Cancer Survivor, Cooking Instructor Shares Vegan Holiday Recipe

A plant on every plate — that’s Caryn Dugan’s mission, and it can be a hard one to follow during the holidays.

In the onslaught of turkey, stuffing and sweets, Dugan, a vegan cooking instructor in Town and Country, offered a simple and tasty vegetable side recipe: chickpea couscous with cashews.

“Don’t be fooled by the list of ingredients,” Dugan said. “Once the vegetables are soft, you add a few more items, turn off the heat and cover until the liquid is absorbed. It’s as close to a fix-it-and-forget it as you can get on the stovetop.”

Dugan’s quest for a healthy diet started after college, when she said she decided to “clean up her act” and stop eating the junk food that fuels so many students. She reached to pre-packaged, low-calorie, low-fat diet foods, more interested in the numbers on the back of the package than in the ingredients.

In 2008, Dugan was diagnosed with cancer weeks after her father died from the disease. She battled and beat her cancer, now living cancer-free, but the brush with the disease coupled with the loss of her father inspired a hunger in Dugan for information on food’s effects on our bodies.

She landed on a plant-based whole-food diet, meaning she makes the majority of her meals without using processed ingredients. She teaches a plant-based cooking course at Whole Foods, helping residents bring plants to their plates with recipes like her chickpea couscous.

Dugan said her couscous dish works for holiday gatherings because, “aside from being a true feast for the eyes, it is easy to make and easily portable to take to anyone’s table.”

The couscous works as a meal on its own, containing enough carbohydrates, protein and fats to keep the body fueled and energized. It’s also healthy, as the fats come from the cashews, not from fatty oils.

There is a “cheesy, nutty” taste to the couscous thanks to the nutritional yeast, an inactive yeast high in vitamin B12. For those unfamiliar with cooking with yeast—or even with where to find it—Dugan said not to fear.

“There are probably a million recipes that include nutritional yeast, so don’t be afraid to try it,” she said. “Especially if someone is trying to get away from dairy, this will really help.”

Best of all, when all the holiday fuss is over but you’re too worn out to cook, Dugan’s couscous is a perfect leftover. Tightly covered, it lasts up to five days. Dugan suggests eating it cold for breakfast, like she does. 

Here's the recipe:

Chickpea Couscous with Cashews

• ¾ C Minced Crimini Mushrooms
• 1 Minced Red Bell Pepper
• 4 Minced Green Onions (green part only)
• 1 Shredded Carrot
• 1 ½ TBS Ground Coriander
• 1 ½ Ground Cumin
• 1 TSP Garlic Powder
• 1 TBS Ground Allspice
• 3C + 1/8C of Low Sodium Vegetable Broth
• 3 TBS Nutritional Yeast
• 1 15oz Can Chickpeas (garbanzo beans) rinsed and drained
• 1 ½ C Couscous
• 1C Frozen Baby Peas
• ½ C Golden Raisins
• ½ C Cashew Pieces
• 2 TBS Minced Flat Leaf Parsley
• Salt/Pepper

Over medium heat, sauté the mushrooms in 1/8 C of vegetable broth. After about 2-3 minutes, add the pepper, onion and carrot and a pinch of salt. Once the vegetables are soft, add coriander, cumin, garlic, allspice, yeast and broth. Increase heat and bring to a boil. Stir in chickpeas, couscous and peas. Season with salt and pepper to taste. Cover pot and remove from heat. Let stand 10-15 minutes (until water is thoroughly soaked in). Stir in raisins, cashews and parsley. Serve immediately.