Lemon Pearl Couscous & Miso Broccoli

This pearl couscous dish with miso roasted broccoli and a lemon cashew cream is a delicious and healthy dinner recipe. It comes together in about 30-40 minutes and you’ll mix in veggies, chickpeas, greens, and a homemade lemon cashew sauce for extra creaminess. Watch the recipe video and get the full recipe below! See notes on how to make this recipe gluten- or nut-free.

Prep time: 5-10 minutes

Cook time: 30 minutes

Servings: 2-3

Ingredients

• 1 broccoli crown
• 6 cloves of garlic, divided
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• Salt & pepper
• 1 shallot or small onion
• 1 cup dried pearl couscous (see notes for gluten-free)
• 3 1/2 cups water or veggie broth
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
• Red pepper flakes to serve (optional)

Lemon Cashew Cream

• 75g extra-firm tofu
• 1/3 cup roasted unsalted cashews (see notes for nut-free)
• 3 tbsp lemon juice (juice from about 1.5 lemons)
• 1-2 tbsp nutritional yeast
• Pinch of salt
• 1/3-1/2 cup water

Miso Sauce

• 1 heaping tbsp miso paste
• 1/2 tbsp maple syrup or agave
• 1/2 tbsp sesame oil
• 2 tbsp warm/hot water

Equipment

• Frying pan or pot
• Mixing bowl
• Lined baking sheet
• Blender

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 400F.
2. Cut the broccoli crown into florets (I like keeping the stems long). Peel and mince garlic, using 3 cloves for the broccoli and saving the rest to sauté alongside the shallot/onion.
3. To a mixing bowl, add broccoli, minced garlic, 1 tbsp olive oil, and a pinch of salt and pepper. Add to a lined baking sheet, then roast for 25-30 minutes or until well done.
4. Next, finely slice your shallot/onion, and add to a pan/pot on medium heat with 1 tbsp olive oil. Add in the remaining 3 minced garlic cloves, and continue stirring.
5. Once softened, add in the dried pearl couscous and water/veggie broth, then bring to a simmer and cover, while continuing to stir occasionally. This should take about 20 minutes or so. Once most of the liquid is absorbed, taste the couscous to make sure it’s cooked through (if not, add a bit more water/veggie broth).
6. While the broccoli is roasting and couscous is cooking on the stove, blend together your lemon cashew cream and mix together the miso sauce for the broccoli. Blend together tofu, cashews, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and water for the cream, blending until you get a creamy consistency (without lumps). To a small bowl, add miso paste, maple syrup/agave, sesame oil, and warm water, mixing well with a fork.
7. Back to the couscous, once it’s done, add in cooked chickpeas and chopped cilantro. Stir in your cashew cream, then remove from heat.
8. Remove the broccoli from the oven and toss in the miso sauce.
9. Serve up the couscous, top with broccoli and some red pepper flakes, then enjoy!

Notes

*To speed things up, you can also boil the pearl couscous on its own and add to the pan with the shallot/onion and garlic once cooked, then mix in chickpeas, cilantro and the lemon cashew cream.

*For a gluten-free version, I recommend using gluten-free orzo as a replacement to the pearl couscous. Boil the orzo in a separate pot (since the water ratio is likely different than the couscous), then add to the pan with the shallot/onion and garlic once it’s cooked through.

*For a nut-free version, use 1/3 cup sunflower seeds or 1/2 cup white beans instead of cashews.

*Pearl couscous is also known as giant couscous.