Moroccan Couscous

I adapted this recipe from Alicia Silverstone's new book, "The Kind Diet" (which I REALLY want!  Amazon.fr, why are you so slow and difficult?!).  This could certainly be a stand-alone dish for lunch, but I wouldn't recommend letting it fly solo for dinner.  I paired it with a nice chickpea dish and stir-fried pork (vegetarians and vegans: feel free to leave out the pork - as a meal, it's not a necessary component!). 

2 cups roughly chopped arugula (ie. rocket, roquette)

1 1/2 cups yellow onion, large dice (about 2 medium)

1 1/2 cups carrots, halved lengthwise and chopped to 1/4"

1 1/2 cups zucchini (courgette), quartered lengthwise and chopped to 1/4"

4 garlic cloves, quartered

1 red onion, halved and sliced

2 1/4 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Fine sea salt
1 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper

1 3/4 cups vegetable broth

2 Tbsp unsalted butter
1/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp saffron threads

1 1/2 cups couscous (whole wheat, if available)

2 scallions, white and green parts, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375 F.

Place onion, carrots, zucchini, garlic and red onionin a ziplock bag.  Add olive oil, 1 tsp salt, and 1 tsp pepper; toss to coat.  Lighty coat a baking sheet with nonstick cooking spray and spread the veggie mixture out on it.  Roast for 25-30 min, turning once with a spatula about midway through.

While the vegetables roast, bring the vegetable broth to a boil in a saucepan.  Remove the pan from the heat, and stir in the butter, remaining 1/2 tsp pepper, cumin, saffron, and salt (about 1/4 tsp) if needed.  Cover the pan and steep for 15 min. 

Return the vegetabe broth to the heat and bring to a boil; scrape the roasted vegetables and their juices into a large bowl and add the couscous, folding over four times.  Pour the vegetable broth, all at once, over the couscous mixture immediately.  Cover tighly with a plate or glass cutting board and allow to stand for 15 min.

Fold in arugula.  Add scallions; toss the couscous and vegetables with a fork, and serve.

Makes 6 servings.

NOTES:
(a)  Alicia Silverstone's version calls for 2 cups peeled, cubed butternut squash instead of the arugula, garlic, and red onion.  My petite charge doesn't like squash, so I replaced it with this other stuff.  Quartering the garlic doesn't let it overpower the rest of the veggies, and the red onion likewise just adds to the flavor. 
(b)  To shift this from "Moroccan" to more generic Mediterranean, omit the saffron (which is both incredibly expensive and adds a distinct flavor "western" masses might not particularly enjoy) and add a tsp freshly grated ginger, 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes and 1/2 tsp ground turmeric to your bag 'o' veggies before roasting.
(c)  It's important to add the boiling vegetable broth to the couscous/veggie mixture as soon as it begins to boil (don't wait for a rolling boil).  You don't want any to escape in evaporation - it all needs to go on the couscous!
(d)  The rocket gives a nice contrasting kick in this dish and is loaded with vitamin C and potassium, so don't leave it out if you can help it!