So I’ve been in Maine for the past few days with my mom eating TONS and tons of lobster……..13 to be exact 🙂 More on that later. Here – look at this:

My mom’s been making this summery side dish for years and years. I have always liked it, but didn’t pay much attention to it until last year.

And then I started making it myself this year. It is not only a cinch to throw together, but it’s soooooooo delicious. I don’t even know what it’s officially called – we just call it “Israeli Couscous” which is so generic.

The main ingredient is Israeli couscous. Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped like little balls. It is made from wheat flour and then roasted in the oven. It was meant to be a rice substitute for a select population in Israel back in the 1940’s and 1950’s. It cooks a little longer than couscous, but a little less than pasta.

When you add everything together, it tastes so fresh and has a bit of a crunch from the pepper. It is addictive.

Oh, and I always toss in more ingredients than the recipe calls for – I usually put in 3 chopped peppers, double the cilantro and green onion, and definitely add more fruits and almonds! And you cant double the ingredients without increasing the amount of dressing. You get the point….more is better with this recipe.

This stuff is so darned good. As Robbb says when I make this salad –  “I could eat this everyday”!

Israeli Couscous

Ingredients:

• 3 cups cooked Israeli couscous
• 1 red or yellow pepper, chopped
• ½ cup snipped dried apricots, craisins, or raisins
• 2 Tblsp cilantro, chopped
• 1 green onion, chopped
• 1 cup poppy seed dressing
• ½ tsp shredded lime peel
• Dash hot pepper
• ¼ cup toasted slivered almonds

Directions:

Combine all ingredients for the salad.

Then combine the dressing – lime peel, hot pepper, and poppy seed dressing.

Pour dressing mixture on top of salad and mix. Sprinkle almonds on top.

(See how simple that was??)

Tags: Couscous, Grain, Israeli Couscous, Salad, Side, side dish