La Petit Chef's Couscous

Couscous is a pasta cut into tiny cubes and dried. We used boxed couscous in this recipe and left out the flavor packet because the "flavor" is mostly salt. We also used Italian parsley in this recipe. Italian parsley is flat-leafed instead of curly-leafed.

The Petit Chef program at the Heller JCC teaches 3-5 year olds some basic cooking skills.

You'll need:

• 1 1/4 cup of couscous
• 1/.2 cup of sun-dried tomatoes - cut into strips
• 3 cups of hot water
• 1 medium-sized zucchini
• 2 tablespoons of Italian parsley - chopped
• Salt and pepper
• 1 teaspoon of oregano
• 2 tablespoons of olive oil

Equipment:

• A large bowl
• A big spoon
• A shredder

1. Put the couscous and the dried tomatoes into the bowl. Add the hot water and mix. Set the bowl aside while you do the rest of the recipe.
2. Wash the zucchini and have your cousin or whoever is helping you cut the stem off.
3. Shred the zucchini. A shredder is basically a bunch tiny blades that will cut thin strips off vegetables. Remember the shredder can't tell the difference between you and a vegetable. Be careful to keep your knuckles away from the blades.
4. When all the liquid has been absorbed by the couscous, stir in the zucchini, oil, oregano and chopped parsley.
5. Serve with toasted pita bread.