Blueberry Couscous Cake

The two opened, half-eaten boxes of coucous in my cupboard reminded me of an interesting vegan dessert (or sweet snack) recipe I learned about back in college. "Couscous cake" isn't actually a cake. Rather, it is a molded block of couscous sweetened with fruit juice or sugar. If not prepared with oil to lubricate the semolina wheat granules and not properly fluffed, couscous naturally sticks together. I suspect that the person who invented the recipe turned a clumpy mishap into a healthy treat that is now embraced by vegetarians who shy away from conventional cakes made with eggs and dairy products.

The recipe that was handed down to me uses apple juice in place of water. The naturally occuring fructose in the juice along with some frozen blueberries serve as sweetening agents. When the cooked and flavored couscous (you can add cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla extract or lemon zest) is pressed into a mold and allowed to chill overnight, it emerges as a "cake" solid enough to be cut into individual slices.

I came across a delicious-sounding recipe on the internet for a "Coconut Vanilla Bean Couscous Cake" that uses coconut milk as the liquid. Since I didn't have a can of coconut milk on hand, I figured I'd make a lactovegetarian version using the organic, grass-fed, non-homogenized* milk in my fridge (since it is illegal for grocery stores in Massachusetts to sell raw milk, Sky Top Farms milk is the next best alternative available at the local Whole Foods Market). I also opted for honey instead of evaporated cane juice (aka. cane sugar) because it is a less refined product and thought its stickiness would help hold the cake together. Note that Ayurvedic authorities do not recommend heating honey. If you are concerned about the toxins that are supposedly formed when honey is heated then you can either substitue agave nectar or just be careful not to boil the honey in the milk as directed.

Blueberry Couscous Cake
Serves 4

1 1/4 cup milk (organic, grass-fed is preferred)

1/2 cup frozen blueberries (no need to thaw!)

3 Tb honey

1/8 tsp ground cinnamon, to taste

pinch of salt

1 cup couscous

Combine all ingredients except for couscous in a saucepan and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat. Allow to sit for 10 minutes, covered. Transfer prepared couscous to a greased (I used olive oil) pie plate and pat down. Cool to room temperature then cover and refrigerate overnight. When ready to serve, cut into slices. Serve with whipped cream or Greek-style yogurt if desired.

*Homogenization is the process by which the fat globules in milk are broken down into smaller particles so they can remain suspended within the liquid portion of the milk instead of rising to the top. Consumption of homogenized milk has been associated with increased rates of heart disease and diabetes. Milk allergies have also been on the rise since the advent of commercial homogenization. Because homogenization increases the surface area on the fat globules and disrupts their natural membrane, more of the casein (milk protein) and whey are incorporated into the new one which is formed.