Fruit and Nut Couscous with Salmon Kebabs

Frances JanischAfter watching the video, get the Fruit and Nut Couscous with Salmon Kebabs recipe and make it yourself.

In the Pantry Challenge video series, Lauren Braun Costello, a chef, author and food stylist, shows busy moms how to make tasty, healthy meals using ingredients they already have in their pantries, solving their unique cooking challenges.

In this video, Lauren shows Silu N., a busy mother of two, how to use a familiar spice -- turmeric -- in a new way. Though Silu often uses turmeric in curries (it adds color to dishes and offers inflammation-reducing health benefits), Lauren demonstrates that turmeric can go from Indian to Moroccan when used to make a Fruit and Nut Couscous with Salmon Kebabs recipe.

Lauren starts the couscous dish by adding onions to a sauté pan with turmeric, cumin and coriander, followed by pistachios and apricots -- they add wonderful chewiness. She then adds the couscous and pours simmering chicken stock over this mixture to make the grains tender and fluffy.

Next up are the kebabs: Lauren chops the salmon into cubes -- their one-bite size is kid-friendly, and they'll cook more quickly this way. She strings three to five cubes onto pre-soaked wooden skewers (so they won't catch on fire), and then brushes them with an olive oil, turmeric, salt and pepper mixture before placing them onto a foil-lined pan. After just three minutes in the broiler, the kebabs are ready for serving over a bed of the couscous. Want some more color in your dish? Lauren adds parsley or cilantro for a dash of flavor and greenness.

Get Lauren's Fruit and Nut Couscous with Salmon Kebabs recipe.

More on KitchenDaily:

• See the other pantry ingredients that Lauren incorporates into recipes.
• Get tips on cooking and preparing meat from The Culinary Institute of America.
• See what other chefs and experts, including Curtis Stone and Gail Simmons, are cooking.