How easy is it to forget that resolution we made 3 months ago to shape up and eat healthy? It can get a little difficult to keep that New Year’s promise when there is the temptation of fast food all around us. This week, I’ve decided to provide you with one of my favourite recipes! It’s quick to make, affordable on a student budget, tastes great and on top of that…your body will appreciate it.
Couscous Salad
What you’lll need:
-1 cup of Couscous (semolina wheat)
-1 ½ cups of water
– 2 stalks of green onions
-1/2 cup of chopped tomatoes
-1/2 cup of chopped cucumbers
-1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley
– 2-3 garlic cloves-diced (however many depending on how much you love garlic, I usually use 3 because I love the taste of garlic!)
– 2 tablespoons of lemon juice
– 2 table spoons of olive oil
– ½ a can of rinsed chick peas
-salt and pepper to taste
Prep time: 20 minutes
Servings:Either makes 2 big servings if you’re eating it as a meal or 4 smaller servings if you’re eating it as a side.
Step1
In a small pot, bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil and then add the 1 cup of couscous. Immediately turn the heat down low, throw a lid on the pot, and let that simmer together for 5 minutes. When you take off the lid, you should see that the couscous has gotten all fluffy, and you can fluff it even more with a fork.
Step 2
Take the pot off the heat (you can put the couscous in a container or a mixing bowl if you’d like) and turn to your attention to your veggies now. Chop up your green onions, tomatoes, cucumbers, and parsley and dice up your garlic. Add this all to the couscous. Open your can of chick peas, drain it and add half of that can to the couscous as well. Now mix, mix, mix!
Step 3!
Take your 2 table spoons of olive oil and 2 table spoons of lemon juice and add that to your couscous and veggies; mix well with a spoon. Now you can add some salt and pepper to taste (I usually don’t like adding too much salt…too much sodium=not good for you).
I love this Mediterranean recipe! It tastes amazing and is bursting with flavour. I’ve made it twice this week already. Also, every Friday at my work, everyone brings in a healthy dish for lunch to share, we call it “Frugal Fridays”. Anyhow, last Friday I brought this in and it had a great reception; the container was empty by the end of the day. Feel free to play around with the vegetables a bit as well; sometimes I like to replace the chick peas with kidney beans. You can throw in any other veggies that you like; the more the better!
*Nutritional factors
Couscous falls under the grain product category and is very high in protein and fiber. The tomatoesprovide you with a good source of Vitamins A and Vitamin C and the lemon also provides a source of Vitamin C. Parsley is an excellent source of Vitamins A, C, and K, and a good source of Folic Acid and Iron. The chickpeas also provide a large source of Protein, Fiber, Iron, and Folic Acid.
Bon appetite!