chickpeas/couscous

I have always been a fan of chickpeas, but have only just discovered cous cous.

Anyone got any cool ideas of how to use them?

OMG I LOVE couscous. I make it using chicken stock, as per the instructions on the box. Then I fry up some sliced onion, roast some capsicum and cut that up. Then mix that with the couscous, add a little moroccan spice mix and some feta cheese cut into cubes. Mmmmmm, delicious with grilled chicken breast or roasted lamb.

ooh yum, Bec. I'm always on the look out for tasty food. Sounds great!

I do a similar thing to Bec, I roast pumpkin and saute onions mix with parsley, lemon juice and garlic chuck in some snow peas & thats it. I also cook the cous cous in chicken stock and if I'm feeling protein deficient I roast some chicken legs & chuck them on top.

Mmmmm pumpkin would be good added to that one too, or leave out the capsicum and put pumpkin and pinenuts/walnuts, yummy.

Thanks for this thread, we are doing the CSIRO diet and have just had couscous for the first time and were wondering what else we could do with it. Can you puree it for babies with vegies?

I love chickpeas!

This is one of my faves:

Chickpea curry

2 x 400g cans chickpeas
400ml vegetable stock
300g onions finely chopped
2 ½ teaspoons salt
1 green chilli, chopped
1 tbsp grated ginger
60ml lemon juice
90ml oil
225g tomatoes, chopped (or 1 tin)
1 tbsp ground coriander seeds
1 tbsp cumin seeds
½ tsp ground turmeric
2 tsp garam masala
¼ tsp cayenne pepper

Put 2 tbsp chopped onions, ½ teaspoon salt, green chilli, ginger and lemon juice in a ramekin and put aside.

Heat oil in a large deep frying pan. Add onions and fry in medium heat for 8 minutes till onions brown. Add tomatoes and cook 5 minutes. Add coriander, cumin and turmeric and stir for 30 seconds, then add drained rinsed chickpeas. Add 400ml vegetable stock, and remaining ingredients (garam masala and cayenne pepper). Reduce heat to low, add a lid and simmer for 20 minutes.

Just before serving add the raw onion mix from the ramekin and stir in.

Can be served with rice.

Ahh you girlss are legends! Have written them down to try tonight and tomorrow.
What else ya got?
Christine that's actually why I bought the couscous. I mixed it with pumpkin to give to Darcy. She loved it.

As Matilda got older and had fork mashed food I used couscous on its own without bothering to puree it.

Great suggestions, girls!

Last night I combined Christy & Bec's recipes - I did roast pumpkin, onion, parsley, lemon juice, garlic, & moroccan spice mixed with couscous cooked in chicken stock and it turned out really well. Best of all, K really loved it and even ate a few small pieces of pumpkin (he usually dislikes most vegies!).

Riley has been eating pureed cous cous with carrot and loves it.

Oh that's great Angel, I'm definitely going to try it with pumpkin next week. Would be good with sweet potato too.

yum yum yum!

Mmmmmm - two of my faves - chickpeas and couscous!!!! Ella loves them too :)

One different thing to do with couscous is use it instead of bread crumbs over strips of chicken. Roll strips in flour, whisked egg then in cooled cooked couscous. Refridgerate before frying. Serve with lemon wedges, salsa and guacamole!

I also make a couscous and chickpea dish. It has thinly sliced capsicum, red onion, garlic, roasted sweet potato cubes, grated lemon rind, squeeze of lemon juice, boiled chickpeas, couscous cooked in vegetable stock, pistachios, chilli (optional)...and if needed cubes or strips of lightly fried chicken seasoned with morrocan spice.
I also use this recipe (minus the chicken pieces) as a stuffing inside roast chicken. Once chicken is cooked pull out and serve as a side!

Rae that sounds very yum - thankyou. Just moroccan spice in a bottle?

I bought some cous cous yesterday, so I will be all cous coused up next week, hehehehehe, yummy.

Yeah just the spice in the little jar found with the regular herbs and spices in the supermarket.

I'm making cous cous tonight, with onion, roasted capsicum, pumpkin, feta, walnuts and moroccan chicken. Mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm

I love to eat cous cous cold as a salad - I make it up as per the box and then when it's cooled down I chuck on seeded chopped up tomato, red onion, avocado, cubed cucumber flat leaf parsley and heaps of lemon juice, sea salt and cracked black pepper - chuck it in the fridge and it keeps for ages!

we make heaps of variations on it too, sometimes we have asian style with coriander, lemongrass, and a light soy dressing or sometimes we chuck sultanas and chopped up apple into it.

I love cous cous it's so easy and it makes you look like some kind of cooking superstar when you pop a bowl of cous cous salad on the table when it relaly only takes 5 minutes to prepare!

OMG best dinner ever last night. I made my cous cous, but I forgot the onion. However I added a few other things to it and it was scrummy. So I had in there with the cous cous, roasted capsicum, pumpkin, feta cheese, a little bit of bacon, some pan fried moroccan chicken and then I caramelised some walnuts in some golden syrup and then sprinkled them on the top, OMG it was SOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO good.

I serve mine with almost a tomato pasta sauce - I'll just reduce the sauce right down. That's nice too. Slivered almonds, yum.