Simple Moroccan Fall Dinner

My step-sister and I were both feeling tired and lazy with the gloomy weather, so we decided to make a very warming, comforting dinner. I brought over some of my spices, helped her pick the ingredients and gave her some instruction, but she did all of the actual work, and the result was delicious.

Recipe play by play:

- At 400 degrees we roasted some butternut squash with butter and olive oil for about ten minutes.

- Then we added some halved Brussels sprouts for another ten minutes.

- After that we added some broccoli, mushrooms, onions, pomegranate seeds, pine nuts, sage and all of the spices which included generous pinches of cinnamon, sea salt, pepper, ras el hanout (a lovely blend of Moroccan spices), garam masala and ginger. We also drizzled a little bit of honey onto the veggies and stirred all of them for even roasting.

- Before returning the pan to the oven we brought the temp down to 350 and roasted everything for about 15 more minutes.

- While the veggies were cooking, Jenna made some couscous, according to the package's instructions. We added some salt to the water, as well as a little bit of sheep's milk yogurt to make it creamy. - Then Jenna whipped up a beautiful yogurt sauce to serve with everything. Sheep's milk yogurt is a great base because it is easier to digest than cow's milk yogurt. To the sauce was added a touch of sea salt, cinnamon, cumin, ras el hanout and water.

- When everything was ready, Jenna took out a big clay dish and layered the bottom with the couscous. Then we topped it off with all of the veggies and it was ready to serve.

The simple, yet flavorful combination of fall veggies, thorough seasoning and gentle roasting yielded a beautiful, nourishing result. Spoons of the yogurt sauce made it extra special. This would make an excellent dish to serve for a dinner party, along side a pumpkin soup and traditional Moroccan pastilla (pronounced "bah-stee-ugh), which is a layered pastry stuffed with ground chicken, almonds, cinnamon, turmeric and other spices (and it can be made vegetarian as well.) I love Moroccan flavors, so we will definitely be making this again!