this was a seriously fun dish! easy to make – fresh, light, healthy, perfect for summer on the patio. easy clean-up. can be served as an appetizer or main course if you make extra and serve with a light salad or steamed veggie. perhaps some organic carrots or corn would compliment this nicely… stick with the whole texture theme 
i love belgian endives! i don’t exactly remember how i first discovered them — i think someone put them in a salad and i enjoyed the crunch so much i fell in love. they have a unique flavour, as well. you may notice when you click on that link that it doesn’t take you to the endive page in wikipedia – it takes you to chicory… which is apparently part of the endive. that is to say, the endive leaves grow out of the chicory root – in a dark place, away from sunlight. they are so unique and i find them fascinatingly delicious. also – even though they are titled belgian endives, they are actually most widely grown in france – cool fact 
simple, easy ingredients here – including the endive. they are usually available at most grocery stores. if you can’t find a belgian endive – try romaine lettuce leaves, or cabbage.
- endives
- 2 small vidalia onions
- 2 medium tomatoes
- 1 – 1.5 cup couscous
- english peas
begin by chopping your onions and dicing them using a food processor, if you have one. otherwise, let’s hope you are really good with a chef’s knife it’s better to dice the onions small so they blend in with the couscous filling! saute on medium heat with a couple spins of EVOO in the pan. i actually used butter in this, but i’ve since decided to cut dairy intake even further, so i am using olive oil when i saute from now on. i’ll talk more about that later…
quarter your tomatoes and then toss them in with the onions.
squish the tomatoes to release their juices and create a sauce. let that simmer for a bit. we are going to cook our couscous right in this.*
meanwhile, remove a few outer leaves of the endives. cut off about an inch from the end opposite the leaf-tips. they will naturally begin to separate. rinse in a colander or salad-spinner {my fav!} and set aside on a large plate. keep the smaller inside leaves for later.
*back to pan – and add in water — the ratio is about 1 : 1 for couscous. i hate to say it, but i don’t really measure. i just add in at least a cup and if i need a little more as the dish is simmering, i add it in. you can add more, but you can’t take out — so i just wing it. add water to onion and tomato mix and bring to a boil. toss in couscous, a little S&P, then bring to a boil again - then stir and remove from heat.
lightly fluff with a fork then toss in your freshly-shelled english peas.
quickly transfer to a large bowl.
chop the remaining inside of the endive and serve with atop the cous cous and leaves like so :
scoop and savour. yum yum yum! i made extra, so i could serve this as our main course with sliced avocado alongside.
I had no idea that chicory and endive were related … how fascinating!
ok I have to think about this one, but it looks yummy
I’m glad your getting to use peas! This looks delicious.
getting used to?! i love these things, always have!!!
thanks for stopping by!!
Woops I reread my comment, and I see it’s poorly worded. What I meant is that you are using a lot of peas! (I love them too).
hehe, yeah — finding ways to use them other than just shelling and munching
do you have any suggestions?!?
Perhaps in pasta, risotto, or salad? I love them plain as well. I also saw someone use peas in pesto (with fresh mint as well), but I would hate to blend delicious fresh peas. I feel they are best left whole to preserve their awesome taste!
i agree! risotto!!! the other day i was shopping and i forgot to add that to my list but had also forgotten the name… i really want to try to make risotto sometime… i bet you are so right too – that would go great with the peas! thanks for the tip!!
Haha no problem! Can’t wait to see what you do next.
This looks amazing! Belgian endives are slightly intimidating to me (it’s always a little scary/fun to learn a new veggie) but now that i know what to do with them…they just might find their way into my shopping basket. Thanks Audrey!! I LOVE peas too.