Fish & Couscous

Feel free to get as creative as your taste buds inspire with this fish and couscous dish. The only "requirements" are to make it tasty for the eyes and mouth! Initially, the plan was for the fish to go on top a bed of quinoa until we realized we were out of quinoa so plan B was to use couscous (a coarsely ground pasta made from semolina, a type of wheat). From start to finish, 30 minutes for a delicious meal!

Pan Fried Tilapia Over Couscous and Green Beans Topped with Pomegranate Arils and a Drizzle of Pear Balsamic Vinegar

Ingredients:
2 tilapia fillets
1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons butter

1 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/4 cup water
1/4 teaspoon salt (if you use vegetable stock instead of water, skip the salt)
1 teaspoon butter
1/2 cup finely chopped carrot
1/2 cup finely shopped red, orange, yellow bell peppers

1 cup fresh or frozen string beans
handful of pomegranate arils
pear balsamic vinegar

1. Heat 2 teaspoons of butter in nonstick pan on medium heat for fish. In a small saucepan, boil 1 1/4 cup water, salt, 1 teaspoon of butter for couscous.
2. Pat dry tilapia fillets and lightly coat with flour, paprika, and salt in a shallow dish. Add to pan. Cook both sides for a few minutes until fish is flaky.
3. While you're waiting for the fish to cook and water to boil, finely chop up vegetables and prepare your pomegranate (best done in a large bowl full of water, the pithy stuff will float, the arils will sink, and the stains will be minimal).
4. Once water is boiling, add couscous, cover, remove from heat and let sit undisturbed.
5. If your fish is done by now, transfer to a plate, cover, and keep warm in the microwave or oven (don't turn it on, just to stay warm). Use the same pan to slightly cook your carrots and bell peppers for a few minutes, then transfer those into your saucepan with the finished couscous. Then add the green beans to the same pan, cover to steam for a few minutes on low-medium heat. 
6. Plate it all together by layering with couscous first, then green beans, then fish, then pomegranate arils, then drizzled with pear balsamic vinegar.