‘Jewels of the Desert’

When we returned home from a trip to Morocco, we couldn’t get enough of tagine and fruit & nuts in our main courses. That, plus a camel ride and overnight in the Sahara Desert were the inspiration for this easy sheet pan dinner, ‘The Jewels of the Desert’!

Ingredients

2 Tbsp Persian Lime Olive Oil
2 Tbsp Tomato Paste
juice of 1 lime
2 Tbsp Pomegranate Dark Balsamic
1 Tbsp minced garlic
2 tsp ground cumin
1 tsp *Ras El Hanout
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
2 small sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into small cubes
2 small zucchini cut lengthwise then sliced into half-moons
2 sweet bell peppers deseeded and cubed
2 small red onions sliced into wedges (keep the stem end intact to hold their shape)
sea salt & ground black pepper to taste
1 Cup cooked chickpeas
2 Tbsp pumpkin seeds
2 Tbsp sunflower seeds
2 Tbsp slivered or sliced almonds
1⅓ Cup couscous, uncooked
8 dried apricots diced
4 Tbsp dried cranberries
2 Tbsp Golden raisins
2 Cups boiling vegetable stock (broth)
1 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil

Directions

Preheat the oven to 400F.
In a large mixing bowl, combine the first 8 ingredients. Add the chopped vegetables and stir to coat.
Thinly coat 1 or 2 (depending on size) roasting pans with oil and arrange the veggies in a single layer. Lightly sprinkle with salt & pepper.
Roast for 30 minutes, stirring or shaking after 10 minutes.
With 10 minutes left, add the chickpeas and sprinkle in the almonds and pumpkin & sunflower seeds.
At this point place the couscous, apricots, raisins and cranberries in a heat-proof bowl. Pour the boiling hot stock on top, quickly stir to mix, cover with a plate and leave for 7 minutes. Drizzle on 1 TBSP olive oil and fluff up with a fork.
Divide the couscous and roasted veggies between four bowls or plates.
(Optional) Squeeze a little fresh lime over everything or place a wedge on each plate.
Any leftovers can be stored in the fridge for a few days.

Dinner for 4, the recipe can be halved.

This recipe is VERY adaptable! You can change up the veggies, fruit (we like some fresh orange segments added to the couscous before the broth), nuts & seeds. Feel free to add a little crumbled feta when you add the chickpeas. You could also add a COOKED protein like shredded chicken, pork or lamb at the same time as the chickpeas.

*Ras El Hanout is a North African spice blend, I have been able to find it at the Loblaws chain in Canada.