Easy Israeli Couscous with Beets and Silken Tofu

So, how was your 2018?

Mine? Thanks for asking. It was a wild year.

It was the year I decided to strike out on my own and see just how far I could go—even if I had no idea what was waiting around the corner.

It was also the year I discovered how much I could learn through YouTube videos, private courses, consultants, and a whole lot of mistakes.

I'm genuinely excited to see where 2019 takes me. I have no idea how it'll all unfold, but I can promise two things: plenty of good food and plenty of sore muscles from hard workouts.

Now that we've gotten that heartfelt introduction out of the way (admit it, you were moved), let's make some ptitim (Israeli toasted pasta, often sold as Israeli couscous).

A Little About This Recipe

This dish is perfect for kids who don't like vegetables. You can barely taste the beet, and there aren't any chunks for little vegetable detectives to find.

The dramatic color gets every kid's attention. Even the grown-ups asked for a serving.

I used regular ptitim from the supermarket, but you can use whatever kind you like, including spelt or gluten-free varieties.

You can also use this sauce on pasta.

The finished ptitim are thick and creamy, more like risotto than separate little pieces of pasta.

I don't recommend replacing the silken tofu with regular tofu.

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How Should You Serve It?

A serving of ptitim with a vegetable salad makes a wonderful lunch or dinner. It provides carbohydrates and protein to help fuel a tough workout.

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Nutrition information provided by Noam Bachar (an Israeli fitness trainer and clinical dietitian):

One 200 g (7 oz) serving, out of 4 servings, contains:

170 calories, 16 g carbohydrates, 9 g protein, and 7.5 g fat (including 1 g saturated fat).

Israeli Couscous with Beets

Prep Time 5 minutes

Cook Time 10 minutes

Total Time 15 minutes

Yield 4 servings

Ingredients

• 350 g (12.3 oz) silken tofu
• 150 g (5.3 oz) raw beet, peeled and diced
• 1 garlic clove
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 cups ptitim
• 1 teaspoon coconut sugar optional
• 1 teaspoon nutritional yeast
• 1 cup water

Instructions

1. Blend all the sauce ingredients—everything except the ptitim and oil—until smooth and evenly pink. A powerful blender is important here. If you don't have one, roast the beet in a hot oven for about half an hour, until softened, then blend the sauce with an immersion blender.
   
2. Add the oil and ptitim to a large pot. Stir briefly to coat all the ptitim in oil.
3. Add the sauce and cook over low heat, stirring constantly, for about 7–10 minutes, until the ptitim are tender.
4. Ptitim can scorch easily, so keep stirring to prevent the mixture from sticking to the bottom of the pot and burning.
5. Once the ptitim are nice and tender, serve immediately.
6. This is a dish to eat freshly cooked—it doesn't taste nearly as good later.