Couscous is truly a must-have in my pantry at all times. I always have a box or two as backup for a quick meal or a perfect side dish. Not only is it extremely versatile but it’s an easy way to add a grain to your meal without investing a lot of time. Seriously. Grill up some veggies and toss it with some couscous and you have a delicious lunch or dinner. Toss the cooked couscous with some olive oil, lemon and a little bit of salt and pepper and you have an easy side dish that pairs well any poultry, fish or meat.
A simple recipe that I make a few times a month is this quick and easy Couscous Tabbouleh Salad. Enjoy!
Tabbouleh Salad
- 1 1/4 cups couscous
- 1/2 cup boiling water
- 1/3 cup olive oil
- 1/3 cup lemon juice (1 – 1½ lemon should be perfect)
- 1 diced tomato
- 1/2 diced green pepper
- 1/2 chopped onion
- 4 Tablespoons parsley
- 1 Tablespoon mint
- Salt and pepper, to taste
What I like to do is boil the water in a saute pan over the stove. Once boiling, I turn off the stove and add the dry couscous, olive oil, lemon juice and stir to combine. Cover and let sit for about 5 minutes. While the couscous is cooking, prepare the tomatoes, green peppers, onions and herbs. After the 5 minutes are up, fluff the couscous with a fork and add the vegetables, herbs and salt and pepper. Toss lightly and serve warm or refrigerate for about 15 minutes. Fluff salad with fork again and serve.
Makes 5 servings.
Variations: Stuff roasted bell peppers with this salad or wrap it up in a pita! Get creative and share with us your couscous recipe ideas on Twitter! – Cheers, Crystal
@ApronsStilettos
Question: What’s a staple food item in YOUR pantry?
A few weekends ago I picked a large basket of ripe plums from the backyard and OH MY…. they were delicious! In the past, we’ve made plum jam, chilled plum soup, plum butter, etc. but as I was browsing for inspiration on what to do next with the plums I came across a simple and tasty recipe from Valentina’s blog cookingontheweekends.com. I didn’t have black quinoa or mixed baby greens, as her recipe suggested, so I swapped it for pear couscous and baby spinach instead.
Aprons & Stilettos 