CHICKPEA AND COUSCOUS SALAD

I have been making this chickpea and couscous salad for a number of years. It is from a 1997 Bonnie Stern cookbook and it ranks as one of my favourite salads. I love the combination of corn, cilantro, lemon juice, orange juice and chickpeas. I will make some variations or substitutions depending on the ingredients I have in the house. Sometimes I don't have orange juice so I will use almost 1/4 cup of lemon juice and add 1/4 cup of water with the lemon juice otherwise it will be too tangy. I had orange juice in the cupboard today so I used 1/2 cup and did not add any lemon juice. You can also add some diced celery or shredded carrots. I also have whole wheat couscous. I will also add both cilantro and parsley to the salad if I have them in the fridge or garden.

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup couscous

1 540 ml can of chickpeas, drained

1 red or other coloured pepper, diced

1 cup niblets corn

4 green onions, chopped

1 cup of cilantro or parsley, chopped

Dressing:

1 good squirt of hot chili sauce or sweet chili

1 tsp ground cumin

1 tbsp honey

2 tbsp rice vinegar or cider vinegar

¼ cup lime or lemon juice

¼ cup orange juice

2 tbsp olive oil

salt and pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS:

Boil 1¼ cups of water in a pot. Once the water starts to boil, add the couscous, cover and turn the heat off on the burner. Let rest for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Allow to cool.

In a large bowl combine the couscous, pepper, corn, onions and cilantro. Make the dressing in a separate dish and pour over the couscous mixture. Toss well and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Makes about 7 half cup servings.

From ‘More Heartsmart Cooking with Bonnie Stern’