Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash

The last squash from our garden

Everything "from scratch" can take a while if you want to accomplish it all on the same day, which is why I frequently ended up cooking things after I've just finished dinner -- getting ahead on the next recipe. I was so pleased with the way this meal worked out and being able to reuse parts of the ingredients in other parts of the meal. I soaked the chickpeas the night prior, and boiled them away for about an hour with 1 quartered onion, 5 cloves garlic, 1/2 tsp asafoetida, 3 sprigs parsley, and a bit of celery, adding salt at the end.

Chickpeas from scratch - thanks Deborah Madison!

The squash was cut in half and microwaved to cook it. I used this recipe for the Moroccan-Spiced Spaghetti Squash but amended it a bit: sautéing a chopped onion with the minced garlic until tender in olive oil, adding in the spices (double the amount), and about 2 c. worth of chickpeas with the cooked squash, until all warmed through and seasoned.

Onion, garlic, chickpeas, squash, and spices

To prepare the couscous dish, I boiled 2 cups of the broth from the chickpeas with a cinnamon stick for 10 minutes before pouring it over 1 c. couscous and 1/2 c. raisins and letting sit until the couscous is cooked and raisins were plump.

Served on top of a bed of couscous
with raisins and parsley

Serve the squash over the couscous and top with lots of fresh parsley. You could also try adding yogurt or lemon juice.

I ended up with leftover chickpeas and broth, so I'm thinking these might be used to together for some kind of italian soup....  but for a rest! and leftovers!