Ingredients
- 1 1/4 cups vegetable stock
- 1/2 cup dried giant wholewheat couscous
- small handful of flat-leaf parsley, chopped
- 9 oz heritage carrots (I particularly love purple ones)
- few thyme sprigs, leaves picked
- 1/2 tsp cumin seeds
- grated zest of 1 orange
- 3 tbsp olive oil
- 3 tbsp plain yogurt
- grated zest and juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 garlic clove, very finely chopped
- sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
- small handful of rocket (arugula)
- scant 1/4 cup golden sultanas (golden raisins)
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Bring the stock to the boil in a pan, then add the couscous. Cover with a lid, reduce the heat and simmer for about 6 minutes, or until the couscous is soft but still with a bite.
- Remove from the heat and leave to cool. When the couscous is cool, fold through the chopped parsley, then set aside in the pan.
- While the couscous is cooling, cut the carrots into long sticks and toss in the thyme, cumin, orange zest and 2 tbsp olive oil. Place them on a baking tray and roast in the hot oven for 20–30 minutes until tender. When done, stir the roasted carrots into the couscous with all the roasting juices.
- To make the dressing, mix the yogurt, lemon, remaining olive oil and garlic with some seasoning in a small jar and keep refrigerated until serving – just don’t forget it in the morning!
- Start filling your jar with the couscous and carrots, followed by the rocket and sultanas.
- Add the dressing in lovely dollops and mix it up a bit for maximum flavor.
More from Jar Food:
Excerpted from the book Jar Food. Copyright ©2017 by Dominique Elöise Alexander. Printed with permission from Pavilion Books.
Jar Food (Pavilion Books, 2017) by Dominique Elöise Alexander features 30 easy recipes that are healthy, nutritious and ideal for people with little time to spare. Take wholesome food with you every day whatever you are doing. This salad keeps for four days in the fridge, if you wait to add the dressing.
Bigger is better when it comes to couscous – giant couscous soaks up so much more flavor than their tiny counterparts. They need slightly more attention, however, but cooking on the hob (stove top) with stock doesn’t take too long. With a creamy yogurt dressing like this one, it’s important to keep it separate until serving as the couscous will definitely absorb it all – losing all that awesome contrast of cool tangy yogurt and sweet carroty goodness. You can keep it in a smaller jar or just use the rocket as a barrier between the two.
