Couscous With Salsa Verde

This dish is a personal favourite of mine. It is bursting with flavour and contains a wealth of healthy ingredients.
The combination of couscous, fresh herbs, and a zesty salsa verde dressing creates a mouth-watering flavour that is hard to resist. But the benefits of this dish go beyond taste alone.

One of the reasons I love couscous with salsa verde is because it is a well-balanced meal. The couscous provides complex carbohydrates that give you energy, while the fresh herbs and vegetables offer plenty of vitamins and minerals. And, thanks to the addition of chickpeas and healthy fats like olive oil and nuts, this dish also contains a good amount of protein and healthy fats to keep you feeling satisfied.

SERVES 2 BIG PORTIONS:

INGREDIENTS:

FOR THE COUSCOUS

1 can of chickpeas of 400 g
1 red onion
1 zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 teaspoon sumac
1/2 teaspoon maple syrup
150g couscous
225 boiling water
pinch of salt and pepper

SALSA VERDE

2 cloves of garlic
1 lime
20 g fresh coriander
25 g fresh parsley
10 g fresh mint
10 g fresh basil
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
3-4 tbsp water as needed
pinch of salt

GARNISH

30g pomegranate seeds

METHOD:

Prepare the couscous salad:
Preheat the oven to 180 C
Rinse and drain the chickpeas. Place them on a baking tray lined with baking paper and stir in the sumac and maple syrup.
Cut the red onion into rings and the courgette and the bell pepper into slices. Divide the vegetables with chickpeas on the baking tray and drizzle over the olive oil with a pinch of salt and pepper. Slide the baking sheet into the oven and roast for 20-25 minutes.

Prepare the salsa.
Peel the garlic, halve the lime and squeeze the juice from both halves into the blender. Now put all the salsa ingredients in the blender. Puree everything into a sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper.
Prepare the couscous in the boiling water according to package directions.
Assemble the salad:
Spoon 2 tablespoons of salsa verde through the couscous. Mix the couscous with roasted vegetables. Spoon the couscous onto plates, garnish with the pomegranate seeds and fresh coriander.