No fuss, flavorful couscous salad

I am not a salad person. Sad, but true... However, I am trying to work on my salad eating skills! Yesterday, for lunch, I got a bowl of ready-to-go couscous salad from the store. I loved the flavors and what caught my attention was the combination of couscous and chickpeas. Really delicious....I then recreated the salad with a hint of cumin and coriander spices and it gave a magical touch to my salad. Working with couscous is so easy. No fuss at all!

Ingredients-

couscous - 1 cup

1 small red onion- chopped finely

chick peas -1/2 cup

carrot - 1/2 cup shredded

parsley - 1 tbsp

1/2 cup shredded celery

garlic- 2 cloves (finely chopped)

ginger - grated, 1/2 tsp

salt (according to taste)

cumin seeds - 1 tsp (crushed lightly)

coriander powder - 1/2 tsp

lemon juice - 2 tbsp

olive oil - 3 tbsp

crushed black pepper- 1/2 tsp

Preparation-

Place couscous in a large bowl. Bring around 1 1/2 cups of water to boil. As the water starts boiling, remove from fire and pour it over couscous and cover the bowl. Allow it to steam for five minutes. Couscous will absorb the water and soften. After five minutes, gently separate the couscous grains with a fork and ensure they are not sticky. Add carrots, onion, garlic, ginger, parsley, chickpeas and celery. Toss the couscous well with the vegetables and chickpeas. In a separate bowl, mix lemon juice, olive oil, coriander powder, crushed cumin seeds, black pepper and salt. Combine well, till the spices are incorporated in the oil. Pour this oil mixture to couscous and mix them thoroughly. Serve and enjoy your salad!