The Secret Recipe Club: Couscous aux Champignons

Oh secret club, how I've missed you!  After a brief holiday hiatus, the Secret Recipe Club is back in full swing this month.  I'm not sure which I look forward to more, getting to get acquainted with a new blogger or getting to see which recipe of mine some secret blogger selected.

This month, I was thrilled to be paired with not only a blogger that I follow, but one I've actually met.  In person.  Mindy of The World in My Kitchen is one of the founding members of the Kentucky Food Bloggers group on Facebook and orchestrated the wonderful get-together we had last fall.  I appreciate Mindy's style of cooking because she tries to provide delicious, yet healthy meals for her family.  She is also a world traveler, unlike myself, and tries to span the globe in her recipe selections.

After writing down several possibilities, I settled on her Couscous aux Champignons.  Sounds fancy, doesn't it?  Wes had recently mentioned wanting to have couscous sometime soon, so I thought this was the perfect opportunity.  Oddly enough, this might be the only recipe on Mindy's site that she never tasted!  Turns out, she hates mushrooms and made this as part of another club!  Her loss.

This dish came together so quickly, which I totally appreciate on a hurried weeknight.  It's very flexible and would easily be transformed with other vegetable additions.  I liked the simplicity of the mushrooms though, as it allowed them a chance to shine.

If you're not familiar with Mindy's site, go over and take a look.  I have no doubt you'll find recipes you've probably not seen elsewhere and something(s) that will surely tickle your fancy!

Couscous aux Champignons
by:  Mindy @ The World in My Kitchen

1 T. butter
1 cup chopped mushrooms (any variety will do)
1 large clove of garlic, minced
1 1/2 cups couscous (I used whole wheat)
1 3/4 cup chicken stock
salt and pepper
handful of fresh chopped parsley (I omitted)

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan that has a tight-fitting lid over medium-high heat.  Add the garlic and cook for a few seconds until it starts to soften, but don't let it brown.  Add the mushrooms and cook, stirring occasionally for about 5-10 minutes until the mushrooms have softened.  Add the stock and a small handful of parsley and let it simmer for about 5 minutes.  Add the couscous, salt and pepper to taste, cover the pot, and remove it from the heat.  Let it sit for 5 minutes, add another handful of parsley, and fluff with a fork.