CRUNCHY-SWEET QUINOA COUSCOUS WITH FRESH HERBS

Crunchy-Sweet Quinoa Couscous with Fresh Herbs image

Provided by Alicia Silverstone

Number Of Ingredients 12

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)

Steps:

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.
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.
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.
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.