First, give us something to work with. What does he like? What kinds of food. Any specific foods he loves or hates? Favorite dishes? Does he like veggies or mostly meat, soup, etc? That will go a long way in helping to come up with something that might work.

I've probably posted this to death, but, Dh, who doesn't like Tabbouleh, likes Giada's Mediterranean Salad. Here's the recipe. I have to admit that I've never make the recipe as it's written, because I'm vegetarian, so I substitute vegetable broth for chicken broth. Yet, it's been well receive by my DH and niece, who're not vegetarian. My niece even asked for the recipe.

Mediterranean Salad
Recipe courtesy Giada De Laurentiis

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil, plus 1/4 cup
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 (1-pound) box Israeli couscous (or any small pasta)
3 cups chicken stock
2 lemons, juiced
1 lemon, zested
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chopped fresh basil leaves
1/2 cup chopped fresh mint leaves
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup slivered almonds, toasted

In a medium saucepan, warm 3 tablespoons of the olive oil over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute. Add the couscous and cook until toasted and lightly browned, stirring often, about 5 minutes. Carefully add the stock, and the juice of 1 lemon, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer, covered, until the couscous is tender, but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, about 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the couscous.
In a large bowl, toss the cooked couscous with the remaining olive oil, remaining lemon juice, zest, salt, and pepper and let cool.
Once the couscous is room temperature, add the fresh herbs, dried cranberries, and almonds. Toss to combine and serve.

Recipe Summary
Difficulty: Easy
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Inactive Prep Time: 30 minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes
Yield: 6 servings

Episode#: EI0819
Copyright © 2006 Television Food Network, G.P., All Rights Reserved

I have other couscous recipes, but for the life of me, I can't find my notebook right now. I'll look again if need be.

Sally

If he likes eggplant, you could try this dish I sometimes make when we have vegetarian dinner guests. I would guess it's the texture he doesn't like and that will be the same from scratch or a mix.

EGGPLANT-COUSCOUS ROLLS

2 1-lb. eggplants
4 tsp. olive oil
1 cup couscous, preferably whole wheat
1/2 tsp. dried thyme leaves
3/4 cup + 2 Tbs. crumbled feta cheese
3 Tbs. chopped fresh mint
Freshly ground black pepper to taste
1 cup spaghetti sauce

Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Lightly oil two baking sheets or coat with nonstick cooking spray. Trim both ends of the eggplants. Stand one eggplant on end and remove a thin slice of skin from two opposite sides and discard. Repeat with the second eggplant. Cut each eggplant into 6 or more 3/8 inch slices. Using 2 tsp. of the oil, brush both sides of the slices and arrange in a single layer on the baking sheets.

Bake for 10 minutes, turn over and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes more, or until lightly browned and tender.

Meanwhile, in a medium-sized saucepan, bring 1 1 / 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in couscous, thyme, and remaining 2 tsp. olive oil. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes, or until the water is absorbed. Uncover and let cool for 15 minutes. With a fork, stir in 3/4 cup of the feta, 2 Tbs. of the mint and some pepper.

Lightly oil a 9 X 13 inch baking dish or oil it with nonstick cooking spray. Place some of the couscous mixture in the center of each eggplant slice. Roll up the eggplant firmly around the filling and place, seam-side down, in the prepared dish. Cover with foil and bake for 15 minutes. Uncover, spoon spaghetti sauce on top and bake for 5 minutes more. Sprinkle with the remaining 3 Tbs. feta cheese and 1 Tbsp. mint before serving.

Yeah, I don't get why some don't like couscous, gees it's pasta.
Anyway, for a quick side dish I just boil some water, put a cup or 2 of couscous in a bowl , pour equal amounts boiling water over the couscous, cover with sarnwrap. In 5 mins it is cooked, then I add butter, parm cheese and bits of sundried tomatoes.
The kids don't care for sun dried maters in it, so I take theirs out of the batch first.

coconut, He likes meat. Oh, and potatoes. LOL

Seriously, he's very good about trying everything I make but it's not often he says "wow, that's great, make it again!"

He likes some vegetables, but just the "normal" ones....corn green beans, carrots, peas. He doesn't care for tomatoes unless they're cooked, won't touch artichokes (the heathen...), he does like mushrooms, and he likes zucchini, but not any other squash. So you can see my dilemna.

He likes all other pasta, so I do think it may be a texture thing.

The Mediterranean Salad looks like it could work, I might try that. Neither of us are eggplant fans, so I doubt I could get away with that one, even tho I'd be game to give it a try.

Ah well, I may just have to make Couscous just for me.

Linda

I have posted this before somewhere in the forum, I think, but can't remember where. The veggies can vary, depending what I have on hand. Sometimes I like to toss in some diced tomato towards the end, so it cooks only a enough to warm through...maybe that could be a first step towards getting him to like raw tomatoes?

Gingered Cous Cous

1 C couscous (Moroccan style, not Israeli*)
1 1/2 C water or chicken stock or boullion
1"X 2" piece of ginger root, thinly sliced
1/2 C yellow onion-half inch dice
1/2 C celery-half inch dice
1/4 C carrot-quarter inch dice
1/2 C frozen peas
2 T green onions-sliced
2 cloves garlic-minced
1" X 1" piece of ginger root, peeled and grated fine.
3 T olive oil
Salt & pepper

Bring water or chicken stock and thinly sliced ginger to a boil, add couscous and stir for one minute. Remove from heat, cover, and let sit 5 minutes. Then put the couscous in a bowl and separate the grains with a fork until the couscous is light, with no lumps, removing ginger slices.

Heat olive oil in a large saute pan over a med-high heat. Saute the yellow onions, celery and carrots for appx. 5 minutes, until onion is translucent and just beginning to turn golden on the edges. Add the frozen peas, garlic and grated ginger and saute briefly until ginger and garlic are fragrant, but not browned. Add fluffed couscous, stir to mix ingredients and sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste. (If you used bouillon to make the couscous, you probably won't need salt.)

*Moroccan couscous is what is typically found in grocery stores. It is a fine, granulated semolina pasta. Israeli couscous is a larger variety, the individual pieces being round, about 1/4 the size of a pea.

The recipe that Sally posted uses the large Israeli couscous. I find the finer couscous somtimes difficult to eat, particularly if it's served as a side dish like a pilaf. The small pieces get stuck in the back of my throat - I have to be very careful about it. I have had most success using the finer couscous as a bed for soupy stews in place of pasta or rice.

seagrass

If all else fails, you can use it in Italian Wedding Soup.

I never thought much of couscous until I made it the correct way, ala Paula Wolfert. Although a lot of work it was a revelation for bothe Norm and I. Light fluffy and delicious. But few of us would do it on a regular basis.

Here's an alternative that does improve the normal quick preps.

Here is a link that might be useful: Better couscous

I make the pasta part the regular way, but just a small amount. Then I make vegetables and chicken (my DH doesn't like lamb, so merguez is out). Sauté chicken part in a little oil (I use my stockpot), when browned remove them. Soften a chopped onion in the oil, then add a mix of vegetables (I use carrot, butternut squash, Rotel tomatoes, bell pepper) and a little garlic. Add a generous amount of cinnamon and a small handful of raisins and the chicken pieces and then simmer until the chicken is done and the squash is tender. Add a drained, rinsed can of garbanzos and heat through. Serve the chicken and couscous on a platter with the bowl of soupy vegetables.

Somewhere I read that it's supposed to be 7 vegetables because the Prophet had 7 wives. So I count the garbanzos and raisins as 2 vegetables and ignore the chilis in the Rotel tomatoes and the garlic.

I'll second that Mediterranean Salad! It is great stuff!

Here's another one that I like a lot. It is from Paula Deen's show, but is actually quite healthy still. I just used canned diced tomatoes and eyeball the proportions on the house seasoning rather than mixing it up seperately. It is really delicious and quite easy to make too.

Chrissy

Here is a link that might be useful: Salmon Fillets over Couscous

Ok Linda, gotcha. A meat and potatoes guy. Smiles. Well, he likes mushrooms and zucchini. Perfect. I'd plan on doing it in the flat casserole dish like that perfect couscous recipe suggests. Keep in mind your proportions. One and a half or so liquid to the couscous. Spread the couscous in a thin layer in the 9x13. Saute onion and garlic if you both like that, add lots of mushrooms and cubed zucchini, good dose of soy sauce, and chicken stock equal to liquid needed. Bring to a simmer and the mushrooms and zucchini should be done by then. If not simmer until they are done. The mushrooms and zucchini both have lots of water, so you shouldn't have to worry about losing liquid volume as it simmers. Taste for salt and pepper if you use it. You might want to add more soy sauce if you like it a lot. You want this mixture to be quite flavorful since the couscous isn't, so don't hesitate in adding your salt, pepper and soysauce. Pour over couscous, cover, let steam and there ya go. The veggies will settle on top of the couscous as the liquid absorbs. Might be worth a try.