Chickpea Date Tagine

INGREDIENTS
1    tablespoon olive oil
1    large onion, diced (about 2 cups)
4    cloves garlic, minced
1    teaspoon ground cumin
1    teaspoon ground coriander
1    teaspoon powdered ginger
½   teaspoon ground cinnamon
1    can (15 ounces) diced tomatoes
2    cans (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed, drained
1    cup whole wheat couscous
1    cup pitted dates, quartered
¼   cup lemon juice or ½ preserved lemon, rinsed, seeded, minced
½   cup chopped fresh cilantro

 METHOD

Heat the oil in a alrge sauce pan over medium heat and add the onion. Cook for 10 minutes, stirring often, or until beginning to brown. Add the garlic, cumin, coriander, ginger and cinnamon, stirring them in and cooking for 30 seconds. Add the tomatoes, chickpeas and ¼ cup of water. Reduce heat to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, toast the couscous in a medium skillet until it begins to brown and add 1 ¾ cups of water. Bring to a boil, remove from the heat, cover and let it steep for 5 minutes.

Stir the dates and lemon or juice into the tagine and continue to cook for 2 to 3 minutes to soften the dates. Remove from the heat and serve over couscous, sprinkled with chopped cilantro. Will serve 6 to 8 people.

Adapted from a recipe found at Food.com