Couscous Salad

This couscous salad consists in a delicious couscous flavored with ras el hanout, golden raisins, and fresh herbs.

Ingredients:

For the tempeh croutons:

• 4 ounces tempeh cut into small cubes

• 1/8 cup lemon juice

• 1 tablespoon tamari

• 1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika

• Black pepper

  For the Couscous Salad:

• 1 yellow onion, thinly diced

• 2 ½ teaspoons ras el hanout seasoning*

• Salt and pepper

• ~1.5 cups vegetable broth or water

• 0.75 cup couscous

• 1/4 cup golden raisins

• 3 dried apricots, diced (optional)

• 1/3 can chickpeas, drained and rinsed, (optional - not included in nutrition label)

• ½ English cucumber, diced

• 1/3 cup thinly sliced red cabbage

• ½ cup fresh parsley and/or mint

• 1 lemon, juice

• A few cashews for topping

Preparation:

1. To prepare the tempeh croutons, whisk together the lemon juice, tamari, smoked paprika, and a generous pinch of black pepper. Place the tempeh cubes in a glasslock container. Pour the marinade over the cubes, cover, and shake a bit to coat. Refrigerate the cubes and allow them to marinate for at least an hour, or up to 12 hours. When the cubes are ready to bake, preheat the oven to 400F. Remove the cubes from the marinade (discarding the marinade) and transfer them to a lined baking sheet. Bake for 15-20 minutes, or until crispy at the edges. The cubes will keep for up to 5 days in an airtight container in the fridge.

2. Heat water in a large skillet placed over medium heat. Once hot, add the onions and ras el hanout, and saute for about 2 minutes, until onions are soft and tender. Season with salt and pepper.

3. Pour the vegetable broth or water, turn the heat on high and bring to a boil. Once liquid is boiling, remove the skillet from the heat and add the couscous, raisins and apricots, and stir to combine. Add a lid on the skillet and let sit for about 10 minutes.

4. Remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Stir in the tempeh, red cabbage, cucumber, and parsley/mint. Squeeze the juice of one lemon over the couscous and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed (you may need to add more salt).

5. Place in the refrigerator for about one hour, until cold. Enjoy. (Serves 3).

6. * If you don’t have ras el hanout seasoning, you can replace with equal parts of turmeric, cumin, coriander and a hint of cinnamon (plus salt). The ras el hanout seasoning usually involves more spices but your couscous salad should do just fine with this simple mix replacement.

7. We kept this couscous salad very simple and naturally vegan. That being said, you can use it as a base and add some ingredients, depending on your mood and your dietary restrictions (or not). A few ideas consists in replacing golden raisins with cranberries or black currants. Instead of fresh parsley, consider using fresh cilantro or a mix of fresh cilantro and mint. Also, toasted almonds add a great crunchy bite to the salad. If you’re not vegan, add some feta cheese, sprinkled over the salad or some eggs instead of tempeh or any other protein source. For a gluten-free version, replace the couscous with quinoa (that needs to be cooked rather than soaked like the couscous). We hope it will leave you with plenty of inspiration!