Couscous Pilaf with Chick peas, Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon

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Recipe submitted by Sarah McMullin sarahmcm@istar.ca

Couscous Pilaf with Chick peas, Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

2 cups instant couscous
2 cups water
1/4 cup olive oil
1 large onion, minced
2 med. carrots, peeled and diced
2 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1 large can chick peas, drained
1/3 cup dark seedless raisins
1/3 cup chopped fresh parsely or mint
salt to taste
2 tablespoon margarine (optional)

Directions:

Bring water and 1 tbs. olive oil to a rolling boil. Add couscous,

cover and turn off heat. Let stand until water is absorbed, about

5 min. Add margarine and fluff with a fork.

Heat remaining olive oil in a medium skillet and saute onions and

carrots for 5-7 minutes. Add cumin, cinnamon, and cayenne and stir

in skillet for one minute.

Combine couscous with remaining ingredients in a large bowl, season

with salt and serve, either warm or at room temperature.

Serves: 4-6

Preparation time: 30 min.

I made this and it is wonderful! I had no idea what it would be like; I tried it just because it sounded interesting. Also, it was quick and easy to make. I added some chopped celery and red bell pepper to the onion mixture, and cut the cayenne in half because I wasn't sure if it would be too hot for my guests. I served it warm.

Archived comment by: lenora

Excellent recipe! Has become a family hit! The spices are just right and my friends like it, too. Will make this at least once/week from now on. Everybody loves it! Thanks!

Archived comment by: toni

Thank you! This is GREAT,very quick,& easy (my 3 basic requirements...) You may want to try adding a chopped apple such as Granny Smith. Adds moisture and complements the original flavor nicely. Also, walnuts add crunch.

Archived comment by: karen

This recipe is quite lovely! Thank you!

Archived comment by: lucy

I really enjoyed this recipe, but next time that I make it (and there will be many next times), I'm going to add some water to the carrot/onion/spice mixture so that the spices distribute more evenly. I highly recommend this recipe! It was fast and yummy!

Archived comment by: amy

I made this yday ~ I added about 3/4 cup water to the onion/carrot/spice mix. I also added califlower and I simmered this all with the beans for about 25 min. Very Tasty! I also cutt the cayenne in 1/2 !!

Archived comment by: indigorain

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secondbase

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Re: Couscous Pilaf with Chick peas, Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon

« Review Recipe #1 on: September 25, 2006, 05:00:07 PM »

this was super tasty! i ended up adding lemon juice and balsamic vinegar in the end. i also used mint AND parsley. mmmm


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uhblondie

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Re: Couscous Pilaf with Chick peas, Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon

« Review Recipe #2 on: January 12, 2007, 07:16:52 PM »

Pretty yummy! In all honesty, I did deviate from the recipe quite a bit, but I'm sure the original is just as good. In addition to the specified 2 cups of couscous, I added about 1.5 cups already-cooked, reheated garlic-and-olive oil couscous to the mix (gotta use up those leftovers!). I used shredded instead of diced carrots (all I had on hand), and I think I liked that better anyway. I ended up using 2.5 times the amount of each seasoning because of the extra couscous and because I like food with lots of flavor. I used dried cranberries instead of raisins because that's all I could get at the store, and again, I think I liked it better. Forced to use dried parsley (eww, I know, but again it's all I had). Used a 20-oz can of chickpeas. I added the juice of 1/2 lemon and 1 tbsp of red wine vinegar (although I think balsamic would have been ideal) - it definitely needed the moisture. I had tried to cut down on the amount of oil, but ended up adding it back in the end because it was dry. At the table, I sprayed it with Liquid Aminos, which is exactly what it needed - next time, I think I will just use Liquid Aminos instead of salt altogether. I think Karen's idea of adding walnuts is a good one - pine nuts would be good too, if you can afford them. It was very quick and easy and inexpensive, so I will be making this again, I am sure - plus, there is so much leftover, yay! :-)


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uhblondie

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Re: Couscous Pilaf with Chick peas, Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon

« Review Recipe #3 on: January 12, 2007, 07:18:19 PM »

Oh yeah, and I added 4 cloves of minced garlic...because EVERY recipe needs garlic!! :-)


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Re: Couscous Pilaf with Chick peas, Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon

« Review Recipe #4 on: March 20, 2007, 02:10:17 PM »

hmm, this was all right. it definitely has moisture issues. I did leave out the margarine, which would have helped. I put water and the juice of one orange in during the saute part and added the orange zest to the couscous. I also added toasted almonds, sesame seeds, quite a bit of balsalmic vinegar, and a bit of maple syrup. I'd like to add more veggies - maybe celery, bell pepper, broccoli florets. however, I doubt I'll make this exact recipe again because it really needs a dressing to make it moist enough. not a bad lunch, though.


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Re: Couscous Pilaf with Chick peas, Raisins, Cumin and Cinnamon

« Review Recipe #5 on: February 18, 2008, 07:03:59 PM »

Fantastic blend of spices. I found that using the correct amount of oil and a tad of buttery stick at the end the moisture was perfect. (Just follow the directions and it comes out great!!!) Definately a new favorite! The only thing I substituted was some old zuchini instead of the carrots (I didn't have any).


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