Couscous Salad

Keywords: prevent cardiovascular disease, vegetarian, peanut-free, quick, healthy, Mediterranean

Serves: 4

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 15 minutes

Equipment: pot, measuring cup, cutting board, chopping knife, fork, lemon juicer, large mixing bowl, salad fork or spoon

Ingredients:

• 1 cup water
• 1 cup dry couscous  
• 4 mini cucumbers, diced 
• 2 medium bell peppers, diced
• ½ cup pistachios, finely chopped 
• ¼ cup fresh mint leaves, chopped
• 1 cup of canned chickpeas
• 1 lemon, juiced 
• ¼ cup extra virgin olive oil  
• Sea salt, to taste 
• Ground black pepper, to taste
• ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese

Directions:

1. Add the water to a pot with a lid and let it boil.
2. Once the water has boiled, turn off the heat, add couscous, and close with the lid. Allow it to sit for at least 5 minutes. Before serving, fluff the couscous with a fork.
3. Dice the cucumbers and bell peppers. Set these ingredients aside.
4. Finely chop the mint leaves and pistachios and set aside.
5. Add the cooked couscous to the bowl and top with the diced cucumbers, bell peppers, pistachios and mint.
6. Add the chickpeas to the salad.
7. Mix the lemon juice and extra virgin olive oil onto the salad.
8. Add sea salt and ground black pepper to taste.
9. Top with crumbled feta cheese.

Variations:

• Omit the feta cheese or use a feta cheese vegan alternative to make the salad vegan. 
• Use quinoa instead of couscous to make this gluten-free.
• Use leftovers as lunch or a side salad for a protein-filled dish.

Notes:

• Keeps for 2 days refrigerated.
• Store the salad in a sealed container and the lemon juice and olive oil dressing in a separate sealed container.

Nutrition Notes:

• This couscous salad provides a delicious way to get more fiber, vitamins A, C, E, and K, and several minerals from different veggies and pistachios. Using whole wheat couscous is a great way to add extra fiber into this meal. Chickpeas serve as a healthy plant-based protein in this salad.

Savings Tip:

• Buy pistachios in bulk to get more for a lower cost. To save money on mint, you can plant your own mint in your yard or in a pot. Mint grows quickly, so you will always have a large supply on hand!

Nutrition Facts:

Total Servings: 4
Serving Size: 1/4 of the salad

Amount Per Serving	% Daily Value
Calories: 470 calories	24%
Total Fat: 24 g	36%
Saturated Fat: 4 g	19%
Cholesterol: 5 mg	2%
Sodium: 306 mg	13%
Total Carbohydrates: 54 g	18%
Dietary Fiber: 9 g	36%
Added Sugar: 0 g	0%
Protein: 15 g	29%
Vitamin D: 0 IU	0%
Calcium: 95 mg	10%
Iron: 3 mg	18%
Potassium: 433 mg	13%