Recipe: Moroccan Vegetable Couscous

It was great to get a break from French food and try some new things on our recent trip to Morocco. There were plenty of vegetables, couscous, and even some French influence with an abundance of sardines. Here's some images of food we ate in the Atlas Mountains and then a traditional vegetable couscous recipe.

Ingredients

2 cups cooked couscous
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon allspice
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cayenne
4 carrots
2 russet potatoes
1 butternut squash
2 cups water
2 zucchini
Salt and pepper
1/2 cup chopped cilantro

Directions

Cook couscous according to package directions. Meanwhile, in a large pot, heat oil over medium heat. Stir in the onion and cook until tender. Add spices, except for cilantro. Stir in carrots, potatoes, squash, and water and cook until vegetables are tender (about 30 minutes). If necessary add more water. Remove excess water once vegetables are tender and serve over the couscous. Add cilantro and salt and pepper to taste. 

Hiking in the Atlas Mountains

On our last day of break, INSEADers put the Mt. Everest simulation to work and trekked in the Atlas Mountains near Marrakech in Morocco.

We "saw" camels (actually, only George did).

We climbed ladders...practice for climbing up the business ladder.

We proved it's all about the bass on the top of a mountain.

And then we took just one more selfie.

Thanks Patrick (and Omar)!

Marrakech Morocco

The first period of classes at INSEAD is over and after a grueling finals week we had to take some time off and do as INSEADers do, travel. There were many groups of students going to different places but the Morocco trip stood out the most to me. I had never been to North Africa and thought it was a great chance to check off a continent and see something completely different. 

We had a fantastic group of people and stayed in a traditional riad, which is an open-air house with a rooftop. Props to Patrick for bringing his gopro and selfie stick and taking some awesome pictures.

We spend an entire day exploring Marrakech and walking around the markets. A bad judgement on my part, I checked my carry-on luggage and they lost it so I had to actually buy some things to use during the trip. Not a big deal though because now I have some cool souvenirs that I can use again!

Everything in the markets was wonderfully colorful and handmade. We also went to a traditional Hammam spa and where they pampered us and allowed us to relax. On the last day, we took a trek to the Atlas mountains, which I'll talk about in my next post!

There's me with a monkey!