Crunchy-Sweet Quinoa Couscous with Fresh Herbs Recipe

Crunchy-Sweet Quinoa Couscous with Fresh Herbs Recipe

  • 1/4 cup dried chickpeas (or canned; see Cooks' Note)
  • 1 1″ piece kombu
  • sea salt
  • 1 cup quinoa
  • 1/2 cup raisins
  • 1/2 cup toasted almonds, chopped
  • 1/4 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley, chopped
  • 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped
  • 2 tbsp olive oil plus more
  • 1/2 tsp Herbamare seasoning, ume vinegar, or sea salt
  • squeeze of fresh lemon juice (optional)
  • 1 tsp orange or lemon zest (optional)
  1. Cover chickpeas with 2″ water and soak overnight (or see quick-soak tip on p. 35). Drain chickpeas and place in a medium pot; cover with 2″-3″ of water. Bring to a rapid boil and skim any foam that rises to the surface. Add kombu and reduce heat to a simmer.
  2. Cook for 1-2 hours (very fresh chickpeas take longer to cook), adding water as needed. About 10 minutes before they're done, add 1/4 tsp salt. Drain and set aside.
  3. In another pot, cover quinoa with water and swirl with your hand to rinse. Drain. Add 2 cups fresh water and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to a simmer, cover, and cook for 25 minutes, or until all water is absorbed. Transfer quinoa to a large bowl to cool.
  4. After quinoa has cooled to slightly warmer than room temperature, add chickpeas, raisins, almonds, parsley, basil, 2 tbsp oil, and Herbamare, vinegar, or salt. Finish with a drizzle of oil and a splash of citrus juice or zest, if desired.