Excerpt from an actual conversation between my husband and I while driving:
Me: Hey, wanna try something really good?
Him: (suspiciously) What is it?
Me: A tomato!
Him: Cayla, I’m driving on the highway. I do not want to eat a tomato and have it squirt all over me right now.
Me: But these ones are really tiny. And so sweet. Just try one. (I then stuff one in his mouth)
Him: Hey! Those are pretty good! Do you have any more?
Do I! Tomato season is officially off and running and if you haven’t ever eaten a tomato straight off the vine (and by that I do not mean the ones you find in the grocery store) then you haven’t really tasted a tomato.
I take advantage of this summertime taste sensation by doing as little to the tomatoes as possible when using them in a recipe, such as this awesome little dish. It is delicious even if you use store-bought tomatoes, but SO MUCH MORE delicious if you can get your hands on some freshly picked little sweeties.
Tomato, Cucumber, and Couscous Salad:
Ingredients:
1 cup grape/cherry tomatoes cut in half. (PS: don’t toss the seeds & the liquid; they have TONS of vitamin C)
1 cup cucumber, cut into bite-sized pieces
1 cup feta cheese, broken into small bits
2/3 cup couscous (you can also use orzo, quinoa, or any other tiny grain in this recipe)
1 cup water
1 cup chopped arugula
¼ cup chopped fresh basil
¼ cup olive oil
2 tbsp lemon juice
s & p to taste
Directions:
1. Bring water to a boil in a small sauce pan. Add the couscous, turn off the heat, cover, and let sit for 5 minutes before fluffing with a fork.
2. While the couscous is cooking, chop all the veggies and herbs and place in a large bowl. Cover and put in the fridge.
3. Let the couscous cool to almost room temperature (I sometimes put it in the fridge to help it along). Keep mixing it up to release the heat.
4. Add the cooled couscous to the veggies along with the cheese, olive oil, and lemon juice. Mix well. Let rest for a couple minutes and then taste. The cheese is pretty salty so you want to let the flavours come together a bit before adding salt and pepper.
5. Cover and keep in the fridge until it is ready to serve.
Sara, I too eat a lot of quinoa. That’s why I made this one with couscous. You know, mix it up a bit. You could also go crazy and make it with orzo or (dare I say it) wheatberries!
Love this salad… I do the same sort of thing but trade the couscous with quinoa. Good god I eat a lot of quinoa….
I have been making couscous salads with grape tomatoes and I love that it is so quick to make. Add some tinned garbanzo beans for some extra protein.