North African Wholemeal Couscous Salad

Serves 4

Time 15 minutes

Ingredients

For the Couscous

1 cup wholemeal couscous

1 cup vegetable or chicken stock 

1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

½ tsp ground cumin

Salad

1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved

1 small cucumber, diced

1 medium carrot, grated

½ red onion, finely chopped

1 can cooked chickpeas, drained and rinsed

¼ cup dried apricots, chopped

¼ cup toasted pistachios, roughly chopped

2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped

2 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

Dressing

2 tbsp fresh lemon juice

2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil

1 tsp honey

1 tsp ground cumin

½ tsp smoked paprika

Salt and pepper to taste

Garnish

Lemon wedges

Handful pomegranate arils

Extra fresh parsley & mint

Method

Heat the stock with ground cumin until boiling.

Place the wholemeal couscous in a large bowl, drizzle with extra virgin olive oil, and pour the hot stock over it. Cover with a lid or plate and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork and set aside to cool slightly.

In a large mixing bowl, combine cherry tomatoes, cucumber, carrot, red onion, chickpeas, apricots, and toasted pistachios.

For the dressing, whisk together lemon juice, extra virgin olive oil, honey, cumin, smoked paprika, salt, and pepper until well combined.

Add the couscous to the salad mixture and drizzle with the dressing. Toss gently to combine. Garnish with fresh parsley, mint, lemon wedges, and pomegranate arils for a burst of colour and flavour.