Moroccan-ish Couscous

Moroccan-ish Couscous (which Jeremy calls crapcrap - although he seems to like it more now) is a yummy, random recipe I came up with when I wanted something with a lot of vegetables, couscous, and lots of spice. I make it fairly frequently now and absolutely love having the leftovers for lunch for a couple days afterward. It's a simple recipe that just involves a number of pantry ingredients, all of which can be adjusted to fit individual tastes. As we like it spicy, that's normally how it turns out. :)

I make this by cooking the vegetables in one pot and then spooning them over the couscous which was prepared in a separate pot. I've also made this with diced up chicken breasts when Jeremy's not in a vegetarian mood. This recipe could be made entirely vegetarian by simply swapping out the chicken stock for water or vegetable broth. All in all, this has found a place in the usual rotation.

Don't be scared by the list of ingredients... it's really easy to make. I usually eyeball the spices and it's delicious every time. I would've included a picture but I didn't get to it until after I had already eaten... and it's not as appetizing looking in my plastic leftover containers. But it has a lovely orange-ish color from the tomatoes, curry powder, and tumeric.

Recipe:
4 stalks celery, diced
2 (medium) green bell peppers, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (15 oz) diced tomatoes
2 cans (15 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 c. chicken stock
2 bay leaves
1/8 tsp. allspice
1 tsp. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. dried parsley
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/4 tsp. paprika
1 tbs. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
1/4 tsp. ground ginger (fresh is yummy too)
1/8 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg
salt and pepper to taste

2 c. couscous
2 1/2 c. water
1/4 c. olive oil

1. Heat a pot over medium heat. Add olive oil to coat the bottom. Add the celery, bell peppers, and onions and saute for 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and saute another 1-2 minutes. Add the tomatoes, spices, chickpeas, and chicken stock. Stir and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 20-30 minutes until veggies are tender.
2. When the veggies are simmering, bring the water to a boil in a separate pot. Add the olive oil and couscous and stir. Bring the couscous back to a boil for 1 minute then turn off the heat. Let the couscous sit with the lid on for 5 minutes until all liquid is absorbed.