Total time: 40 minutes
Source: The Complete Vegetarian Cookbook
Servings: 5-6, depending on how much couscous you mix in to bulk it up. We got five servings, but had leftover couscous.
I forgot to check how much couscous we had before going grocery shopping last weekend, so Sean had to run to the store to get more after I discovered we were 1/2 cup short. I started prepping the garlic and onions and got about halfway through cooking when Sean got back with the couscous, and the two recipes ended up finishing at almost exactly the same time. It was too perfect.
We’ve used this couscous recipe before; toasting the couscous before letting it soak in water yields perfect couscous every time, so I highly recommend following ATK’s recipe if you make couscous. I also recommend working the word couscous into conversation and/or writing as often as possible, because it’s super fun to say and write.
The chickpeas were tasty. Super easy to make, just enough of the spices to make it complex while still letting the flavor of the chickpeas shine, and just enough yogurt to make it smooth without it being super creamy. Totally doable weeknight dinner with a small enough impact on the dishes.
And then, of course, the oldest child, after rinsing his dishes, said something along the lines of “Huh, I wonder what this cake is for…” and I remembered that we had enough cake left after last night to have it for dessert again. It was still amazing.
A note on cooking with/prepping garlic: This recipe called for sliced garlic, so I peeled and sliced garlic cloves. Usually I use the big Costco container of minced garlic because, despite what America’s Test Kitchen says, my hands always get all sticky and I can never manage to mince garlic or use a garlic press properly so any off flavors the pre-minced stuff might pick up are worth the time and effort it saves. But when a recipe calls for anything other than minced garlic, I struggle through using the fresh stuff.
Testing the Test Kitchen 