Sunday, August 5, 2007

Spiced apricot chickpea couscous


This is one of my very favorite 20 minute meals: it's quick, cheap, and oh-so-tasty. Plus you can pretend you're in Morocco when you're eating it. What more could one ask for?

The chickpeas make this more of a complete meal, but it's also very nice without them as a side dish. As always, feel free to add whatever vegetables you want!

Spiced Apricot-Chickpea Couscous (serves 3 as a main dish)

1 cup couscous
1 1/2 cups vegetable broth
1 tbsp olive oil
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 small onion, chopped
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1/2 cup dried apricots, chopped
3/4 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp cayenne
salt and pepper to taste
Bring the vegetable broth to a boil. Stir in the couscous, turn the heat down to low, and cover. Simmer for two minutes, or until all the water is absorbed. Immediately turn the heat off, fluff the couscous with a fork, cover again, and let stand for about 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a medium, heavy-bottomed saucepan. Sautee the garlic and onions for a minute or two, and then add the chickpeas. Sautee until the chickpeas are warmed and the onions and garlic are tender, about 4 minutes. Add the spices and the dried apricots and cook for another minute.

Combine the couscous with the apricot mixture. Adjust the seasonings, and serve.

Enjoy!

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

Perfect! I was looking for something quick and simple to take to a pot-luck, and I think this is it! Thanks!

Courtney

LizNoVeggieGirl said...

this sounds fantastic - it incorporates many of my favorite ingredients (chickpeas, dried apricots, couscous...)

vko said...

okay, um yum I say over and over- I love couscous and this is perfect with the chickpeas.

Invertir en oro said...

Hello, i would like to read more about this interesting topic.