Spiced Vegetables & Chickpeas over Cauliflower Couscous

SERVES: 12 | VEGAN 

Cauliflower resembles couscous when chopped very finely. It is a wonderful, low-glycemic substitution for grains. This dish includes the winning combination for blood sugar balancing-vegetables and protein. The cauliflower is cooked in red palm oil, which not only gives it a yellow hue, but is high in antioxidants. Ras-El-Hanout is a Moroccan spice mixture that can have up to 30 kinds of spices. This streamlined version contains spices that are helpful for balancing blood sugar, such as cinnamon.

INGREDIENTS Ras El Hanout

• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 1 tsp ground cardamom
• 1 tsp ground mace
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/2 tsp ground allspice
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander seeds 
• 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
• 1/2 tsp turmeric
• 1/8 tsp ground black pepper
• 1/8 tsp ground cayenne pepper 
• 1/4 tsp ground anise seeds
• 1/8 tsp ground cloves 

Cauliflower Couscous with Vegetables 

• 2 medium cauliflower heads, stalks and stems removed 
• 1 Tbs coconut oil
• 1 large leek, thinly sliced in half moons
• 2 carrots, diagonally sliced 
• 1/4 lb green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces 
• 1 large red bell pepper, medium 
• dice 2 small zucchini, sliced into half moons
• 4 garlic cloves, chopped
• salt and pepper
• 2 Tbs ras el hanout
• 1 cup vegetable stock
• 1/2 cup frozen peas
• 3/4 cup cilantro, minced, divided 
• 1 Tbs red palm oil
• 1 medium red onion, finely diced 
• 1 tsp turmeric powder

COOKING INSTRUCTIONS 

Garbanzo Beans Drain and rinse garbanzo beans and place in a pot. Cover with water by 2 inches. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 45 minutes to 1 hour. Drain and set aside. You can also cook them in the pressure cooker for 10 minutes. 

Ras El Hanout Meanwhile, combine all dried spices for Ras el Hanout and set aside. 

Cauliflower Couscous with Vegetables To prepare cauliflower, place florets in a food processor and pulse until finely ground to the consistency of couscous. 

In a wide, heavy sauté pan on medium heat, add coconut oil and leeks. Sauté until tender, about 5 minutes. Add the carrots and green beans and sauté for another 5 minutes. Add bell pepper, zucchini, and garlic, and sauté for another few minutes, until vegetables are slightly tender. Season with salt. 

Add 2 Tbs of Ras el Hanout and stir to combine. Deglaze pan with stock. Turn up heat and allow stock to reduce.
When vegetables are tender and liquid thickens, stir in garbanzo beans and peas. Stir to combine. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary.

Transfer to a bowl and toss in half of the cilantro. Cover and set aside. 

Rinse the pan that the vegetables were cooked in and return it to the stove over medium heat. Add red palm oil and onion and sauté until onions softens, about 5 minutes. 

Add cauliflower and sauté for a few minutes.

Cover pan and allow to cook for about 5–10 minutes, stirring every so often, until cauliflower is almost tender, but not mushy. Uncover pan, stir in turmeric, and season to taste with salt. Allow cauliflower to brown a little and then turn off the heat. Add remaining cilantro and toss to combine. 

Transfer to a serving platter and pile the vegetable mixture on top. 

NOTES 

Variation: For a building dish, add chopped pistachios to the cauliflower couscous. If you can tolerate dried fruits, add currants or chopped fried apricots to the vegetable mixture.