Couscous Salad

Couscous, made from durum wheat or semolina flour, is a staple in North African cuisines. There are three different kinds of couscous – Moroccan, Israeli and Lebanese. I have a couple of recipes of Lebanese couscous I have posted on the blog before. Check out Pearl Couscous Salad with Garlic Oil and Buddha Bowl with Pearl Couscous . Whole grain couscous is rich in vitamins like vitamin B6, thiamine and other minerals like selenium, manganese, phosphorus, magnesium and potassium. As part of a healthy diet, it can help reduce cholesterol. This recipe uses Moroccan couscous although any variety can be used. It is light and crunchy with all those delicious fresh vegetables working their magic. I make this dish a lot as it not only tastes delicious, it is equally wonderful as a great cold lunch to eat in a day or two. You can of course change up not only the type of vegetables you use but also the ratio of the vegetables to make it even healthier @sarchakra

PREP TIME: 15 mins

COOK TIME: 3 mins

YIELDS: 4

Ingredients

For the Couscous

Couscous 6 oz
Salt to taste
Dried parsley 2 tsp
Olive oil 1 tbsp

The Vegetables, Nuts, Herbs and Cheese

Garbanzo beans 15.5 oz (1 can)
Mini Cucumber 2
Onion 1, medium or ½ a large
Roma Tomato 1
Green bell pepper 1
Fresh Parsley a handful
Feta cheese 4 tbsp
Raisins a small handful
Pecans a small handful

For the Dressing

Olive oil 3 tbsp
Juice of 1 lemon
Zest of 1 lemon
Pomegranate vinegar 1 tbsp
Garlic 3 cloves, finely grated
Honey 1 tbsp
Salt to taste
Black Pepper 2 tsp

Method

In a small pan put in 1 ½ cups of water. Add olive oil, dried parsley and salt. Bring to a boil. Turn the heat off.
Add couscous and stir. Keep it covered for 5 mins.
After 5 mins fluff the couscous with a fork. Pour in a large serving bowl.

The Vegetables

Rinse a can of garbanzo beans. Prep the salad ingredients: chop onion, tomato, parsley, bell pepper and cucumber.

The Dressing

Zest the lemon. Grate the garlic. In a small bowl add lemon zest, lemon juice, garlic, olive oil, black pepper, salt, honey and pomegranate vinegar.
Mix the ingredients of the dressing gently. Keep aside.

Assembly