Moroccan Meatballs with Citrus-Glazed Carrots & Couscous

This was very easy to make and well worth the effort. Even though I'm not a huge fan of carrots, when they are glazed with the juice and zest from an orange, as these are, it really tastes wonderful. The recipe comes from the January / February issue of Clean Eating.

Serves 4  /  Total Time:   35 minutes


INGREDIENTS:
*  7.6 oz whole-wheat couscous (about 1 1/4 cups)
*  1/2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil
*  3 large carrots, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch wide and 2-inch long matchsticks
*  1 juice orange, zested and juiced 
*  1 lb extra-lean ground sirloin
*  1 egg white
*  3 cloves garlic, minced
*  1 oz sliced almonds, finely ground(tip: Whirl in a clean coffee or spice grinder. I used already ground almond meal-skinned)
*  1 tbsp ground coriander
*  1 tsp dried mint
*  1 tsp ground cumin
*  1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
*  1/2 tsp sea salt
*  1 to 2 grinds fresh cracked black pepper 


INSTRUCTIONS: 
ONE:  In a medium saucepan, bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil. Add couscous, cover and remove from heat.


TWO:  In a medium nonstick skillet, heat oil on medium for one minute. Add carrots and sauté, stirring occasionally, for 5 minutes. Stir in orange juice and 1 tsp zest. Cover, reduce heat to low and simmer for 8 minutes, until carrots are slightly softened. Remove from heat and keep covered. 


THREE:  In a large bowl, combine sirloin, egg white, garlic, almonds, coriander, mint, cumin, cinnamon, salt and pepper. With your hands, mix well to combine and shape into 48 1-inch meatballs.


FOUR: Heat a large nonstick skillet on medium. Working in batches, add meatballs and cook for 7-8 minutes, shaking skillet often to brown evenly; do not overcrowd. Meatballs are fully cooked when completely opaque in center. Drain over large bowl to remove excess fat.


FIVE:  Add remaining zest to couscous and fluff with a fork. Spoon couscous onto serving plates and top with meatballs and carrots, dividing evenly.