Ric and I have been on a bit of an economy drive lately. Like most countries, New Zealand has been hit hard by rising food and petrol prices. We live in the countryside, which is great for the fresh air and scenery (see the photo of our neighborhood below), but it also means a lot of driving each week. And with the price of petrol at around eight dollars a gallon here, it really tugs at the purse strings!
However, we’ve found that one of the best ways to save money is by inventively reducing our food costs. Over the last couple of months one of our biggest cost cutters has been to eat less fresh fish and seafood and more beans. If that sounds like a sacrifice, believe me, it’s not. Jazzing up beans is easy when you use them in traditional ethnic ways, such as added to a fragrant Indian curry, a robust Italian pasta dish, or a hearty Greek stew — or turned into delicate falafel, or creamy hummus.
Beans also make a great addition to salads. Chickpeas (also known as garbanzo beans) are a particularly welcome addition to salads because their taste and texture is like a cross between a bean and a nut.
Chickpeas not only add a wonderful flavor and texture to this Moroccan salad, they’re a good source of vegetable protein and a number of important vitamins and minerals including calcium and folate. They’re also a great source of dietary fiber, which helps lower cholesterol levels and regulate blood sugar levels.
You can use canned chickpeas for this recipe, like I’ve done here, or dried chickpeas (which need to be soaked and cooked first). I often choose the canned alternative for the sake of convenience, although I prefer the flavor, texture and price of dried chickpeas that I’ve cooked myself.
Moroccan Chickpea & Couscous Salad
An exotic Moroccan couscous salad with chickpeas, raisins and colorful vegetables coated in a delicately spiced olive oil and lemon dressing.
Serves 4 as a side dish or 2 as a main meal
- 1 cup quick-cooking couscous
- 1/4 cup raisins
- 1 1/4 cups boiling chicken or vegetable stock
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 1 clove garlic - minced
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1 teaspoon ground coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 carrot - grated
- 1/2 red pepper - finely diced
- 1/4 red onion - finely diced
- 1 cup canned chickpeas - rinsed and drained
- 2 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley
MIX the couscous with the raisins in a bowl and pour over the boiling stock. COVER with a dish towel, plate or plastic wrap to seal in the steam and let sit for 5 minutes. PLACE the oil, lemon juice, garlic, spices, and salt in a jar with a screw-top lid and shake to mix. FLUFF the couscous with a fork to separate the grains and stir through the carrot, red pepper, onion, chickpeas and parsley. POUR over the dressing and toss together until well combined.
13 Comments
Trudy, that looks fantastic and so healthy! I’m always looking for new and interesting protein packed meals…I’m totally going to make this (printing recipe as I type!) since I think I have almost all the ingredients already. This looks like a great dish to bring along to a picnic or barbecue too.
And 8 dollars a gallon? Ouch! To think I was offended by the 4 dollar gas around my neighborhood! (Speaking of which…your neighborhood is gorgeous!)
This recipe sounds great. I’ll try it out tomorrow.
I’m going to try this one tonight. However, will sub rice for couscous. A tiny 12 oz. box is 3 bucks vs. Give us a break already. 1.69 for a pound of brown rice. No red peppers. Green are .33 each. Reds are unbelievable. Love your ideas. Keep ‘em coming. 8!!! a gallon! AAAAGGGHH!
Emily: That’s handy having most of the ingredients already! And yes, this is perfect picnic and barbecue food — and it can even be heated up and served hot.
Lovelyn: Hope you enjoy it as much as Ric and I did
Jack: I like your creative substitutions…and your reaction to 8 dollars a gallon is exactly how I feel!
Ric you were right, this is really similar to my recipe http://www.mostlyeating.com/2008/08/a_mix_and_match_recipe_for_a_wholegrain_salad.html
Love the addition of chickpeas (I sometimes put chickpeas in mine but not often as my husband complains about them!)
Emily made this tonight using your recipe (thanks!) and it was terrific!
I really enjoyed the various flavors that you experience in this dish. I was a little fearful of couscous from past times I’d had it thinking it was a bit dull, but then it was also served straight up as a side dish with little else to it. I now realize that in a combination such as this, it is complimented by everything and it really makes this so enjoyble. I’ve always loved chickpeas when used creatively as well. Nicely done!
Robert, that’s great to hear you’ve become a couscous convert! Glad we could help out.
Dear Trudy
I have only just discovered this way of finding great recipes. Thanks for posting this one on the internet.I am looking forward to trying something new..
thank for this recipe, saw a similar one in USAweekend paper..love this one.. thanks again
Thank you for this recipe! So tasty! I did it with lentils instead of chick peas, and dispensed with the pepper entirely- a variation that I thought turned out well :).
Hi ……recipe sounds great. Can I ask (being somewhat of a beginner at the old cooking lark) can I make this the day before or will the couscous go mushy…??
I just made this salad yesterday. Wow it was delicious and very flavorful. Thank you for sharing.
Had this for dinner last night with a salad. Oh so yummy and simple. The dressing is very tasty. Thanks!