Warm Couscous and Chickpea Salad

Whew! What a crazy busy month December has been. I had no other choice but to basically abandon my blog, between multiple sets of houseguests, my working quite a bit at the flower shop, holiday get togethers and parties, not to mention the whole shoppping, wrapping, preparing for and baking part of the holidays. (All while in the company of an extremely active and perhaps too-smart-for-his own-good almost 2 year old.) Not that I'm complaining. The past two weeks especially have been a whirlwind of spending time with best friends and family, delicious dinners out, countless bottles of wine consumed, and just all around amazing times. However, I am looking forward to a quieter January of just spending time at home with my son and husband, and returning to eating healthy (or least healthish) homecooked meals.

Last night my sister in law and her boyfriend were heading back to the other coast after spending Christmas with us. For our last dinner with them, I was certainally not in the mood for anything rich, heavy or decadent, nor was I in the mood to go out again (finer dining establishments and a toddler are not my favorite combination.) I really just wanted something simple and vegetarian, that I could eat as a main course and everyone else could eat as a side, so I prepared this delicous coucous, served with grilled chicken breasts and a large garden salad. I came up with it a few months ago, when I needed a quick and easy dinner and also had certain perishable ingredients I wanted to use up, but never got around to posting it.

This yummy dish makes about six side servings or several meal sized servings. Having a made it a couple of times, I can give you this advice: Use any color combination of peppers (other than green, which are too bitter in this. ) I prefer using yellow and orange for visual interest, since the tomatoes bring a lot of red to this already. (I sent Sage to the store this time and he returned with 2 red peppers, reminding me I need to either a little more clear with my expectations or more accepting that he is not a mind reader.) I've have used dried parsley when fresh wasn't looking so great at the store, which when added along with the other seasonings, worked just fine. And lastly, what ever you do, don't skip the feta. It is crutial to this dish. It really brings it alive. I like to top the couscous just before serving, and have extra at the table.

1 1/2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 bell peppers, chopped (any color combo, excluding green)
4 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 large onion, chopped
1 (15.5 oz. can) chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/2 pint of grape tomatoes, halved or quartered depending on size
1 cup vegetable stock
juice of half a lemon
1 tbsp dried oregano
sea salt and pepper
2/3 cup uncooked couscous
1 1/2 tbsp chopped parsley (or 1 1/2 tsp dried)
4-6 oz. crumbled feta (either regular or fat free)

Heat oil in a skillet over medium heat. Add pepper and onion, and saute until soft, about 5 minutes. Add garlic and chickpeas, saute another 3 minutes. Add tomatoes, stock, lemon juice, oregano, and salt and pepper (if using dried parsley, add it as well.) Bring to a boil.

Add couscous, stir to combine, cover and turn off heat. After 5 minutes, fluff with a fork. Stir in parsley. Serve topped with crumbled feta.