Couscous Salad With Beans & Fresh Orange Juice Vinaigrette

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Author Lean on Protein, Eat the Rainbow

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Couscous Salad with Beans & Fresh Orange Juice Vinaigrette

This is a great salad with interesting textures and delicious combination of flavors in every bite.

Ingredients

Fresh Orange Juice Vinaigrette

• 1 orange
• 1 clove minced garlic
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 tablespoons vinegar
• 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Salad

• 1 cup whole wheat couscous
• 2 sprigs fresh mint, minced
• ½ cup parsley, minced
• ½ cup red bell pepper, diced
• 1 cup cucumber, diced
• 3 green onions, sliced
• ⅓ cup black olives, chopped
• 1 can (15.5 ounces) cannellini or garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
• ½ cup crumbled Feta cheese

Instructions

Vinaigrette

1. Juice ½ orange into a small bowl. You should have around ¼ cup, and you can add more later if you want.
2. Whisk together all the vinaigrette ingredients (orange juice, minced garlic, olive oil, vinegar and Dijon mustard). Set aside.

Salad

1. Cook the couscous. Follow the directions on the couscous package or use ratio of 1 cup water to 1 cup couscous. Boil water in a saucepan, then remove pot water off the burner and turn off the stove. Add couscous to the pot of water, cover the pot, and let it sit for 5-7 minutes. Do not peek!
2. Prep the vegetables. Remove stems, bunch and mince the mint and parsley together. Dice bell peppers and cucumbers and slice the scallions. Chop olives. Crumble Feta cheese. Mince the garlic for the vinaigrette.
3. Rinse & drain the beans.
4. Stir the couscous gently with a fork until it is cooled off, light and fluffy.
5. Mix all the other salad ingredients except for the cheese (mint, parsley, bell pepper, cucumber, green onions, olives, and beans) into the couscous in a large bowl.
6. Add the vinaigrette to the couscous mixture and gently mix.
7. Sprinkle the Feta cheese on top and serve.

Notes

Variations to Try

• Try substituting the feta with a different type of cheese.

Something to Chew On

• Why are beans a good nutritional choice?
• Is couscous a grain or a pasta?
• What does “vinaigrette” mean?

Nutritional information is approximate guide only, calculated using an online nutrition calculator. The facts are based on one pancake using one tbsp of mixture. Yields about 12 -15 pancakes.

lean on protein, eat the rainbow