Couscous Salad

Coucous. What a wonderful thing. It’s as versatile as rice, except that it takes less than 5 minutes to make. And the best part…. You can make it in the microwave directly in your serving dish. No mess and no cleanup!

My husband loves couscous tossed with a little salt and butter or olive oil. He could eat a whole bowl sitting on the couch. However, the wife part of me thinks it’s important to take his yummy couscous and turn it into a dish that is a little more balanced, if you know what I mean. So, I made him a couscous salad. It is more filling than a regular salad because of the couscous, while still containing loads of veggies. And there is a great mix of flavors and textures… the freshness of the lemon juice and mint, the creamy, salty feta cheese, and the pop of each olive. And, it takes the same amount of time as to make any other salad! What a bargain!



Couscous Salad
Serves 2 as a Main Course or 4 as a Side Dish

1 cup Couscous
1 ½ cups Water
2 tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 cup Tomato, diced
¾ cup Cucumber, sliced
½ cup Green Onion, sliced
¼ cup Fresh Mint, chopped
Juice of 1 Whole Lemon
1/4 cup Feta Cheese
1/3 cup Black Olives

Place the couscous, water, and large pinch of salt in a microwave proof bowl and cook on high for 3 minutes. Remove from microwave and gently fluff with a fork. Drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Let cool for a few minutes while preparing the other ingredients.

In a large bowl, mix tomatoes, cucumber, green onion and mint. Add the couscous. Drizzle with lemon juice. Crumble in the feta cheese and add the olives. Mix gently. Serve as a side dish for grilled chicken or meats (or eat it as is!).