Kumquat "Couscous"

It's kumquat season!  I only discovered these amazing little fruits as an adult living in sunny California, but I am hooked to these babies.  If you've never had them, you gotta try one. They are surprisingly sweet on the outside and super sour on the inside.  My friend Rebekah calls them "nature's Starbursts." You eat the whole thing, skin and all.  I love the strong flavor and also how pretty they look when they are cut up into little orange "wheels."  I like to slice them up and throw them into salads and pilafs or snack on them whole.

Couscous is made from semolina wheat flour- basically it's just tiny bits of traditional wheat pasta.  So it is definitely NOT gluten free.  But I recently discovered Lundberg makes a brown rice "couscous" that is gluten free.  It's not exactly like the real thing, but it's tasty and easy to make.  You can also use quinoa or just rice for this recipe if you can't find the Lundberg couscous.

Here is my recipe for kumquat "couscous."  The measurements are not exact, so you should play around with your favorite spices and herbs!

Kumquat "Couscous"

Ingredients:
1 box of Lundberg Brown Rice Couscous
1 clove of garlic
1 teaspoon of turmeric
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
1 teaspoon of salt
1/2 a teaspoon of black pepper
1 small bunch of parsley
3 scallions
Olive oil
1/2 cup of pine nuts or sliced almonds
8 or so kumquats
half a lemon or orange

Directions:
1.  Boil water for couscous following directions on the box.
2.  Add crushed garlic, turmeric, salt, cinnamon, and pepper into water.
3.  When water is boiling add the couscous, plus some olive oil.
4.  Cover and let cook, following directions on the box.
5.  Wash and cut parsley and scallions.
6.  Wash and cut kumquats into thin discs, letting the seeds squeeze out (you don't want them in your couscous!)
7.  When couscous is done cooking add some extra salt and pepper and spices.
8.  Mix in fresh herbs, kumquats, and nuts.
9.  Squeeze some some lemon or orange juice on top and mix so flavors are combined.
10. Serve warm and enjoy!