Name: The Perfect CousCous Salad with ChickPeas
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 15 min
Yield: About 8 servings
Ingredients: 1 cup plain couscous; ½ tsp salt; ½ tsp white pepper; ½ tsp ground cinnamon; ½ tsp ground turmeric; ½ tsp olive oil; 1 ¼ cup boiling water; 2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil; 2 tbsp lime juice; 1 tbsp white vinegar; 1 tsp honey or agave; ¼ tsp smoked paprika; ¼ tsp ground cumin; ¼ tsp salt; ¼ tsp white or black pepper; 1 ½ cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained; 1 large carrot, diced; 1 small red bell pepper, finely diced; 1 small green bell pepper, finely diced; ½ medium christophene/chayote, finely diced; ½ medium cucumber, finely diced; ½ red onion, finely diced; 4 cloves garlic, minced; 1 plum tomato, diced; ¼ cup olives, cut into pieces; 10 sprigs parsley, finely minced; 4 sprigs fresh mint, finely chopped; 6 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped , optional; ¼ cup dried cranberries, optional

I made The Perfect CousCous Salad with Chick Peas after teaming up with some food bloggers for a collaboration for Black History month and finally took the plunge and did a Facebook live.

It was nerve wrecking, i thought it was going to be a piece of cake , after all I teach cooking classes, but boy was it tough.

Anyway , hopefully with practice i will get better and give a better tutorial.

But on a positive note, i made The Perfect CousCous Salad with Chick Peas . Go Me!

So, I was trying to come up with a Heart Healthy African recipe, I called up a friend who is from Libya, she makes it all the time. She said girl I don’t have a recipe for it, but I can tell you what ingredients I use and my way of making it, you will just need to swing it from there.

So Here I am swinging it with a little twist of my own making The Perfect CousCous Salad

The Perfect CousCous Salad with Chick Peas is inspired by North African cuisine, where these tiny rice like pasta are a staple ingredient. This salad is full of fresh vegetables and herbs with heavenly earthy spices! It is so damn good. From the moment it hits your taste-bud it’s going to have you hooked with its flavor-loaded, delicious veggies and amazing dressing!

I can’t wait for you to try this salad, it will become a staple in your home as it’s going to be in mines

Just so you know, i added chadobeni in this salad for some extra Caribbean flavor as this salad was just calling for some . If you can’t find it in your neck of the woods, you can use cilantro or you can just leave it out altogether

Deborah LB

Serves About 8 servings

Serving Size: 3/4 cup

The Perfect CousCous Salad with ChickPeas

20 minPrep Time

15 minCook Time

20 minTotal Time

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Ingredients

For the Couscous

1 cup plain couscous
½ tsp salt
½ tsp white pepper
½ tsp ground cinnamon
½ tsp ground turmeric
½ tsp olive oil
1 ¼ cup boiling water

For the Dressing

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp lime juice
1 tbsp white vinegar
1 tsp honey or agave
¼ tsp smoked paprika
¼ tsp ground cumin
¼ tsp salt
¼ tsp white or black pepper

Ingredients For the Salad

1 ½ cups chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 large carrot, diced
1 small red bell pepper, finely diced
1 small green bell pepper, finely diced
½ medium christophene/chayote, finely diced
½ medium cucumber, finely diced
½ red onion, finely diced
4 cloves garlic, minced
1 plum tomato, diced
¼ cup olives, cut into pieces
10 sprigs parsley, finely minced
4 sprigs fresh mint, finely chopped
6 sprigs fresh cilantro, finely chopped , optional
¼ cup dried cranberries, optional

Method

For the Couscous

Pour couscous in a large bowl. Add salt, white or black pepper, cinnamon and turmeric. Stir to combine.
Pour in boiling water and oil, stir, then cover tightly with a lid or plate. Let stand for 10-15 minutes, or until water has been absorbed and couscous is fluffy.
Fluff with a fork and set aside.

For The Dressing:

Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.

For the Salad

Add couscous to a large bowl, add chickpeas and all vegetables to the cooked couscous. Stir to combine.
Add a small amount of dressing to the salad and taste it. Keep adding dressing until it tastes good to you.
Stir in chopped parsley, mint and cilantro
Sprinkle with dried cranberries and sliced almonds
You can eat as is or chill before serving

Notes

Leftovers: Refrigerate immediately, eat within 24 - 48 hours You can add chadobeni or cilantro for an extra kick, but this is totally optional