Mediterranean Couscous Salad

Mediterranean food is so delicious! Probably because there is so much olive oil involved. I love olives and try to add them to recipes when possible. Olive oil is a healthier oil to use in cooking, but it is not actually healthy. It is only fat and has no nutritional value. I used to use a lot of olive oil on my salads and in recipes until I realized how high in calories it is. It should only be used for taste when necessary in a recipe. I actually didn't add any olive oil to this recipe and it still tasted great. The kalamata olives bring that olive taste with much less fat.

 

I used brown rice couscous in this recipe because it happened to be on sale. I would suggest buying either that or whole wheat couscous. This recipe would also work great with quinoa! Also, you may think of  parsley as just another garnish or spice, but it is actually really healthy. Read about it at WHFoods. I would suggest using it more in salads like these because it adds taste and the healthful benefits of leafy greens.



 

Ingredients (makes 4 servings)

2 cups cooked couscous
1 can chickpeas
1 quart cherry tomatoes
1 bunch green onion
1 red bell pepper
1 green bell pepper
3/4 cup kalamata olives
1/2 bunch parsley
Juice of 1 lemon
Dash of red pepper flakes (optional)
Salt and pepper to taste

Cook couscous or quinoa according to package directions (2 cups cooked is about 1 cup dry). Meanwhile chop up all of your vegetables. Cut the cherry tomatoes in half. Also chop up the olives if you bought them whole. Chop the parsley into very small pieces. Add all of the ingredients into a large bowl and mix well with the lemon juice.

I made this salad on Sunday and ate it for lunch most of the week. It was just as good on Friday! Just package in glass containers and refrigerate.