Have You Tried?: Couscous

Have you ever tried Couscous? I love it! Plus it is seriously ready in like 6 minutes. You can't beat that. Some grocery stores only have it in the boxes with the flavoring packets. If that's all - fine, you don't have to use the flabvring packet. My favorite place to buy it is at Sunflower Market in the bulk section - tons cheaper than the grocery store closer to my house. Oh, and a sweet, healthy bonus - I just found it in whole grain!
It is delicious alone or put in a salad. You can use it as a replacement for rice for lots of dishes, like curry. My husband loves rice (like, way too much) but after I introduced couscous, he likes it just as much.

To make couscous:

Boil 3 parts stock and/or water (I recommend stock). Add 2 parts couscous and a little drizzle of olive oil. Cover pot, turn off heat and let it sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. 

Here is what I did most recently with my couscous - a summery salad. It makes me feel better about the snow outside.

Couscous Salad

4 c prepared couscous
2 tomatoes, diced
1 English cucumber, diced
1 c feta
1/2 c fresh parsley, chopped finely
Red Wine Vinaigrette, recipe follows
a squeeze of lemon, optional

Combine couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, feta, and parsley. Add as much dressing as you like (I like mine on the dryer side). If you want, squeeze some fresh lemon juice. Toss.

This recipe is for my dressing, don't use the whole thing for the salad. You will be sad. Save some for something else.

Red Wine Vinaigrette

1/2 c red wine vinegar
1 c extra virgin olive oil
1/2 garlic glove, minced
Salt & Pepper
1 1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

Combine all ingredients in a bowl with lid or cruet. Shake. Taste, adjust seasoning if needed