8 servings of couscous, prepared and set aside to cool. (I used 2 2/3 cup of dry couscous 3 1/2 cups of water and a big glub of oil and a nice big pinch of salt)
7 small gourmet cucumbers, washed and chopped (if you can’t find the gourmet, hot house, or English, use regular, but take the skin off)
3 Peppers (I used red, yellow, and orange)
half a large red onion chopped
black olives chopped*
Make the dressing:
2 cloves of garlic, smashed and chopped
1/2 c. olive oil
Juice of two lemons
2 tablespoons white balsamic vinegar (any white vinegar would do even red wine vinegar would be good)
big squeeze of dijon mustard
lots of dried dill
salt and pepper
Whisk all ingredients in mixing bowl until emulsified.
Add the room temperature couscous to the vegetables. You want to make sure that the couscous isn’t at all hot, you don’t want it to wilt the cucumbers.
Pour the dressing over the whole salad and toss very well to combine the dressing with the salad. You could eat this room temperature, or chill it – we did both and it was remarkably delicious.
This made 8 big bowls of salad, if it’s a side dish it could easily serve 10.
*My lovely friend Esperanza turned me on to Lindsay’s Naturals, easily the best canned olives I have ever eaten. The ingredients list is perfect: Ripe olives, water and sea salt. That’s it, nothing else. They don’t have that tinny taste that so many olives have. They were perfect in this salad. Well, the ones that didn’t get eaten as I was chopping them, that is.
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This is the best thing I have ever eaten. Thank you for making it and for not minding when I filled my bowl again and again. I can’t wait to make my own.
@Melissa, Anytime! :wine:
So, I got so excited thinking about your couscous, that I ran up to the store and I made THE MOST PERFECT COUSCOUS EVAAAAAAAAAHHHH!!!!!!!
Thank you!!! :cocktail:
@Melissa, Yay! So bring me some. :silly:
This looks so good. I bet you could even use chick peas instead of the couscous (or both). I wouldn’t think of emulsifying all the ingredient either so that is a new idea I need to remember my own recipes.
Love chickpeas! It would be delicious!
My eyes glitched when I read the title for this, and I thought it said “Conscious Salad.” Which is actually a great name for it. So healthy! Sounds delish. Now I know what to do with the peppers I got at the farmer’s market the other day. Thanks!
.-= Leslie @ crunchybetty.com´s last blog ..Unstink Your Life With No-Brainer- No-Spray DIY Air Fresheners =-.
@Leslie @ crunchybetty.com, That’s a great idea! I think I’m going to rename it.