Greek Style Couscous Salad
If you’re tired of the same old potato and macaroni salad, try this at your next picnic or pot luck. Plump Israeli couscous gets tossed with dressing, chickpeas, black olives, cucumber, and feta cheese to create a unique twist on the classic Greek salad.
Makes
Serving size
Ingredients
Dressing:
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons Dijon style mustard
2 teaspoons honey
2 teaspoons garlic, minced or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon dried oregano
½ teaspoon dried parsley or 2 tablespoons fresh Italian parsley, chopped
⅛ teaspoon black pepper
¼ cup extra virgin olive oil
Salad:
1½ cups water
1 cup Israeli or pearl couscous
1 teaspoon olive oil
¾ cup canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
½ cup seedless cucumber, chopped
⅓ cup black olives, sliced
¼ cup red onion, drained and rinsed after soaking in ice water for 10 minutes, finely diced
¼ cup Italian parsley, chopped
3 ounces fat free feta cheese, crumbled
Instructions
To prepare dressing:
- Whisk together vinegar, lemon juice, mustard, honey, garlic, oregano, parsley, salt, and pepper.
- Slowly drizzle in the olive oil while you continue to whisk. Cover and place in refrigerator until ready to use. This makes ¾ cup dressing.
To prepare salad:
- In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring water to a boil. Add couscous and lower heat to medium.
- Cook, covered, until water is absorbed, about 10 minutes. Remove from heat and let stand, covered, for 2-3 minutes.
- To prevent couscous from lumping together, gently toss with olive oil.
- When the couscous has cooled slightly, add chickpeas, cucumber, olives, onion, and parsley. Stir gently to combine.
- Just before serving, add the dressing to taste. Add the cheese and toss gently to combine. You may not need all the dressing. If you have leftovers, you can add additional dressing the following day as desired.
Cooking Tip
Onions are soaked in cold water to reduce the strong flavor. The cold water keeps the onion super crunchy, while the sulfur compounds that give onion its pungent, harsh flavor will fade in the water.
Recipe contributed by Akebia
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