Chickpea & Coucous Salad

When it comes to side dishes, sometimes I get in a rut. I make the usual suspects like mashed potatoes, rice, basic salads and so on. So I’m trying to explore different options to mix it up.

Recently I cooked a vegan Greek inspired meal for a group of friends. I wanted to make a pasta salad but I also wanted to add protein to the mix because it was a plant based meal. So this chickpea and couscous salad was a nice addition. Half of the ingredient are pantry items and the fresh produce brings it to life. Especially the herbs. Fresh herbs are really what make your dish pop with color and bring in all the freshness.

The recipe below is VERY forgiving. Feel free to add more vegetables, a different kind of pasta or even use an infused olive oil.

Recipe//

Serves 6-8

Ingredients:

2 cans of chickpeas, drained and rinsed

1 ½ cup of prepared cous cous made according to package, drained and rinsed with cold water

½ red bell pepper diced

1 ½ cups of cherry tomatoes, halved

1 English cucumber, diced

½ red onion thinly sliced

1 cup of kalamata olives, pitted

1 cup of green olives, pitted

Juice from 2 lemons

fresh mint, chopped

fresh dill, chopped

fresh basil, chopped

Salt & Pepper

Dressing:

1/3 cup of red wine vinegar

1 cup olive oil

salt and pepper

1 Tablespoon dried oregano

Combine all the ingredients in shallow serving dish. For dressing whisk all ingredients, then toss with salad. Taste and add salt if needed.