A friend of mine made this the other day. It was so tasty I asked for the recipe. I thought ya'll might like it too :) I'm not a huge fan of raisins, but they were good in the dish. Couscous-Vegetable Medley Ingredients 1 cup vegetable broth 1 small onion 2 medium carrot 1 can crushed tomatoes, low sodium 1 tsp. cayenne pepper 1 tsp. cumin 1 can chickpeas (garbanzo beans) low sodium, rinsed and drained 3 fresh small zucchini 1 bell pepper, green or red 4 tbsp. raisins 1 c. dry couscous 1/2 c. water 4 tbsp. sliced almonds Directions: Rinse and chop onion, carrot, bell pepper and zucchini,into bite-sized pieces, set aside. Place all the vegetables except zucchini and bell pepper in medium saucepan with canned tomatoes and half the broth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, cover and simmer for about 8-10 minutes, or until vegetables are tender (add more water if necessary). Add chickpeas, zucchini, bell pepper, raisins and spices; continue to simmer for another 5-6 minutes. In another saucepan, bring remaining broth and water to a boil. Stir in couscous, remove from heat, cover and allow to stand for about 5 minutes; stir in almonds and fluff with fork. Serve

Lahlou is such a great vegetarian cook! I make this kind of thing all the time, just vary the spices and vegetable accoutrement to make it Indian, Mexican, Italian, Eastern European . . . and now Moroccan!

I am probably the master of low-energy cooking, and not just in the summer when we have temperatures over 100°F. - LOTS of NO-Cooking, or almost no-cooking meals ;-). I'll also a place stir-fry in this category, which can be done quickly. -I have 3 different Solar Ovens/Cookers I use all the time, not just in the summer. -The induction burner is used almost exclusively to keep the heat out when a cooktop is necessary, as well as using the microwave. I have a number of microwave recipes I've collected over the years, including REAL quick breads. -LOVE my little Redi-Set Go - indoor grills (I have the small and large one). I have a adapted it to a lot of quick meals using chicken tenderloins or boneless thighs, and the ever-popular 6-minute pizza using a corn tortilla for the crust. -My microwave is also a convection oven, so it helps keep the heat out of the kitchen. Things bake in approx. 25% less time and you reduce the temperature by 25° - all in a small space. I can stack three 12-inch pizza pans and bake cookies in 5-8 minutes. It will bake 2 full-size loaves of yeast bread in 25-minutes (one loaf in 20-minutes) and NO pre-heating necessary. When checked with a Kill-A-Watt meter, the Sharp will bake 2 loaves of bread for 3-cents while the Zojirushi Bread Machines will bake 1 loaf for 2-cents. The Sharp does a better (and faster) job than a toaster oven, plus it has a larger capacity. -Cooking in a Thermos - http://www.thermoscooking.com/ A great way to "cook" beans, rice, whole grains..... -Thermal Cooker - https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thermal_cooking I use this for large cuts of meat and use my induction burner to bring the contents to a boil and heat for the necessary amount of time (usually 5-15-minutes, depending on what you are cooking) before placing it in the outside unit. The passive "slow cooker". -I also made Wonder Ovens (http://prepared-housewives.com/alternative-cooking-wonder-oven-2/), which are another passive method for cooking. I've even made loaves of steamed bread in my Wonder Ovens. Examples of Cooking Times using the Wonder Oven: Whole Chicken – boiling time 20 minutes and Wonder Oven time 5-6 hours Steamed Bread – boiling time 10 minutes and Wonder Oven time 2 hours Pinto Beans – boiling time 15-20 minutes and Wonder Oven time 5 hours Oatmeal – boiling time 10 minutes and Wonder Oven time 1 hour or overnight -Not a big fan of the slow-cooker (Crock Pot), but I do use it occasionally. The biggest problem with using a slow-cooker is there may NOT be all that much savings in energy used. Check out this link if you want to know more: http://www.cookingmanager.com/slow-cookers-energy-efficient/ -Saladmaster Stainless Steel Cookware - These pans can be stacked so you cook everything on one burner. I can make a pot roast and vegetables in the Dutch Oven, and bake a cake in the top with the dome cover, and cook other things for that meal, or another entire meal, all at the same time on a very low heat. -Grainlady

That does look good, and reminds me that I could make a tomato and zucchini gratin now that the tomatoes are starting to ripen... Annie