Ingredients

• 1 cup dry couscous any variety
• 1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed, or 1 cup chickpeas boiled at home
• 1 cup finely chopped red onion
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 1/2 cup chopped Spanish olives
• 1/2 cup chopped red pepper ( or any colour pepper)
• 1 cup mandarin oranges
• 1/2 cup chopped cilantro
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
• 2-3 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
• 1 tsp orange zest
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp cumin
• salt and sugar to taste
• 2 Tbsp pinoli or almonds ( optional)
• 1 Tbsp olive oil (optional)

Method

1. Boil the couscous according to package directions and set aside. This can be done in advance. Make sure the couscous is not very soggy now since the dressing will moisten it again later
2. In a large mixing bowl, combine all the vegetables - onions, cucumber, pepper, olives, mandarin oranges. Drain and rinse a can of chickpeas to make sure all the gooey liquid is gone. Add the chickpeas to the bowl.
3. Add the couscous to the bowl. Make sure its cool by now since we want the veggies to remain crispy and fresh. Adding hot or warm couscous will slightly cook the vegetables which we do not want here. Lightly mix everything once.
4. Now for the dressing. In a seperate bowl or cup, mix the fresh squeezed orange juice and fresh lemon juice. Make an effort to use fresh juices only. This will make a big difference in the taste. Add the paprika, cumin, orange zest, salt to taste, and little dash of sugar or honey to balance the sourness.
5. Add the olive oil. Use Extra virgin oil for a better flavour. Now you can use as much oil as you want here. You can keep streaming oil food tv style( no offense to any great chefs) until you get a thick emulsion, or you can just use maybe a tbspn as I do to get the flavour from the oil, but not enough to affect any other metrics. Beat together all the ingredients till they are combined together and add this to the bowl.
6. Add the dressing in two or three batches, depending on how dry or soft you like your couscous. I kept it slightly on the soggy side earlier, but it was all absorbed by the next day. I forgot to mention above -- this salad gets better over time. The flavours concentrate more and more, so remember that while adding your spices.
7. Add some of the chopped cilantro, keeping some for garnish. Now you can thoroughly mix everything together, ensuring that the dressing goes through the salad.
8. You can add a few almonds or pine nuts. I did not add them this time.
9. Refrigerate for a few hours, if you are not already salivating.