When our son Josh was a little boy, sooo many years ago, he always asked for “cous”. I think he thought we were talking baby talk by saying it twice. Anyway, I haven’t made it very often in recent years so this salad, from fellow Venice lover Annie, was a nice reminder of how quick and easy cous cous is to cook.
Couscous Salad with Chickpeas, Dates & Cinnamon
3 green onions
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 (14.5 ounce) can chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon (preferably Vietnamese)
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, divided
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
1 (10 ounce) package couscous
3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
3/4 teaspoon salt, divided
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 (19 ounce) can chickpeas, rinsed and
drained
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup dates, pitted and roughly chopped
1/4 cup pinenuts, toasted
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
(optional)
Directions
Finely dice white end of green onions. Slice green parts of green onions and reserve for salad. Gently cook white onion pieces in olive oil 5-7 minutes in a medium saucepan. Stir in chicken broth, cinnamon, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper and red pepper. Bring to a boil; add couscous. Cover and remove pan from heat. Let stand 5 minutes.
Whisk together vinegar, 1/2 teaspoon salt and olive oil in a small bowl.
Fluff couscous with a fork; put in a large bowl. Toss in sliced green onions, chickpeas, carrots, dates, pinenuts, remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and remaining 1/4 teaspoon black pepper; add vinaigrette and toss again. Serve right away or chill. Garnish with cilantro, if desired.

I had bulk cous cous from the New Leaf Market so I measured about 2 cups and used 1 3/4 cups of homemade chicken stock. (I have sworn off the canned stuff–If I don’t have any in the freezer I just use water.) I found the salad was a little dry so I added a bit more oil and vinegar, and probably a quarter cup of chopped cilantro.

We ate it with some grilled veggies and shrimp but it is hearty enough for eating alone for lunch–and really tasty!