One of the keys to a really good couscous salad is to pay attention to the ratio of couscous to other ingredients. I believe that a really good Mediterranean Diet couscous recipe has as many delicious vegetables, herbs, and spices as the couscous. This Couscous Salad recipe is one of my favorites, with gorgeous flavors like parsley, lemon, and cumin. Cucumber, carrots, red pepper, and red onion make for a wonderfully crunchy texture. This recipe is especially fantastic in the height of the growing season when you can get vegetables from your local farm stand or your own garden.
Traditionally, couscous is a Mediterranean dish from Northern Africa that is made using semolina flour. It is a staple food in countries such as Morocco and Tunisia but is also quite common in France. You can find couscous pre-cooked and dried in most grocery stores, which makes it great to have in a pinch when you don’t know what to make for lunch or dinner. This couscous salad serves a lot of people! If you are having a get together with friends and family, this simple and healthy dish only takes 25 minutes to make and serves up to 10 people.
This couscous salad packs in a lot of servings of fruits and vegetables. In the Mediterranean, the average person eats 9-12 servings of vegetables each day. Guess how many the average American eats? Only 2. This is one reason why people in the Mediterranean have lower rates of heart disease, obesity, and type 2 diabetes. A good rule for defining a serving of fruits and vegetables is that a 1/2 cup of most fresh fruits and vegetables is a serving. However, a serving of green leafy vegetables is 1 cup and a serving of dried fruit is 1/4 cup.
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Couscous Salad with Red Peppers and Chickpeas
Ingredients
- 1 cup couscous, raw
- 1 cucumber, peeled, cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 red pepper, cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
- 3 carrots, peeled and cut into small bite-sized pieces
- 1/4 cup red onion, sliced into small bite-sized pieces
- 1 can chick peas, rinsed and drained 29 ounces
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley, chopped
- 9 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
- 1 lemon juice
- 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
- 1 tsp cumin
- 1/2 tsp salt, then to taste.
- 1/2 tsp freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Prepare couscous according to directions. Once cooked, fluff with a fork, add tablespoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Stir in well. Refrigerate to cool off.
- Prepare vegetables. Once couscous is cool, add all ingredients and refrigerate until time to serve.
Nutrition
About the Author: Bill Bradley, R.D.
