My New Quick Meal Go-To: Curried Apple Couscous

I don't always have vegetables in the house.
Gasp.
I know, it's a shocker. But I hate having them go bad. So sometimes they're just not there. Better than them dying a painful death, right? But when I want a quick meal, I don't want it to resort to a bowl of plain carbs, even if they are delicious, or even to topping them with tomato sauce.
What I do always have in the fridge is an apple. Typically a Granny Smith, but sometimes a Braeburn, or even a Pink Lady if I'm feeling decadent. So this recipe for Curried Apple Couscous made the top of my "to-try" list.

Curried Apple Couscous
Stolen almost directly from Heidi

3 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 handful curry powder
1 medium apple, cored and chopped
4 green onions, washed, trimmed, and thinly sliced
1 cup Israeli/Mediterranean couscous
1 3/4 cup water
1 teaspoon sea salt
1/2 cup pine nuts, toasted
Small handful of mint, chopped

Melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a beaten up cast iron skillet over high heat. Ok, I guess you could use a different pan, but I love my skillet. Add the curry powder and salt and saute about one minute. Add the apples (and tough veggies, if you're experimenting) and cook about five minutes, til moderately soft. Remove and set aside.

Melt the remaining tablespoon and saute up the green onions. Add the water and couscous, cover, and turn off the heat. After about ten minutes, remove the lid, add the fresh mint, and fluff the couscous.

Enjoy! It's also just fine or even better at room temperature, but I don't care for it cold...something about baked cold apples just doesn't do it for me.
A

The variations on this are still running through my head. I tried it with the addition of asparagus (this just didn't have quite enough veggies, and I had some that I needed to rescue from certain death) and subbing the pine nuts with untoasted slivered almonds. Even more delicious. Feel free to switch things up--just don't leave out the mint! That fresh herb makes the recipe.