Moroccan-ish Couscous

I've blogged about this recipe before but when making it again last night, I realized that I'm usually far more heavy-handed in my seasonings than the original recipe called for.  So I've fixed that.  The seasonings in this are really versatile so you can add or take out anything you don't like.  One warning - turmeric is VERY yellow... I have several cooking spoons (and sadly one sweater) that are permanently stained.  So be careful not to get this on anything you like too much if you'd be upset that it changed color. :)

Tonight I used dried chickpeas that I cooked yesterday.  I'm trying to stop using canned beans because of their high sodium content (same goes for canned tomatoes - at least until I can find a no-sodium variety... but until I use up what I currently have, I'm still using canned tomatoes).  This step just takes a little planning ahead but it made me feel really good to use my own beans instead of worrying about how much sodium was getting into my food because of the canning process.

Between the jambalaya from last night and this dish tonight, our fridge is almost bursting with leftovers (and since our weekly shopping trip was yesterday, it's even fuller... now I'll just have to cook and eat to make space).  This recipe gave us two servings for dinner tonight and five leftover containers.  And since I love this recipe so much, I'm always excited to have leftovers to eat for a few days.

Today I made this using water instead of chicken stock - which made it entirely vegan.  I don't think it lost any flavor at all so I will probably start making it this way in the future.  Less sodium, cheaper, and no loss in flavor - yes please! :)

Jeremy and I have really been cutting back on our meat consumption recently.  While I used to have to work to find meatless meals that he was still satisfied with, it's getting much easier and now even he is saying that since we had meat yesterday we don't need it today.  He says I've just gotten better at finding meat-free but filling meals... but whatever the case, it's good to know we're eating nice and healthy.

Recipe:
6 stalks celery, diced
2 (medium) green bell peppers, diced
1 large onion, diced
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 cans (15 oz) diced tomatoes
3 tbs. tomato paste
3 c. cooked chickpeas (recipe below) (or 2 cans, drained and rinsed)
1 c. water
2 bay leaves
1/4 tsp. allspice
2 tbs. ground cumin
1/2 tsp. dried oregano
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
3 tbs. minced fresh parsley
1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper
1/2 tsp. paprika
3 tbs. curry powder
1/2 tsp. ground turmeric
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, tomato paste, spices, and water. Stir and bring to a simmer. Let simmer for 10-20 minutes until veggies are becoming tender, stirring occasionally.
2. Add chickpeas and stir to combine. Continue to simmer another 10-15 minutes until veggies are tender. 
3. While the veggies are simmering (just after you add the chickpeas) and the dish is close to done, bring the water for the couscous 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.


Chickpeas
1 1/2 c. dried chickpeas
12 c. water, divided


1. Place chickpeas in a large bowl and cover with 6 cups of water. Let soak for 8 hours to overnight.
2. Drain and rinse the chickpeas and place in a large saucepan.
3. Add remaining 6 cups of water and bring to a boil over high heat. 
4. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 45-60 minutes until desired tenderness is reached. (I cooked them until they mashed easily between my fingers and they were no longer grainy when bitten.)