stuffed belgian endive leaves w/ seasonal english peas

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.

Tags: belgian endive, couscous, easy, endive, english peas, healthy, light, simple, texture, vegan, vegetarian