Instagram is wonderful thing, I’m sure we all think this for different reasons. Food and Instagram have become one in the same for me as every time I open the app there is a sea of food pictures popping out at me left and right. This becomes super helpful when looking to be inspired. In this case my hungry boyfriend also likes to take advantage of the over pouring of food pictures he sees on Instagram and tags me in the ones he craves. It’s like a nice subtle way of saying “Please make this for me” without actually just coming out and saying it. I got excited about this tag he found from a blogger that goes by the name of FitMenCook. He typically does healthy flavorful foods and has been very successful at it. Once I saw the word Moroccan my eyes lit up. After discovering my favorite Moroccan spice called Ras El Hanout I have been eager to learn new Moroccan dishes as it’s also part of my heritage. 
The recipe calls for a few different spices which can seem intimidating at first. Spices have their own unique attributions to a dish but don’t be afraid to substitute or change up the ratio a little depending on your preference. I, for instance, love coriander, but the recipe my boyfriend discovered called for allspice. To settle the debate I brought the spice jars over to him and one at a time held them to his nose and said “SNIFF”! After smell testing both I said choose your favorite and low and behold he picked CORIANDER. Man does that guy know how to make a girl happy. This rice is loaded with flavors and makes you wonder why you ever ate plain white rice in the first place. The pop from the raisins is one of my favorite parts of the rice which got me thinking how amazing my favorite chewy kind of fruit (the date) would be in this dish. This rice goes great with lots of protein options, we chose chicken because that’s what I had on hand but lamb would be another great traditional protein to serve with this dish. After devouring this rice, realizing we had no left overs between the two of us, it’s safe to say this one is a real winner. Thank you Morocco and thank you boyfriend for being so hungry.
Serves 4
1 tbs. Olive Oil
3/4 cup of red onion (small diced about half a large onion)
1 cup Basmati Rice
1 tsp. Cumin
1 tsp. Paprika
1/2 tsp. Garam Masala
1 1/2 tsp. Coriander
1 tsp. Cayenne (omit if you don’t like spicy)
2 Cinnamon sticks
1/4 tsp. Salt and Pepper
1 can Chick peas
1/2 cup Raisins (or chopped pitted dates)
2 cups Chicken Broth
1/4 cup Green Olives
2 tbs. Lemon Juice (plus lemon wedges for garnish)
1/4 cup Parsley (chopped)
Method:
- In large a saute pan with 1-2″ sides add 1 tbs. of Olive Oil and heat to medium high heat, add the red onion and pinch of salt and pepper and sweat until translucent about 5-8 minutes.
- In a small bowl measure out each spice making it easier to add to the pan at once.
- Add the uncooked basmati rice to the pot along with the chick peas and spices and stir to release the fragrant spices and coat each grain of rice about 1-2 minutes.
- Add another pinch of salt and pepper, followed by the cinnamon sticks raisins and the chicken broth.
- Bring mixture to boil then cover with lid and reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer rice for 18 minutes or until the rice is tender and the liquid is absorbed (sometimes I find I may have to check a little ways through and add more chicken broth if the pan looks dry and the rice is still undercooked so the rice doesn’t burn before it cooks through).
- Once rice is cooked through taste for proper salt and pepper seasoning (add more if necessary) add the lemon juice, olives, parsley stir to combine and ENJOY!