Moroccan Carrot and Raisin Couscous

 

I love this dish. It's so simple and filling and makes your kitchen smell incredible while it's cooking. I decided to make it for my dinner duty tonight for our family's Thanksgiving week together. My Dad rented a house for our entire family to use in West Virginia. My whole immediate family is here as well as my Grandparents, my Aunt and Uncle and three of my cousins. It's amazing how much our family has grown in the past few years. All of my siblings and I are now married and two of my siblings have kids! It's such a joy to have a full week together and to spend some quality time with my nieces and nephew. Since moving to Florida and it's become harder to see my family, so I'm always incredibly thankful for these family gatherings.

This is also the first holiday I'm spending with my family since going vegan. I wasn't sure how they'd feel about a Mediterranean meal, but everyone ended up loving it! Along with this couscous recipe I served roasted cauliflower with sweet tahini dressing, a green salad with lots of yummy toppings, pita chips and hummus and baked chicken for all the meat-eaters. For dessert I also made chocolate chip cookie bars which I love. Everyone went back for seconds and kept complimenting me on how good everything was. Success.

I actually got this recipe from my friend who used to write a blog. She's no longer posting, but I still go to her blog often to try out some of the recipes she has listed there. This recipe caught my eye because of the small list of ingredients and short cooking time. Try this simple recipe out! It's delicious as a side dish or the main course.

Moroccan Carrot and Raisin Couscous

(Makes 4-5 servings)

 Ingredients:

· 4 cups vegetable broth

· 1 cup chopped carrots

· 1 cup chopped sweet onion

· 1 cup cooked chickpeas

· 1.5 –2 tablespoons Moroccan spice mixture*

· 1 cup raisins

· 2 cups couscous

*If can either use ras-el-hanout or make your own Moroccan spice mixture by mixing the following spices together:

 

· 1 teaspoon ground cumin

· 1 teaspoon ground ginger

· 1 teaspoon salt

· 3/4 teaspoon black pepper

· 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon

· 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander

· 1/4 teaspoon cayenne

· 1/4 teaspoon nutmeg

Directions:

1. Pour the vegetable broth, carrots, onion and chickpeas into a medium sized sauce pan and bring the liquid to a boil.

2. Once the liquid boils, reduce the heat to medium low and let simmer for 8 minutes.

3. Add in the Moroccan spice mixture, stir, and let simmer for 2 more minutes.

4. Add in the raisins and couscous. Stir well, cover, remove from heat and let sit for ten minutes or until all of the liquid is absorbed.

5. Fluff with a fork and serve hot!

Notes: I did not create this recipe but got it from here!

Eat Consciously,

     Faith