COUSCOUS SALAD

Couscous has been eaten in parts of the Middle East and Europe for centuries.  Couscous are granules made from coarsely ground duram wheat.  Certain cultures may use other grains than wheat.   There are three kinds of couscous that you can buy at the stores where I shop - regular, whole wheat and Israeli.  I usually buy the regular or whole wheat couscous and find that it is a quick side dish to make.  You can have a side dish ready in less than 15 minutes.  It has a quick cooking time as the product sold in North America has already been pre-steamed and dried.  The traditional couscous requires lots of cooking time and is usually steamed.   Israeli couscous are larger granules and it reminds me of tapioca.  I don't make it too often as I find it has a different texture than the regular and whole wheat couscous.

I do like to dress up couscous as it is quite plain and just like plain spaghetti, it can taste boring on its own.  I made the following recipe and enjoyed the combination of flavours, particularly the cinnamon.

COUSCOUS SALAD

INGREDIENTS:

1 cup chicken or vegetable stock

½ tbsp olive oil

1 cup couscous

1 stalk of celery

1/3 cup raisins

½ small shallot, diced

¼ cup pine nuts, lightly toasted

2 tbsp lemon juice

dash of cinnamon

1 tbsp olive oil

DIRECTIONS:

In a medium saucepan, bring to a boil the chicken stock and ½ tbsp olive oil.  Add the couscous to the boiling water.  Cover and remove from heat.  Let stand covered for about 4 minutes.

Fluff the couscous and transfer to a serving bowl.  Add the remaining ingredients and combine well.  Serves about 3.

Adapted from The Eat-Clean Diet Cookbook by Tosca Reno