Thursday, May 24, 2018

The Perfect Side Dish for Your Holiday Weekend

Need something to bring to the family cookout this Memorial Day weekend? Impress your relatives with this version of tabbouleh for a light and refreshing side dish! Tabbouleh is a classic Middle Eastern salad that is usually made with uncooked bulgur. However, this recipe uses whole grain couscous instead. 
Ingredients

2 cups cooked whole-wheat pearl couscous, chilled*
1 cup cherry tomatoes, quartered
1 medium unwaxed cucumber, seeded, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
2/3 cup chopped fresh flat-leafed parsley
2/3 cup chopped fresh mint
1/2 medium red bell pepper, seeded and diced
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
2 medium green onions, chopped
3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice**
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon grated lemon peel**
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, or to taste
1/8 teaspoon freshly-ground black pepper, or to taste
Directions
1.   Put couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, parsley, mint, bell pepper, feta cheese and green onions in a large bowl.
2.   In a separate bowl, whisk lemon juice, olive oil, lemon peel and garlic. Season with salt and pepper. Pour over couscous mixture; toss gently to coat.

Cooking Notes
·       *To cook pearl couscous, simmer 1 cup whole-wheat pearl couscous in 1 1/4 cups water, covered, for 10 minutes. Pearl couscous, also called Israeli couscous or ptitim, has a chewy, nutty flavor, somewhat similar to barley. Compared with traditional couscous, the granules are somewhat larger, firmer in texture and less likely to clump together. If pearl couscous is not available, use traditional couscous.
·       **Variation: Substitute orange juice and orange peel for lemon juice and lemon peel.


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