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
20 minPrep Time
15 minCook Time
20 minTotal Time

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
Method
- 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.
- Whisk together all ingredients in a small bowl. Set aside.
- 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
Check out some Videos from the other bloggers Heart Healthy dishes for Black History Month
African Salad from Senegal Cuisine from The Schizo Chef
Berbere Pan Seared Cod from Liahs Table
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