Citrus Couscous (or Quinoa) with Chickpeas

If you are cooking Mediterranean food and are looking for a side dish, you have certainly found it. The mint, lemon, fennel and olives give it that distinctive savor. Now I know many people shy away from fennel because a) they do not know how to cook with it and b) the potent licorice taste of raw fennel deters them from trying it. Personally, I do not like licorice but I really enjoyed cooking with fennel in this recipe. I saw a picture of couscous with chickpeas and fennel and decided to write a recipe with it, finally ridding my own fallacy of this leafy veggie. I was pleasantly surprised. Once fennel is cooked, its flavor becomes very mild. It has a mellow sweet taste to it and adds a unique aroma. So if you have yet to cook with fennel, I suggest you begin with this dish.

This recipe is great with quinoa or couscous; it really just depends on which you are looking to cook. If you have a wheat or gluten intolerance, use quinoa. I used quinoa in the pictures below.

Serves 2-4

-1 cup of couscous, cook following instructions on the back- Healthier choice: use whole wheat couscous or quinoa
-1 teaspoon Better than Bullion (or any bullion you have) Optional: i like to cook quinoa and couscous in flavored water because it is the only time to really flavor the grains inside and out. If you do not have it then don't sweat it. 
-2 tablespoons olive oil
-1 large fennel bulb, cut into 1/4-inch thick wedges
-1/2 small red onion, sliced If you only have white onion, that with suffice
-1 garlic clove, minced
-Juice of ½ lemon
-1 15-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
-About 10 Kalamata olives, rinsed, halved and pitted
-1/2 teaspoon dried, ground mint leaves
-1/2 teaspon ground cumin 

-Handful of cherry tomatoes, sliced in half I just added this last minute. If was a nice touch but is optional 
-Zest of ½ lemon
-1 tablespoon orange juice
Salt and white pepper to taste

When cooking the couscous, according to package instructions, add better than bullion to the water.

Heat olive oil in a large pan over medium flame. Add fennel and onion Cook for 8 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add garlic. Cook for another 5 minutes or until tender and caramelized. Add lemon juice, chickpeas, olives mint and cumin to pan and stir to combine. Reduce heat to medium and cook for an additional 10 minutes.

When the couscous is just about ready, add orange juice and lemon zest. Fluff with a fork and allow it to sit until finished cooking. Add salt and pepper.

Transfer to a serving plate and add chickpea fennel mixture on top.