This recipe was inspired by Donna Hay but tweaked a little in the Em’s Food way as I was missing some of the ingredients and I also like to put my own spin on the food that I cook.  My Husband was mighty impressed with this combo and it was a nice healthy change after weeks of Christmas cheer.  Full of flavour and texture, it was awesome!

Prep time:  25  Minutes             Cooking time:   15  Minutes           $  Low Budget

Serves 4

3 chicken breast fillets, halved down the middle

2 tbs of olive oil

2 wedges of preserved lemon, flesh removed and discarded and the rind finely diced

1 tsp of coriander seeds, crushed

2 tbs of Ras el Hanout (see link below for Em’s own recipe)

http://emsfoodforfriends.com.au/ras-el-hanout/

For the Salad:

1 cup of cous cous

1 cup of boiling water

2 carrots peeled and very finely julienned (to save time you can use a fine grater attachment on a food processor, a peeler or a mandolin)

1/2 a bunch of watercress (substitute rocket leaves or baby spinach if you like)

1 bunch of coriander, roughly chopped

1/2 cup of currants

1/4 cup of flaked almonds, lightly toasted for garnish

Sea salt and Pepper

For the Dressing:

2 tbs of extra virgin olive oil

Juice of 1 orange

2 tbs of white wine vinegar

1 tbs of tahini paste

Sea salt and Pepper

Preheat the oven to 220°C

Place the breast fillets on a lined baking tray.  Place the oil, coriander seeds, preserved lemon rind and Ras el Hanout in a small bowl and stir to combine.  Spoon the mixture over the breast fillets and then massage into the fillets with your hands so that they are covered all over with marinade.  Pop the tray in the oven and bake for 15 Minutes or until cooked through.

Place the cous cous in a large sized bowl and pour over the boiling water.  Sprinkle with a little sea salt and cover with plastic wrap.  Set aside for 5 minutes before removing the wrap and fluffing the cous cous with a fork allowing it to cool a little.  Once cooled slightly pop in the currants, carrots, watercress and coriander.  Don’t toss it until just before serving as you don’t want the greens to wilt too much from the heat.

In a small bowl whisk the oil, tahini, orange juice and vinegar until the tahini is well combined and lump free.  Season with salt and pepper.

To serve, spoon half of the dressing over the salad and toss well (I use fingers) to combine.  Place four neat piles of the salad in the centre of  four serving plates.  Slice the chicken on the diagonal into slices about 1.5cm in size.  Scatter the chicken on top of the salad and again, toss gently so that you bring some of the salad to the top (this is purely for aesthetics and not entirely necessary…..it just looks better!).  Scatter the toasted almonds over the top along with any remaining juices from the chicken (particularly the little bits of preserved lemon) and serve……

*