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Cherry, Date and Almond Couscous

A sweet and crunchy side dish or vegetarian meal!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time10 minutes
Course: Main Course, Side Dish
Cuisine: Mediterranean
Keyword: almonds, cherry, couscous, dates
Servings: 4
Author: Susan @Modern Empty Nester

Equipment

  • 1 Medium saucepan
  • 1 Measuring cup
  • 2 Small prep bowls
  • 1 Sharp paring knife
  • 1 Serving bowl or platter

Ingredients

  • 1 box Plain couscous
  • 2 cups Chicken broth
  • 1 cup Fresh cherries, pitted
  • 12-15 individual Dates, pitted and chopped
  • 1/2 cup Sliced almonds, toasted
  • 3 tbsp. Olive oil, extra virgin
  • 1 Lemon
  • Salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Couscous
    Wash cherries and remove stems. Using a sharp paring knife, score around the cherries, cutting them in half in order to remove the pits. Discard pits into reserved bowl and place cherries in other bowl. If pits are hard to remove, you may have to notch the top of second half or work around the seed with your knife to pull it out. Chop pitted dates into small pieces. Toast the sliced almonds until golden.
    In a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups of chicken broth to boil with 1 tbsp. olive oil. Reserve remaining olive oil for lemon vinaigrette. Add in couscous and cook for 5 minutes. Remove saucepan from the heat and let sit for 10 minutes.
    Fluff prepared couscous with fork and toss couscous with cherries, dates and almonds. Transfer to serving bowl or platter. Drizzle with lemon vinaigrette. Enjoy!
  • Lemon Vinaigrette:
    Combine 2 tbsp. olive oil with juice of 1 lemon. Season with salt and pepper. Mix well and drizzle over couscous.

Notes

Modern Empty Nester Tip:
Fresh cherries can easily be swapped out with dried cherries if out of season or unavailable!