I was finally able to get down to posting a few recipes.
This recipe is so adaptable and is perfect for a well-rounded lunch, or dinner side dish. It contains vegetables, grains and protein. It is adaptable because you can pretty much throw any combination of vegetables or beans into it.
My vegetable combination for this recipe is heirloom carrots, bought fresh from the Jean-Talon farmer's market in Montreal, radishes, red onions and red peppers. I used chickpeas for my recipe, but white or red kidney beans would be equally delicious. The only thing is that chickpeas can handle being tossed around in the salad, whereas I find that kidney beans are more prone to becoming mush.
I used Israeli couscous for my recipe because I love how big the granules are. Technically, Israeli couscous is a pasta, not a grain like regular pasta, but it is great for soaking up sauces, like the dressing to this salad.
This salad is best served at least room temperature, if not cold. The best way to do this in a hurry is to stick the couscous in the freezer and then do all your prep work for the vegetables, giving it time to cool off.
Here is my recipe for Couscous Salad.
Ingredients:
1/2 cup Israeli couscous
2/3 cup boiling water
1/2 cup chickpeas
1 medium red onion, diced and seperated into two halves
1 red bell pepper, diced
3 small heirloom carrots(regular ones are fine too), thinly sliced
5 radishes, thinly sliced
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 tsp extra virgin olive oil
dash red chili flakes
Dressing Ingredients
2 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
1 tbsp balsamic vinegar
1 tsp pure maple sirop, nothing with an Aunt on it!
1 tsp Dijon mustard
dash freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
In a small pot, heat olive oil at medium-high and add half of the red onion and the chili flakes. Saute for a couple of minutes and then add the couscous. Coat the couscous with the olive oil and let toast until a medium brown. Add garlic, continually combining. Add boiling water, lower to low heat, and cover. Let cook for 10 minutes.
Once cooked put the couscous into the final large bowl and put into the freezer for a quick chill, or into the fridge.
Combine all of the diced vegetables, including the other half of the onion, into the bowl wih the couscous. Drain and rinse chickpeas and add them to the bowl.
Combine all the dressing ingredients and whisk until combined. Pour dressing over the salad and mix thoroughly.
This salad tastes better if it sits and the dressing is allowed to absorb into the couscous, so I suggest making it at least an hour ahead of time and letting it chill in the refridgerator.
