Vegan Cous Cous Salad
Ready in 15 minutes, this tangy jewel colored vegan cous cous salad is the perfect festive side dish. It's also a perfect make-ahead dish as the flavors marry and intensify as it rests.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil extra virgin
- 1 cup pearl cous cous *aka Israeli cous cous
- 1½ cups vegetable stock *or hot water
- ¾ cup pomegranate seeds *see note 4
- 1 cup flat leaf parsley finely chopped
- ½ cup mint finely chopped
For The Citrus Dressing
- 1 orange *juiced
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 2 tablespoons olive oil divided
Instructions
- Heat 1 tablespoon of olive oil in a saucepan. Add the cous cous and toast for 3 minutes. *see note 1
- Add the vegetable stock to the pan and simmer, uncovered for 10 minutes. *see note 2
- While the cous cous is simmering, chop the parsley and mint finely with a food process or a sharp knife.
- Transfer cous cous to serving bowl. Stir in chopped herbs, chickpeas and pomegranate seeds. Drizzle the dressing over the top, stir and enjoy.
Notes
- Toasting the cous cous is optional, but I highly recommend it. It adds a sweet, nutty flavor to the couscous. Just be sure not to burn it.
- The typical ratio of water (or stock) to Israeli cous cous (aka pearl cous cous) is 1:1 ½. So, that's one cup of couscous to 1 ½ cups of liquid. Be sure to keep the heat fairly low so that the water doesn't boil off straight away.
- Gluten Free Option: Cous cous is not gluten free. For a gluten-free salad, simply substitute quinoa. Follow the package instructions for cooking the quinoa.
- If you're using a whole pomegranate, have a look at this article for instructions on how to easily remove the seeds.
Nutrition
Calories: 206kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 5gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 1gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gSodium: 245mgPotassium: 214mgFiber: 3gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1176IUVitamin C: 28mgCalcium: 41mgIron: 1mg
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