Israeli Couscous Salad

Israeli couscous is my new favorite grain to work with. It's pre-steamed so it takes less time to prepare than regular couscous, it's very affordable compared to other grains (around two dollars a pound), it's good warm or cold and it has a delicious creamy texture and taste. 

Here is raw Israeli couscous. It resembles tiny white pearls. 

For this salad, saute one onion (diced small) in a couple tablespoons of olive oil with some fresh minced garlic. Red, orange or yellow peppers are also nice added in. Once the onions are translucent, add the couscous and toast until lightly browned. Season with salt, pepper and dried herbs and spices like parsley, basil, thyme, smoked paprika, lawry's, ground cumin (I just add a little of this and a little of that). Add chicken stock or water in 1:2 ratio (1 cup couscous to 2 cups liquid)

I like to add garbanzo beans to my salad. So for fun, I fried them beforehand with a little olive oil, salt, pepper and graham masala. It didn't really make a difference in the final salad, but it did add a little extra flavor.

Once the liquid is added, bring couscous to a boil and then simmer covered for 15 minutes. Fluff with a spatula and then add whatever ingredients you like. Cherry tomatoes, garbanzo beans, cucumbers, feta, black beans, fresh basil, corn, etc. are all tasty additions (although not all together).

Finish off the salad with chives, toasted almonds, salt and pepper.

Serve - Smile - Enjoy