Summer. Is. Here!!! I’m so excited for warm weather and sun! I type this after working 30 hours of overtime in 4 days (thanks, Memorial Day Festivities)! Today, I bring you an interesting twist on a salad. Israeli Couscous Salad! I never would have thought to use couscous in a salad. It was delicious! I do love couscous.
What, exactly, is Israeli couscous?? Good question!! It’s bigger than regular couscous (which is usually about the size of quinoa) and has a rounder shape. It’s also called pearled couscous. It is also known as ptitim or gourmet couscous. Couscous is a type of pasta that is made from a type of wheat called semolina. Regular couscous mixes semolina with water and eggs into sheets then rubbed between the hands to create teeny tiny pieces. It is then dried and later cooked. Israeli couscous is toasted rather than dried after the itty bitty (but bigger than teeny tiny) bits are formed. This gives Israeli couscous a nuttier flavor. Now that you know all that, you could technically probably use regular couscous in this recipe if you don’t have Israeli. I ordered some Israeli couscous online.
We are also going to need quite a few other things for this recipe; Garlic, scallions, peppers, parsley, vegetable broth, paprika, cumin, curry, cucumber, lime, onion, kale (and spinach if you choose), tomatoes, and pine nuts.
As always, we will mix our veggies up in a bowl. I went with baby kale and baby spinach, chopped up a variety of colors of sweet peppers, and opted for little tomatoes. In this mixture you can add the scallions, parsley, cucumbers, and any other vegetables you like in your salad. Douse this with juice from the lime. Set the bowl aside.
Next, we will cook the couscous in the vegetable broth, adding the onion, garlic, and seasonings and spices. This smells incredible and was super tasty. Once all of the liquid is absorbed, set this aside to cool.Â
Lastly, toast the pine nuts. Note: pine nuts do not take long to brown in the toaster oven. Leaned from experience. I burnt my first round of pine nuts.
Add the couscous mix to the salad mix, top with pine nuts, and enjoy this international dish!
