Somehow when I tell myself to eat more grains I still end up eating a carbohydrate that looks like a grain. That's basically what couscous is, tiny little round pasta that looks way healthier than it is. But it's just so yummy and the texture is lovely that I get stuck there. Plus you can put anything inside of a couscous salad (warm or cold) and it works! That's a bonus.
Lemon-Infused Couscous Salad
3 g mint leaves-finely chopped
10 g parsley-finely chopped (stems too)
7 g chives-finely chopped
1 lemon zested (about 4 g or 1 T)
10 g cilantro-finely chopped
1 T extra virgin olive oil for couscous
1/4 t salt
fresh cracked pepper
315 g zucchini ribbons
150 g couscous
220 g boiling water
1/2 of a lemon juiced
115 g tomato wedges
50 g sliced black olives
2-3 T extra virgin olive oil for dressing the salad
3-4 T cooking olive oil for zucchini
In a medium-sized bowl place 1 T olive oil, the lemon zest & the salt. Set aside.
Carefully cut the zucchini in long ribbons about a half of an inch or 1 cm thick. Then in a hot pan, with 2 T cooking olive oil, sear the ribbons on both sides until thy are golden brown and just abut cooked through. If you wait too long, they turn to mush, so try to keep them from cooking all the way through in the pan, after cooking they will stay warm and cook through on the plate when "cooling." It should take 1 or 2 minutes per side depending on the thickness.
Prep all of the herbs, slice the tomatoes & olives. Then cube the cooled down zucchini ribbons. Juice half of the lemon.
In the bowl with the lemon zest, add the couscous and the boiling water. Stir once, then cover with a plate and let sit for about 5 minutes. Then fluff with a for to break apart, not a spoon. Add the rest of the ingredients to the couscous and mix gently. Add fresh pepper as needed.
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