15 Minute Meal! Couscous Salad

Salads... Couscous is a whole-grain native of North Africa which is a small form of pasta made of semolina. Not only is it quick and tasty, it provides essential nutrients for your overall health. It has dietary fibre, proteins, trace and essential minerals. How's that for a salad!

 It can be served as a side dish, a main meal  or even with any meats you fancy. For the working class/students this is something quick and healthy you can fix up in 15 minutes in the morning before you dash off. Just pack it in an air tight container and place in the fridge or cool place for your lunch.

 Introduce this slowly to your kids and siblings too. Don't restrict their taste buds to the usual coleslaw (a.k.a cabbage and mayonnaise) or potato salad.  Help them develop a culture of eating fresh and healthy veggies and herbs. And food from different parts of the world. Of course not neglecting our very own Zambian food. 

You may be wondering, ''where can I get whole-grain couscous?''.  Carefully check the rice section of  any leading super markets.By the way, this is just one way of preparing couscous, please look for more recipes.

 There are short clips at the end to guide you through..

Look out for my next post.
Happy cooking..

 Lets get started...

INGREDIENTS
  • couscous grains, preferably whole wheat (1 cup)
  • cucumber (1)
  • red,yellow,orange bell peppers 
  • tomato, half
  • onion, half
  • fresh coriander and parsley
  • salt and pepper
  • extra virgin olive oil/vegetable oil
  • lemon juice  

 INSTRUCTIONS
  •  boil water
  •  place 1 cup of couscous grains in a bowl
  • season with salt and pepper, mix it
  • pour boiling water into the bowl of couscous. ( water should be slightly above the couscous)
  • immediately, cover with cling wrap and set aside for about 5 minutes
  • meanwhile, chop up the bell peppers, tomato, onion and cucumber into small cubes. ( de-seed the cucumber to prevent a soggy salad)   
  • roughly chop coriander and parsley
  • check your couscous, the water should have been absorbed by couscous grains and it should be fluffy (there should be no trace of water)
  • add 1/4 teaspoon of butter, mix well
  • add all the chopped ingredients
  • check seasoning (salt and pepper)
  • add about 2 tablespoons of lemon juice, if not enough add a little more(do not add too much)
  • drizzle a little oil (about 1 1/2 tablespoons) 
  • serve chilled with any meat of your choice.












Comments

Unknown said…
Nice! Definitely need to try out the couscous
11 November 2015 at 16:47
Unknown said…
Wow! Definitely need to try out the couscous
11 November 2015 at 16:48
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