Herbed Couscous Salad

Couscous is a great "fast-food". Boil water, add the couscous, wait 5 minutes and it's done. The following salad can be created in very little time and is tasty and healthy. Couscous is a grain that has little flavor on its own (somewhat like rice) so can be used in both salty and sweet dishes. 

• 1 cup water

• 1 cup instant couscous 

• 1 teaspoon salt

• 1 large red bell pepper, seeded and finely diced 

• 2 serrano chili peppers, or to taste, seeded and minced 

• 1 large ripe tomato, seeded and chopped 

• 2 large carrots, coarsely shredded 

• 6 scallions, including green top2s, minced 

• 2 cloves garlic, mashed 

• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh basil 

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro 

• 1/3 cup chopped fresh mint 

• 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar 

• 1/3 cup virgin olive oil 

• Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste 

• 3 ounces fresh goat cheese, crumbled

Method

1. In a 2-quart saucepan, bring the water to a boil. 

2. Add the couscous and salt and stir well. 

3. Remove from the heat, cover, and let stand until the liquid is absorbed, about 5 minutes. 

4. Using a fork, fluff up the couscous until there are no lumps. Transfer to a large bowl. 

5. Add the bell pepper, chilies, tomato, carrots, scallions, garlic, basil, cilantro, mint, vinegar, and oil to the warm couscous and mix well with a fork to separate the grains. 

6. Add the salt and fresh pepper, cover, and chill for 10 minutes. 

7. Sprinkle with the cheese just before serving.

This recipe was excerptedfrom The Everything Pasta Cookbook, edited by Jane Resnick. The book includes over 300 delicious recipes. This recipe is reprinted with permission from the publisher: Adams Media Corp. www.adamsonline.com

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