Spiced Couscous Salad with Dates and Almonds

So during my last PFI adventure, I discovered tri-colored couscous.  They are colored with natural components such as vegetable juices.  There are orange, green and the natural yellow colors.  And I have been saving it to make for an occasion.  So tonight I went to a dinner party/potluck get together with a few girls from my volunteering group Cooking Matters.  The three of us are part of a group of girls who get together over food and wine and talk about careers, food, nutrition, recipes...basically anything food related.  Our hostess S, coined our group the Food Group.   

We had such a nice gathering tonight.  R brought a sweet potato salad with pepitas, cranberries, rosemary and a balsamic chutney dressing...so so delicious.  And S made a wonderful frittata with mushrooms, greens and sun dried tomatoes, AND an apple cranberry crisp topped with vanilla ice cream.   It is so nice meet up with people similarly interested in food and recipe talk.

So this recipe can definitely be made with regular couscous instead of the tri-color.  I think the tri-color is sort of more difficult to find.  Another side note is that the dates look really nice and different if you cut them into thin rings.   The original recipe calls for toasted almonds, but I thought raw would be a nice addition. 

Spiced Couscous Salad with Dates and Almonds
Adapted from epicurious.com


1 cup vegetable broth
1 cup water
1 1/2 cup dry couscous (regular or tri-colored)
Zest and juice of 1 lemon (about 1 Tbsp zest and 3-4 Tbsp juice)
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp ground coriander
1 15 oz can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2/3 cup pitted dates, chopped in rings
1/2 cup raw almonds, chopped
1/2 cup fresh cilantro, chopped fine
1/4 cup green onion, minced
Salt and pepper to taste
Feta to garnish

Bring vegetable broth and water to a boil.  Add the dry couscous and stir for about 30 seconds.  Turn off heat and cover for 5-10 minutes.  If the couscous seems dry, add a little more hot water and let sit for a few more minutes.  Fluff with a fork and transfer to a large bowl to let cool.

Meanwhile, zest and juice the lemon (in that order) and whisk together with olive oil, cumin and coriander.  Drizzle the dressing over the couscous.  Add the dates, almonds, cilantro, and green onion.  Toss together and add salt and pepper to taste.  Top with feta.   Let stand for about an hour and serve!