This is sort of a Westernized version of couscous that makes a great summer side or main dish. It’s from James McNair’s Beans & Grains cookbook. Ready to get your groove on?

What you need:  3 cups cooked garbanzo beans, 2 cups quick-cooking couscous, 2/3 cup dried currants (soaked to plump, then drained), 2/3 cup finely chopped sweet red pepper, ½ cup sliced green onions (including tops), ½ cup chopped fresh mint, ½ cup chopped flat leaf parsley, ½ cup pine nuts, ripe tomato wedges for garnish. For the dressing you’ll need ½ cup extra virgin olive oil, ½ cup freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1 tsp minced or pressed garlic, ½ tsp ground cumin, harissa to taste, salt and pepper added sparingly.

What you do: Prepare couscous according to package directions and set aside to cool. Mix all dressing ingredients together, whisking until combined, and set aside. Combine drained beans, cooled couscous, remaining ingredients except for pine nuts and tomato wedges, and dressing. Toss well and chill. Toast pine nuts  in a heated skillet and set aside. When ready to serve, garnish the salad with tomato wedges and toasted pine nuts.

This recipe has a great deal of flexibility. Serve it solo, along side lamb chops, with a rotisserie chicken or mix in some pre-cooked chopped chicken leg meat from an assembly cooking marathon.

Related Readings: Ideas for Pineapple Recipes, Summer Menus, Backyard Barbecue Meals, Summer Cocktails.

Photo Credit: Tyger Lyllie

As you know, I love to find recipes that are tasty as well as frugal. Those of you who caught my lentil recipe round up over on Wise Bread know that beans and legumes are on my list of healthy frugal fare. This recipe comes from a cookbook I bought years ago called Beans & Grains, by James McNair.  It is best served over couscous, bulgur or wheat berries.

What you need: 2 cups dried Egyptian fava (ful medames) or garbanzo beans, 3 tbsp olive oil, 3 cups chopped yellow onion, 1 cup chopped carrot, 1 tsp minced garlic, 1 cinnamon stick (3 inches long), 3 whole cloves, ½ tsp saffron threads, 6 fresh cilantro sprigs, 6 fresh sprigs of flat leaf parsley, 2 quarts of unsalted chicken or vegetable stock (optional), 1 cup peeled and chopped tomato, salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

What you do: Clean and soak beans overnight. In a large pot, heat the oil to medium high and add onions and carrots. Saute until soft, about five minutes. Add garlic, cinnamon, cloves and saffron. Saute about one minute more. Drain the beans and stir them into the pot, adding cilantro, parsley and stock (or water) to cover the mixture by about ½ an inch. Bring to a boil and keep it rolling for about 10 minutes. Reduce to a simmer and cook until tender, checking frequently. When nearly done, add the tomato, salt and pepper. Depending on the size of your beans and depth of your pot, this can take up to two hours. (Which is why you may want to do this in a crock pot, reducing the heat part way through the process.)

What I like about this recipe is that aside from the saffron threads, the ingredients are all super affordable. Add some flat bread and chai to the mix and you’ve got a sit-around-the-campfire type of meal. It’s also completely vegan, if that’s your thing. So light a fire, pop in some North African music and get psyched for your next trip.

Photo Credit: Dlisbona

What you need:

* 2 cups red lentils
• 2 tbsp high quality vegetable oil
• 2 cups finely chopped shallots or red onions
• ¼ cup finely chopped fresh ginger
• 1 tbsp minced fresh serrano chili (or other hot chili)
• 2 tbsp pressed garlic
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 1 tsp ground turmeric
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground cayenne
• 1 tsp freshly ground black pepper
• ½ tsp ground cardamom
• ½ tsp ground cinnamon
• ¼ tsp ground cloves
• ¼ tsp ground nutmeg
• 2 quarts hot water
• 2 cups diced tomato (or canned)
• ½ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 1 tbsp freshly squeezed lime juice

What you do: Rinse lentils and set aside. In a deep-sided sauce pan, heat oil and add all spices and remaining ingredients except for cilantro and lime juice. Cook until onions are slightly tender, or about eight minutes. Add lentils and hot water and cook until tender (at least a half hour). Remove from heat and add cilantro, lime juice and a pinch of salt if desired.

Serve with a fluffy batch of basmati and a healthy dollop of cool nonfat yogurt. If you happen to have access to some naan, go for it. For other great lentil recipes, check out this post over on my Wise Bread blog.

Photo Credit: Mary Sue Photoeth