch of rosemary in your garden like mine, then a great way to put it to good use.

Lemon Polenta Cake with Rosemary Syrup
Serves 8

6 oz polenta (cornmeal)
2 oz AP/plain flour
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp salt
5 TBSP plain yoghurt
5 TBSP canola/sunflower oil
grated zest of 2 lemons, plus 2 TBSP fresh lemon juice
2 whole eggs, plus 2 egg whites
14 oz white sugar (caster)
2 sprigs fresh rosemary, plus extra to decorate
fresh berries and extra plain yoghurt to serve

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (180 degrees C).
2. Sift polenta, flour, baking powder and salt into a bowl (tip in any grains too large to go through sifter as well)
3. Combine yoghurt, oil, lemon zest and juice in a pitcher/jug. It will look curdled, but don't worry!
4. Beat eggs and egg whites with half of the sugar until creamy. Beat in the yoghurt mixture until smooth, then fold in the sifted dry ingredients.
5. Pour this batter into a 9"x5" loaf pan, which has been sprayed with oil spray.
6. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted comes out clean.
7. Put the remaining sugar in a pan with 7 fl oz (200 ml) of water and the rosemary sprigs. Bring to the boil, then simmer for 10 minutes. Cool completely, and then strain.
8. Cool the cake on a wire rack for 15 minutes. Then poke holes in the top with a skewer and pour over half of the rosemary syrup.
9. Serve the cake sliced with fresh berries, natural/plain yoghurt and extra syrup.

The last gasp of summer

This morning, I walked the dog in a thick, cold, drizzly fog; this afternoon, the sun is shining and the temperature gauge has risen more than 20 degrees. Fall is decidedly strange that way. Since the weather has yet to adopt a more wintery hue for at least part of the day, I thought I would post one last salady entrée recipe. I know some of you live in colder climes, but this one is well worth a try - just crank the heating up, put on a sweater and pour a glass of something fortified to warm you up.

Asian Chicken Salad
From Simply Organic by Jesse Ziff Cool
Serves 4-6 as an entrée

1 cup seasoned rice wine vinegar
6 TBSP soy sauce
2 tsp toasted sesame oil
2 tsp hot Chinese mustard
4 TBSP minced fresh ginger
4 green/spring onions, thinly sliced
3 large skinless, boneless chicken breasts, cut into 1/4" strips (about 1.8lbs)
2 cups bean sprouts
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
6 cups finely shredded savoy cabbage (about 1 head)
2 TBSP toasted sesame seeds

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a large measuring jug/pitcher, whisk together the vinegar, soy sauce, oil, mustard, ginger and green onions. Pour half of this dressing into a large bowl.
3. Add chicken to the bowl and toss to coat with the dressing. Set aside to marinate for at least 10 minutes, and up to 1 hour.
4. Meanwhile, in a large bowl, toss together the sprouts, cabbage and red bell pepper. Toss with the remaining dressing (may not need all of it, so don't pour it all in in one go!). Set aside for 20 minutes.
5. Meanwhile, take the chicken and put it on a baking tray, coated with oil spray. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes, or until cooked through and no longer pink. Cool slightly.
6. Top the cabbage mixture with the chicken and sprinkle with sesame seeds to serve.

It's all about winning

If you are a parent, then you will, like me, have come to realize that you are no longer in control of your own life. The kids are. Victories are few and far between, so must be savoured and appreciated, in the vain hope that the glow they impart might last just long enough until the next time. Well, last night, there was a moment at the dinner table, when I felt like I just might be winning, temporarily, and only at a stretch, but winning a small victory, nonetheless.

If you are a frequent reader here, you will have gathered that my children are in a phase when they refuse to eat sandwiches in their packed lunch, which as you can imagine is a cause of pain and suffering for the woman who packs those lunches, namely me. Put it this way, it is October, and I am emotionally 'done' with the year of packed lunches already. I am also constantly struck by how ridiculous it is NOT to like sandwiches. They love bread, they love cheese, they love ham. But a cheese and ham sandwich? Forgetaboutit.

Well, last night, this is the dinner we gathered around:

No, it isn't a sandwich! It is a dish called a Croque Monsieur Casserole, the recipe for which came from a Rachel Ray magazine. What is a Croque Monsieur? Well, it's a French ham and cheese sandwich. Let me repeat that: it's a ham and cheese sandwich. OK, so our dinner was technically a casserole based on a ham and cheese sandwich. A casserole which was greeted not by 'The Y-word', which is usually thrown at a sandwich (rhymes with duck, and is forbidden in this house, along with at least one other word that rhymes with duck), but 'The D-word' (rhymes with propitious, and maybe this will be). Ha! This round of the sandwich wars was won by me. The war rages on, and I'm losing, but at least this battle is mine :-)

Whether you like sandwiches or not, with or without ham and cheese, this recipe is a definite keeper (even now that they know it is based on a sandwich). My only tweak was that I added more egg and milk, as it all looked a bit too dry when I assembled it. I'm glad I did, as it was perfectly moist as prepared below. It also went fabulously well with a simple green salad dressed with a sharp tasting vinaigrette, to cut through the oozy, creamy, cheesy goodness of the casserole. I have therefore also included a recipe for lemon vinaigrette below, for those who are feeling brave and want to try and replicate this victory at home!

Croque Monsieur Casserole
Serves 5

1 day-old baguette cut into 1/2" slices
2 TBSP butter melted
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
9 oz gruyere, shredded/grated
8 oz thinly sliced ham
6 large eggs
1 3/4 cups whole milk
freshly ground black pepper
1. Take half of the bread slices and chop them into 1/2" cubes. Toss cubes with melted butter in a large bowl.
2. Spread mustard over remaining bread slices, and arrange them, slightly overlapping, in a 2-qt baking dish. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of cheese over the top.
3. Fold ham slices in half and arrange in an even layer over the cheese. Top with half of the remaining cheese.
4. Sprinkle bread cubes evenly over the top, and then top with remaining cheese.
5. Whisk eggs with milk and season with black pepper to taste. Pour carefully over casserole and lightly press down on bread so that it begins to soak up liquid.
6. Set casserole aside at room temperature for 30 minutes. Meanwhile preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
7. Bake casserole in oven until puffed up and golden, about 30 minutes.
8. Leave to cool slightly for 5 minutes before serving.

Lemon Vinaigrette

2 TBSP freshly squeezed lemon juice
2 TBSP white wine vinegar
1-2 tsp wholegrain mustard
5 TBSP olive oil
salt and pepper

Whisk all ingredients together. Serve tossed with a simple green salad.

Feeling chilly?

This post is dedicated to a dear friend of mine. Let's call her Heather. Last week sometime, she posted on Facebook that she needed to "move somewhere where it's sunny and warm". A few days later she lamented that "This dreary, gray, cold weather has me down", and then the clincher was today's post, accompanied by a photo of the heater she had on her desk, which complained that she was "still freezing". Ever eager to help, I have obviously offered her a bed here in sunny California so that she can escape the frozen wastelands of Illinois. However, if the truth be told, the weather is becoming decidedly fall-ish here too, so she might be better off checking Hotwire for fares to Hawaii.

The upside of fall's arrival for me is, of course, food-related. There is nothing more comforting on an evening that seems not just chilly, but prematurely dark, than a steaming hot plateful of something that has been simmering in the slow-cooker all day. So Heather, that is why this post is dedicated to you my dear. At least you will have something tasty and warm to look forward after you turn off that heater at work, and drive home :-)

The recipe comes from a book I recently bought called Simply Organic, by Jesse Ziff Cool. For those of you who are local, she is the one who owns the Flea Street Café in Menlo Park. The book was recommended to me (thanks Janel!) because although I would love to cook more seasonally, I don't always feel like I know how - what is in season when? And for convenience purposes, much of my shopping is done in a supermarket, where you can get most things year round, whether that is appropriate or not. This book, unlike most, is written by season, so for example, the recipe below comes from the section on 'Indian Summer'. Great idea, and some lovely looking recipes.

I served the dish with a side of soft polenta and some roasted delicata squash, which I have put recipes for below, as they went together beautifully. I have the October issue of Cooking Light to thank for the squash recipe.

Enjoy, and stay warm :-)

Harvest Pot Roast
Serves 8

1 large onion, cut into thick slices
4 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
12 oz mushrooms, quartered or thickly sliced
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 can diced tomatoes, drained
1 cup ketchup
2 TBSP Dijon mustard
2 TBSP Worcestershire sauce
1 chuck roast, about 3lbs, trimmed of visible fat
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ground black pepper

1. Combine onion, carrots, mushroom, garlic and tomatoes in the slow cooker.
2. In a small bowl, combine the ketchup, mustard and Worcestershire sauce. Top the vegetables with half of this sauce.
3. Place the roast over the vegetables, and sprinkle with salt and pepper. Spread remaining sauce over the beef.
4. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours, or until the meat is very tender.
5. Let meat rest for 10 minutes before slicing, and serve drizzled with sauce and vegetables from slow cooker.


Soft Polenta
Serves 8

3 cups water
3 3/4 cups milk
1/4 tsp salt
1 1/2 cups coarse polenta/cornmeal
3 TBSP fresh grated parmesan

1. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring water, milk and salt to a boil.
2. Gradually stir in polenta in a steady stream.
3. Cook, stirring constantly until the mixture is smooth and blended, and bubbles like lava (about 5 minutes)
4. Reduce heat to low and continue cooking, stirring frequently, while the mixture bubbles and thickens, and the grains become tender and creamy. This should take 20-30 minutes.
5. Stir in parmesan and serve.

Roasted Delicata Squash with Red Onions
Serves 6

1 TBSP unsalted butter, melted
1 TBSP chopped fresh thyme, or 1 tsp dried thyme
1 TBSP honey
2 tsp olive oil
3 garlic cloves, minced
2 12 oz delicate squash, halved lengthwise, seeded and cut into 1/2" slices (no need to peel!)
1 large red onion, cut into wedges
1/2 tsp salt, divided
1/2 tsp ground black pepper, divided
cooking spray
3 TBSP chopped fresh parsley

1. Preheat oven to 450 degrees F (230 degrees C).
2. Combine first five ingredients in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add squash and onion and toss gently to coat. Sprinkle in 1/4 tsp each of salt and pepper.
3. Arrange vegetable mixture in a single layer on a baking sheet, coated with cooking spray.
4. Bake for 20 minutes, or until squash is tender, turning once halfway through.
5. Sprinkle with remaining salt and pepper and parsley before serving.

Why, thank you!

Thank you all for checking into my blog! This blog is something which is very dear to my heart. After all, I love cooking, and I love writing. What a combo!

And to express my gratitude for those of you who enjoy reading the blog, and trying out the recipes, I did some 'tidying up' yesterday, which I wanted to make you all aware of. Why? Because it will hopefully make this blog a bit easier to navigate, particularly if you're trying to find recipes from some time ago.

If you scroll down the right hand side, you will see a link to a page called RECIPE INDEX. On the page there, you will find a list of all the recipes I have posted (and I add to it each time, so it is up to date). They are divided into sections by main ingredient (e.g. beef entrees/vegetarian entrees etc), 'status' in the meal (e.g. sides/salads) as well as cooking method (e.g. slow cooker recipes/grilling recipes). And each recipe in the list shows when it was posted and the title of the post. The title itself is a link, which, if you click on it, will take you directly to the post in question.

Enjoy!

Kimberley

Side-swiped

Let's face it, sides can sometimes steal the show. And in our house, they also make fabulous lunchbox fillers the following day, which makes me love them all the more (it's October, and I'm fed up of packed lunches already...) In fact, the first of the two dishes in this post is being enjoyed by my children on the blacktop right now. Why, they are probably just now extolling the virtues of the mother who cooked it and packed it for them. I'm sure that's what they are doing.

These two sides are scene-stealers for sure - the first because it contains pesto, so duh! And because it is incredibly easy to make, can be served hot, warm, room temperature or cold, keeps for a while in the fridge and tastes just as delicious however and whenever you serve it. Come on! What more could you want. The second is a scene-stealer because it is just so pretty, has all the health benefits afforded by quinoa AND tastes good. The first recipe comes from a great cookbook called Delia Smith's Summer Collection. Delia is kind of the Julia Child of the UK, except that the UK is fortunate to still have her in their midst, and she is still cooking. The second recipe came from the deep dark recesses of my imagination.

Pesto Rice
Serves 8 as a side

arborio rice, measured to the 1 pint level in a measuring jug/pitcher
1 11oz container of ready-made pesto
2 pts of hot vegetable stock
6 green onions (spring onions), finely sliced
juice of 1 large lemon, or 2 small

1. Measure rice into a jug, then add about 1/4 of the pesto to the rice and stir to coat the grains.
2. Tip the mixture into a large saucepan.
3. Measure hot vegetable stock in the same jug, and then add that to the saucepan.
4. Stir together and bring mixture to the boil, then put the lid on, turn the heat down to low, and let it simmer (WITHOUT OPENING IT) for exactly 20 minutes.
5. As soon as the timer goes, open the saucepan and add green onions, lemon juice and the rest of the pesto. Mix together and serve at desired temperature (my favorite is probably room temp).

Mediterranean Quinoa
Serves 8 as a side

1 cup quinoa
2 cups water
1/2 red onion, finely chopped
1 large green bell pepper, finely chopped
1/2 cup pitted kalamata olives, chopped
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh parsley
1/4 cup snipped fresh chives
2 TBSP balsamic vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 tsp ground mustard
1/2 tsp black pepper

1. Cook quinoa in water according to directions (should be no water left when it is done), then allow to cool in a large bowl on counter.
2. Make dressing: whisk together balsamic vinegar, oil, ground mustard and black pepper.
3. When quinoa is no longer hot, mix all ingredients together and stir in dressing until combined.

Lying by omission

As I have no doubt stated before, I am not one for sneaking in hidden ingredients. I know Jessica Seinfeld has made a successful career out of it, but I have never quite understood how you get from hiding green beans to having children happily eat green beans. My policy has always been to just plonk a pile of green beans on their plates and wait until the day they decide to eat them. I seem to remember reading somewhere that a child can try something 10 times and dislike it, and then the eleventh time is often a charm. Well, it hasn't worked for me every time (Brussel Sprouts anyone?), but I live in hope.

I am the first to admit that I am also very lucky, in that my children do not eschew the majority of healthy foods. Sure there are some that they seem to have concluded are the work of the devil (Brussel Sprouts anyone?), but in general they eat healthily, so I confess that perhaps my preference for avoiding vegetable sneakiness is driven in part by the satisfaction that I don't need to. However, there are a couple of recipes which have entered my regular repertoire, where the veggie ingredients are all but invisible. Sure zucchini muffins (see here for example) have green flecks, but they seem to disappear pretty quickly anyway. The recipe below is one which I challenge any picky eaters to turn down. The hidden ingredient is completely undetectable, even by my most suspicious (and squash-hating) child. It's a doozy, and whereas Mac 'n' cheese is usually a wasteland where nutritional value is concerned, this is one you can serve up without feeling that you totally capitulated to the whims of any tiny vegetable-haters. And it also gives you the satisfaction of having pulled the wool over their eyes - victories like that can be hard to come by as a parent, so I take them where I can get them!

The original recipe comes from Cooking Light magazine, but I have tweaked it somewhat - my kids may not turn many veggies down, but they do prefer other types of cheese than in the original.

Mac 'n' Cheese with a secret
Serves 8

3 cups cubed peeled butternut squash
1 1/4 cups chicken broth/stock
1 1/2 cups milk (I use semi-skimmed/2%)
2 garlic cloves
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
2 TBSP plain yogurt
1 1/4 cups shredded/grated Monterey jack cheese (or cheddar, or.... you choose)
1/2 cup grated pecorino romano cheese
3/4 cup grated parmesan cheese
1lb uncooked pasta (I use macaroni, but it doesn't really matter!)
oil spray
1/2 cup breadcrumbs
2 TBSP chopped fresh parsley (unless the presence of green stuff will cause a riot)

1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C).
2. Combine squash, broth, milk and garlic in a saucepan. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce heat to medium and simmer until squash is tender (about 25 minutes). Remove from heat.
3. Place hot squash mixture in a blender. Add salt, pepper and yoghurt. Remove the center piece of the blender lid so steam can escape and cover loosely with a clean towel. Then blend until smooth.
4. Place blended squash mixture in a large bowl and add Monterey Jack cheese, pecorino and 1/2 cup of parmesan.
5. Cook pasta according to directions (do not overcook, as it will cook a little more in the sauce in the oven). Drain and add to cheese sauce mixture.
6. Spread mixture in an ovenproof dish, sprinkle with breadcrumbs and remaining 1/4 cup parmesan and bake for 25 minutes until bubbly and golden. Sprinkle with parsley if desired.

Succeeding with squash

There are moments, when I really do feel like I might be succeeding as a parent. That I might be having a modicum of positive impact on my children's futures, and that they might just turn into responsible, healthy, NICE adults. Not the moments when they are hitting each other over the head with lego guns, or the ones when they are singing along to the latest hit song and inserting the words 'pooh' and 'pee' in random places to their great amusement. No, those moments give me a different feeling entirely. It could be fear.

No, the moments, I'm talking about are those like last night when my daughter entered the house and smelled the contents of the slow cooker, which were bubbling away in the kitchen. "What's for dinner?" she asked, and when met with the reply, "Squash and Black Bean Chili," she broke into a huge grin and cheered "Yay! It's squash season!" Yup. An open expression of enthusiasm for nutritional ingredient from squash family and its place in a healthy, home cooked, vegetarian meal. I believe I will savor that moment for a while... at least until she next slams her door on her brother's finger whilst shouting "Get out of my room!" At least that long. As Lady GaGa would say, I live for the applause, and failing that, I'll settle for full tummies and no complaints.

The chili was indeed pretty good, but I have come to expect nothing less from author Judith Finlayson. I sometimes read her recipes and, looking at the list of ingredients, I'm not convinced, thinking that they sound a bit simple, but I have never been let down when I actually try them out, and this one was no exception. Yes, youngest son studiously (OK, not studiously, let's call it irritably) picked out every hint of squash from his bowl, but the other two lapped it all up, and went back for more.

This particular recipe is from her book The Vegetarian Slow Cooker. The only tweak I made was to leave out one chopped chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, as we wimpy Farrars tend to baulk at the heat they lend to a dish. I served the chili over a bed of rice, with a sprinkling of fresh cilantro and some sharp cheddar (the latter was a crude, and failed attempt to disguise the squash. Jessica Seinfeld, I am clearly not).

Squash and Black Bean Chili
Serves 6

1 TBSP coconut oil (or canola/sunflower oil, if you can't get this)
2 onions, finely chopped
4 cloves garlic, minced
2 tsp chili powder
1 tsp dried oregano
1 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp salt
1 cinnamon stick (around 3" long)
1 28oz can diced tomatoes with juice
1 15oz can black beans, drained and rinsed
4 cups cubed butternut squash
2 green bell peppers, diced
1 4oz can diced mild green chilis (if you can't find this, use one fresh jalapeno pepper, finely chopped)
finely chopped cilantro (coriander leaves) to serve

1. In a skillet, heat oil over medium heat. Cook onions until softened. Add garlic, chili powder, oregano, cumin, salt and cinnamon stick, and cook for 1 minute more. Add tomatoes with juice and bring to boil. Transfer to slow cooker.
2. Add beans and squash and stir well. Cover and cook on low for 6 hours or high for 3 hours, until squash is tender.
3. Add bell peppers and chiles and cover and cook for a further 20 minutes on high, until bell pepper is tender.
4. Discard cinnamon stick. Serve on bed of rice sprinkled with cilantro.

"You must remember this..."

If you recognize that quotation, then you will know what region of the world my culinary explorations have taken me to this time. Need more help? How about "Here's looking at you, kid". Yup, Casablanca. Before I get any snide comments, I know this came out in 1942 and I'm not THAT old. I'm guessing my dad made my sit through it in my youth, whilst extoling the virtues of cinema in years gone by. That's what he did with The Big Sleep and 2001: A Space Odyssey. His efforts were not fruitless, but clearly didn't achieve the desired effect, having left me with a deep hatred of both of the latter apparent cinematic masterpieces.

I did travel to Morocco once, on an extremely memorable trip with two friends after we had finished our final exams at university. It was memorable for so many reasons, most of them good, like the amazing peppermint tea, the crazy bazaar shopping and the great food. The occasional bad memories include seeing a sheep ritualistically slaughtered in the street (brought a new literal meaning to 'rivers of blood') and one of the worst cases of sunburn I have ever suffered.

Moroccan food is not something I dabble in often, and no, I don't own one of those weird cooking pot things.

Don't get me wrong, they are gorgeous looking things, but our kitchen is full to capacity, and we might have to build an extension if I can't get my cookware and cookbook addictions under control. I also generally like any kitchen equipment that I invest in to be useable for more than one dish, so I have shown a tiny morsel of will power and stepped away from the tagine. Fortunately, for this recipe, all that was needed was my trusty slow cooker. I believe that the original recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens, but again, I got a little ahead of myself with the scissors and cut off all evidence of its origin.

Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Pistachio Couscous
Serves 6

2 1/2 lbs of lamb shoulder, trimmed and cut into 1" cubes
6 carrots, peeled and cut into 1" pieces
2 medium onions, chopped
3/4 cup dried apricots, halved
3/4 cup pitted green olives
3 cloves garlic, minced
3 TBSP AP/plain flour
1 1/2 tsp paprika
1 1/2 tsp ground cumin
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
3/4 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp salt
1/2 tsp ground black pepper
1 1/2 cups couscous
3/4 cup shelled chopped roasted pistachios
1/2 cup chopped cilantro (coriander leaves)
1 lemon cut into 6 wedges.

1. In a slow cooker, mix together lamb, carrots, onions, apricots, olives, garlic, flour, paprika, cumin, cinnamon, ginger, salt, pepper and 3/4 cup of water.
2. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours or high for 4-5 hours.
3. Cook couscous according to directions. Stir in pistachios and most of cilantro.
4. Serve tagine over couscous, sprinkled with additional cilantro and with a lemon wedge on the side to squeeze over the top.