My Creative Couscous Salad

There are various combinations and permutations for making a salad – I can literally pair couscous with almost anything to make a salad out of it. This is a super easy, light, fresh and vibrant salad. The best thing about it is that this salad is very low on carbs. Sometimes when I need it to behave like a comfort food, I just toss some grilled chicken to it.

You can add any other vegetables or salad leaves that you like. Use a little preservative juice from the jar of gherkin and jalapenos – they add an extra kick to the taste.  Also, I suggest using fresh peas because the stock that is used to cook the peas, deliver a very mellow sweetness to the juicy peas – I feel it gives a subtle liveliness to the peas.

You can always substitute couscous with cooked quinoa. Please do keep a check on the level of spiciness to the dish – I like my food extra hot, so I added chopped chilies, you can always forego the step.

1 cup chopped Tomatoes

1 cup fresh green peas

½ cup chopped onions

3-4 tbsp Jalapenos

3 tbsp chopped gherkins

10-12 chopped preserved olives

½ cup couscous

1 cup vegetable stock/ chicken stock

½ tsp garlic powder

1 tsp chopped green chilies

Salt and sugar

Juice of 1 lime

Heat the vegetable/ chicken stock to a rolling boil. To the couscous, add garlic powder, salt and sugar, a little juice from the bottle of preserved jalapenos and gherkins. Drizzle the stock until it barely covers the small grains of pasta. Cover it with foil or cling film, without letting the steam escape. Leave it for about 10 minutes, it will be completely cooked.

In a separate pot, cook the peas in the stock. Once cooked, strain and keep aside.

In a mixing bowl, add all the ingredients – including the cooked and fluffed couscous (use a fork to fluff the couscous). Generously, add a squeeze of lime for the zingy flavor.  This salad should be amazingly fresh and has the sweet and sour taste to it. It’s very addictive, once you start eating you won’t be able to stop; you’ll keep going back for another spoonful.

A deliciously healthy choice for dinner/lunch.. Enjoy :)