Growing up, I never really liked foods with a lot of spice – Indian, Thai, Ethiopian, Moroccan, etc. If my old self were eating this dish, I probably would’ve just had some plain couscous, some raw veggies on the side, and a piece of plain chicken to finish out the meal. Luckily, I’m no longer my old self – my taste buds have evolved tremendously, and now I can enjoy dishes with tons of flavors, such as this Moroccan Couscous Salad.
Whenever I eat this dish, I can’t help but think to myself, “why did I deprive myself of all of these amazing flavors before?!” I may never know the answer to that, but I do know that I’ll never go back. I’m definitely on the flavor train now, and I’m never getting off!
This dish is incredibly quick and easy to make, and it’s bursting with flavor. Not only that, but there are such a variety of textures that will make your mouth so confused as to what’s going on (but in a good way!) – soft roasted vegetables, crunchy slivered almonds, chewy raisins, and smooth chickpeas.
Even though I consider this dish to be a side dish, it could certainly make a main dish, as well. After all, it has protein (chickpeas), veggies, and whole grains (couscous), making it a perfectly-balanced meal. However, if you like to have another main dish with the meal, it also goes well with chicken or these Moroccan-spiced lamb meatballs (which is how I normally like to eat it).
- 1 small white onion, diced
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 3 large carrots, peeled and grated
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced
- 10 grape tomatoes (or 1 large), diced
- 2 large handfuls fresh spinach
- 1 tsp. each: ground cumin, ground coriander, cinnamon, turmeric, garlic powder
- ½ tsp. black pepper, ground ginger
- 1 box (1⅓ cups) dry couscous
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth, veggie broth, or water*
- 1 (15-ounce) can chick peas, rinsed and drained
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup slivered almonds
- 2 TBSP lemon juice
- 2 TBSP fresh parsley (or 2 tsp. dried parsley flakes)
- Chop veggies. Heat 1-2 TBSP olive oil in a large skillet and add garlic and onion. Sauté for 2-3 minutes, and then add zucchini, pepper, and carrots. Cook for 7-10 minutes, or until veggies begin to soften. (Stir often)
- Add the tomatoes and fresh spinach, and cook for an additional 4-5 minutes, or until veggies are tender.
- Heat 2 cups of liquid in a small saucepan and bring to a boil. Once boiling, turn the heat off and add the dry coucous. Cover with a lid and let sit for 5 minutes. After 5 minutes, remove lid and use a fork to fluff couscous.
- To the veggie mixture, add the spices, chickpeas, raisins, and slivered almonds. Stir in the cousous.
- Remove from heat, add 2 TBSP lemon juice and fresh parsley, and mix well.
