Mediterranean Grilled Vegetable Tagine

Although I made this tagine (a stew typical of Moroccan cuisine) in a regular skillet, certainly use an actual tagine pot if you have one!

First, peel a small red onion, and cut it into quarters, leaving the root end intact. Quarter 2 red bell peppers and 1 green bell pepper. Place all the veggies in a zip-top bag along with 2 teaspoons balsamic vinegar, 1/4 tsp. coarse salt and 1/2 tsp. olive oil; toss well to combine. The original recipe didn't specify how long to let the veggies sit in this marinade, so I did this step about 1 hour before grilling them; I have the feeling 1/2 hour is plenty of time, however. Also, since I still don't have large zip-top bags at home, I tossed everything together in a tupperware container with the lid on!

Next, heat 1/2 tsp. olive oil in a large skillet (or tagine!) over medium-high heat. Add 1 and 3/4 cups chopped onion and 2 minced garlic cloves; saute for 3 minutes. Although you should use yellow onion, I was about 1/4 cup short, so made up the difference with chopped Vidalia onion.

Crush 1/2 tsp. fennel seeds with a mortar and pestle. Add to the skillet, along with 1 teaspoon ground cumin and 1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon; saute for 1 minute.

Add 1/4 tsp. salt, 1/4 cup water, 1/4 cup sliced and pitted green olives, 1/4 cup golden raisins, 1/4 tsp. black pepper, 28-ounces canned (undrained) diced tomatoes, and 6 small quartered red potatoes to the skillet; bring to a boil, then cover, reduce heat, and simmer for 25 minutes. (Note: I accidentally added 1/2 tsp. of salt to the marinade in the initial step of the recipe, double the amount called for, so omitted the 1/4 tsp. of salt here to keep overall sodium levels in check. Also note that things move quickly in this phase of the recipe, so have everything prepped and ready to go - sliced olives, quartered potatoes etc.!).

While the tagine simmers, heat an outdoor grill or stove-top grill pan over medium-high heat and coat with cooking spray. Add the red onion and bell pepper pieces and grill for 10 minutes, turning frequently; discard the marinade.

In a separate saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil; gradually stir in 2/3 cup dry couscous. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

On each of 4 plates assemble 1/2 cup couscous, 1 and 1/4 cups of the tomato tagine, about 1/2 cup of grilled vegetables, and 1 tablespoon pine nuts (which you can toast first, if you like). Each serving is 470 calories.

Cost:
red onion $0.42
red bell peppers $2.82
green bell pepper $0.90
ground cumin $4.99
green olives $3.99
golden raisins $1.50
canned diced tomatoes $4.98
red potatoes $0.54