Chickpea and vegetable couscous

Ingredients

• 375 mL (1 ½ cups) uncooked whole grain couscous
• 1 rutabaga cut into 2.5 cm (1 inch) cubes
• 4 carrots, cubed
• 4 parsnips, cubed
• 2 celery stalks, sliced
• 1 can (540 mL/19 oz) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
• 1 can (796 mL/28 oz) diced no salt added tomatoes
• 15 mL (1 tbsp) couscous spice (see tip)
• 2 bay leaves
• 3 zucchini sliced into thick rounds

Directions

1. Bring 375 mL (1 ½ cups) of water to a boil, then remove from heat. Add couscous and cover, letting it absorb water for about 5 minutes. Once this is done, little chefs can fluff it with a fork.
2. Place rutabaga, carrots, parsnips, celery and chickpeas into a large pot.
3. Crush tomatoes using a blender, and place in the pot with spices and bay leaves. Add about 400 mL (1 ⅔ cup) of water, or until vegetables are just covered.
4. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer gently for 20 minutes until vegetables are tender.
5. Then add zucchini and continue cooking for 10 minutes. During this time, cook couscous.
6. Once the vegetables are cooked, remove bay leaves and serve on a bed of cooked couscous.

Learn about food safety.

Recipe developed by Emily Richards, P.H. Ec. for Health Canada and the Heart and Stroke Foundation.