Recipe: Cherry Tomato Couscous

Until recently I had never made couscous. I'm not sure why, but I've always been intimidated by it, which seems incredibly ridiculous now that I've made it. It really is so simple. I'll probably use it in place of rice or pasta for a lot of dishes in the future.

For my first couscous cooking experience, I found a recipe on 101 Cookbooks for Cherry Tomato Couscous. I thought it sounded unique, not too difficult, and I had all the ingredients on hand. It turned out great!

Ingredients:
3 cups cooked couscous ( I used pearl Isreali couscous, which is a little bigger than the regular)
1/2 basket of cherry tomatoes, halved
1 medium cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch pieces
1 cup cooked chickpeas
1 lemon, cut in half
1 lime, cut in half
about 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
Salt & Pepper
1/3 cup basil or cilantro, chopped
1/3 cup feta cheese, crumbled

Once you've cooked your couscous (follow package instructions - similar to cooking rice), you'll combine it with your chickpeas, cucumbers and tomatoes. I had regular tomatoes on hand that I chopped up instead of using cherry tomatoes that the recipe calls for. I think either of them would work in this dish. Also, I used whole wheat couscous to make it a little healthier.

Next, squeeze the lemon and lime juice directly into the bowl; then add the olive oil and salt and pepper. I confess that I didn't have lime juice, so I used only lemon juice. I think it was completely fine without the lime juice; however it may have been better with it - I really can't say. Maybe I'll try it with both next time. Now, all you have to do is toss it all together and top it with the feta cheese and fresh basil, which I picked from my garden.

This is a great recipe and makes for a unique but delicious side dish - perfect for a dinner party or cookout. It also makes for great leftovers. I had it for lunch a few days throughout the week.

Enjoy!

~Kris