A quick post with a very simple recipe. Toasted couscous salad with cucumber and apples is kind of perfect for a hot day. You can vary the veggies and fruits in this recipe to suit your needs easily. Don't like or have green chillies, use some cayanne or black pepper or omit altogether. Whatever you do, it tastes just fine.
One Year Back - Eggless Vanilla Bundt cake
Two Years Back - Baby Shower Cake
Three Years Back - Quinoa Chickpeas Pulav
Ingredients:
Israeli couscous - 2 cups (Or 1 8 Oz bag)
Apples - 2 cored and cut into chunks (I left the skin on, but you might peel if desired)
Cucumber - 1 peeled and cut into chunks (remove seeds if they are big)
Sweetened dried cranberries - 1/2 cup (optional or use toasted walnuts)
Salt - to taste
Water - 4 cups
For the dressing:
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Green chillies - 2
Cilantro - 2 TBSP
Mint - 2 TBSP
Honey - 1 TBSP
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Method:
In a skillet, dry roast the couscous until it has few brown spots. It will take less than 4 minutes. To the same pan, add 4 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and let it cook till tender. There will be some water left but don't try to cook till all the water evaporates. Rinse the cooked couscous with cold water and drain. Let it come to room temperature.
In a bowl, mix the cooled couscous, apples, cucumber, sweetened dried cranberries. Toss. Take all the ingredients mentioned in "For the dressing:" above in a blender jar. Blend till smooth. Pour it on to the salad and toss well. Check for salt and adjust if needed. Serve with more sweetened dried cranberries if desired.
This post is written for weekend cooking post that I write with Srivalli and Vaishali,
Enjoy.
Two Years Back - Baby Shower Cake
Three Years Back - Quinoa Chickpeas Pulav
Ingredients:
Israeli couscous - 2 cups (Or 1 8 Oz bag)
Apples - 2 cored and cut into chunks (I left the skin on, but you might peel if desired)
Cucumber - 1 peeled and cut into chunks (remove seeds if they are big)
Sweetened dried cranberries - 1/2 cup (optional or use toasted walnuts)
Salt - to taste
Water - 4 cups
For the dressing:
Yogurt - 1 cup
Salt - to taste
Green chillies - 2
Cilantro - 2 TBSP
Mint - 2 TBSP
Honey - 1 TBSP
Cumin powder - 1/4 tsp
Method:
In a skillet, dry roast the couscous until it has few brown spots. It will take less than 4 minutes. To the same pan, add 4 cups of water. Add a pinch of salt and let it cook till tender. There will be some water left but don't try to cook till all the water evaporates. Rinse the cooked couscous with cold water and drain. Let it come to room temperature.
In a bowl, mix the cooled couscous, apples, cucumber, sweetened dried cranberries. Toss. Take all the ingredients mentioned in "For the dressing:" above in a blender jar. Blend till smooth. Pour it on to the salad and toss well. Check for salt and adjust if needed. Serve with more sweetened dried cranberries if desired.
Enjoy.
Looks delicious! Perfect salads.
ReplyDeletethis is wonderfully done
ReplyDeleteSuch one pot dish is very handy right. Have not tried couscous, though the salad sounds interesting.
ReplyDeleteNever had couscous salad with yogurt dressing,sounds interesting.
ReplyDeletesure this one is simple..but this is how my salads should be..my son would not eat with fancy dressings.Book marked.
ReplyDeleteThat salad looks sooo good and the yogurt dressing sounds different and yumm!! Lovely clicks.
ReplyDeleteWhy rinse the couscous?
ReplyDeleteSeema, It will remove the extra starch and make it not stick to each other. Another option is to use oil, but I wanted to keep it oil free.
Delete