Hot Summer? Try a Cous Cous Salad

      This time of year the heat really begins to rise and sometimes even raise it's ugly head earlier than expected.  For us that either means grilling outside or something fresher, such as salads.  In my on again off again venture to lose weight I have always been able to prepare and enjoy the healthier menu items.  For the unfamiliar Cous Cous is a North African type of Semolina made from crushed Durum Wheat.  It turns out to be quite delicious when prepared correctly.  

     We tried it several times last summer at mom's house and found it to be quite bland until I began to prepare it using chicken broth instead of water.  Then I discovered some in the stores that are already flavored.  This is a recipe that uses flavored Cous Cous with the addition of some ingredients we favor and resulted in a very tasty dish that can be enjoyed as a meal in itself.  The choice of a meat topping is your own:  grilled chicken, beef, pork, or lamb.  Plan on about 1/4 pound per serving. On this meal I added a pound of ground Wild Boar sautéed.   

1 cup chicken broth or water
3/4 cup cous cous uncooked
1/2 cup dried cherries
1/2 cup coarsely chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped, unpeeled cucumber
1/4 cup sliced green onions
1/4 cup toasted pine nuts or slivered almonds
3 Tblspn Balsamic Vinegar
1 Tblspn Extra Virgin Olive Oil
1 Tblspn Dijon Mustard
Salt and pepper to taste

NOTE:  TO TOAST PINE NUTS OR ALMONDS SPREAD ON AN UNGREASED PAN.  BAKE IN PREHEATED OVEN 350 5-7 MINUTES, STIRRING OCASSIONALLY UNTIL BROWN.

Bring water to boil in a medium saucepan, stir in cous cous.  Remove from heat, let stand covered 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork, uncover and let cool.  Combine cooked cous cous, cherries, almonds, green onions, carrots, cucumber in a large bowl, mix well.
Combine vinegar, olive oil, and mustard in a small container and mix well. Pour over cous cous mixture, stirring well to combine all ingredients.  Season with salt n pepper.  Place on individual plates and top with meat of choice. Serve cooled or warm.

"Don't be afraid to adapt new ingredients into your own techniques and traditional ingredients into new recipes" 

Jose Garces

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(much like my diet it's on again off again)