Couscous Salad

This couscous salad is so easy to prepare.

You can use just about any vegetables you like and have available.

Couscous is a staple in Mediterranean food, especially in Moroccan recipes.

The Mediterranean diet has become quite well known over the last several years and for one simple reason - it's both healthy and delicious.

Using lemon in as a flavoring element is very common in the Mediterranean diet and that is what I have used in this recipe.

This is one of the versions of this delightful salad that I recently made. It is fabulous.

I really think you will love this one.

Vegetable Couscous Salad

Prep time: 20 minutes
Cook time: 5 minutes

Ingredients:
1 cup dry whole wheat couscous
2 cups water or broth (vegetable or chicken)
4 green onions, finely chopped
1/4 red onion, very finely sliced into moons
1/4 sweet red pepper, finely chopped
1/4 yellow pepper, finely chopped
1/4 orange pepper, finely chopped
1/4 cucumber, chopped
2 stalks celery, finely chopped
1 carrot, peeled and grated
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled
10 to 14 ounces canned chickpeas
fresh parsley, chopped
juice of 1 lemon
1/4 cup grape seed oil or olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Put the couscous into a large heat proof bowl. Boil the liquid, either water or broth, then pour the broth over the couscous. Cover the bowl and let sit for 5 minutes, allowing the couscous to absorb the liquid.

Meanwhile, chop all of the vegetables. Add them to the couscous once it has absorbed the hot liquid. Add the feta cheese and chick peas. Mix all together well. Add the lemon juice and oil, plus seasonings to taste.

Great eaten chilled or at room tempertature.

Makes 8 to 10 side dish servings.

Variations:

You can vary the vegetables you use to suit your taste and what you have on hand. Other vegetables that would taste good in this recipe include chopped zucchini, jalepeno pepper (if you like it hot), multicolored cherry and grape tomatoes, green peppers.
You may also want to add a bit of sweet to this couscous salad recipe. Try adding chopped dried apricots, currants, golden raisins or cranberries.

Nutrition Analysis Per Serving:

Calories 252
Calories from Fat 82
Total Fat 9.1g
Saturated Fat 1.8g
Cholesterol 4mg
Sodium 226mg
Total Carbohydrates 34.6g
Dietary Fiber 7.4g

Sugars 4.7g
Protein 10.6g
Vitamin A 28%
Vitamin C 36%
Calcium 8%
Iron 15%

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Did You Know?...

You can serve couscous with so many things. It doesn't have to be a Mediterranean style meal, although it certainly works very well with those flavors.

This salad recipe works all year round. I serve it with plain meats, like baked chicken. It is also fantastic as part of a vegetarian meal, with other vegetable dishes and salads.

I use whole wheat couscous because it seems that little bit healthier with the added fiber from the whole grain.

This is such a quick and easy dinner recipe. Just put the water (or broth) on to boil for the couscous and start chopping vegetables. When the water is boiled, add it to the couscous and let it sit. By the time you are done with the chopping, the couscous is ready for you to add all of the other healthy ingredients.

I prefer using some kind of broth to cook the couscous in, rather than plain water. To me it just adds that extra element of flavor that really brings the dish together well.

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