An Idiots Guide to Cooking

The other day I was chatting with my sister online and she told me she was moving out of my parents place and needed to learn how to cook. This was how our conversation went:

Sis: Can you send me some simple healthy recipes that I can try?

Me: Just check out my blog there's some stuff on there

Sis: Yeah but everything on your blog is complicated it's for people who know how to cook! I need an idiots guide.

Me: Hey! that's a great idea! I'll start an idiots guide on my blog...something very simple with explicit instructions and with pictures to follow.

So I'll be starting an Idiots Guide to cooking on here pretty soon with pictures detailing each step. For now though I'll leave you with a cous cous recipe which is simple enough ;-)

This is something that can be eaten as a side dish or you can toss in diced grilled chicken to make it a complete meal. The couscous also gets more flavorful with time and makes for a great packed lunch.

1 Red Onion cut into 3inch wedges

1 Zucchini cut lenghtwise into 4 wedges

1 Squash cut lenghtwise into 4 wedges

1 Red Bell Pepper cut into 3inch strips

10 Cloves of Garlic unpeeled

1 Cup of pitted and halved Olives

Half a Lemon

Olive Oil

Box of instant Couscous

Salt and Pepper to taste

1. Toss the Red Onion, Zucchini, Squash, Red Bell Pepper and Garlic with a little drizzle of olive oil and lay them out on a baking sheet with the skin facing upwards. Sprinkle with some salt and pepper.

2. Turn on the broiler and put the vegetables on the middle rack. Broil till the Bell Pepper skin starts to char.

3. Cook the couscous as per package instructions (This usually depends on the brand but normally you would just boil some water and pour it on top of the couscous and cover for 5mins)

4. Once the vegetables are done let them cool and then cut them into little bite sized pieces. The Garlic should pop right out of the skin and you can cut the cloves in half.

5. Toss all the vegetables including the olives with the cooked couscous and add the juice of half a lemon, a drizzle of olive oil and some salt and pepper.

You can do so many things with couscous and if you have any fresh herbs on hand such as Rosemary, Thyme, Basil, or Oregano add them in!