Summer Couscous Salad, Because I’m Not Ready to Say Goodbye

These first weeks of September remind me of the “you hang-up first” argument that ended the majority of my phone calls from the age of 12-16 (or so.)

You hang up first.

No you.

I said you go first.

After you.

Ok, together, 1, 2, 3

…

You still there?

Yes, you?

Yes. Ok you hang up first

It feels hard to let go of summer. The draw of knee high Frye boots and full length cashmere sweaters while sipping on hot, not iced triple caramel no-fat, no-whip, no-lactose, soy-free, joy-free mocha-jocha lattes are certainly tugging at me heart. But at the same time, nothing is scarier than giving up on summer too early, knowing that inevitably, come February you will be kicking yourself that you didn’t stay in sandals for as long as possible.

Which brings me to why we are here today. The beginning of football season, the school year, the anything you can eat just-add- pumpkin, served beside chili, and cornbread drizzled with honey. It all has its appeal. Fall is going to happen, I am going to love it…

But let’s not jump the gun. Let’s take it slow. So as you transition away from all things summer, I have included a no fail, easy to throw together, tastes like summer but fills you like fall recipe I came up with last week, and have been enjoying ever since!

Pearled Couscous Summer Salad

1 cup dried pearled couscous

4 Persian cucumbers

1 Pint cherry tomatoes

5 stalks of green onion

6 oz. fat-free crumbled feta cheese

1-2 lemons

½ tsp dried mint

Salt and Pepper to taste

Noted Before We Begin

• I served this salad cold, but I am sure I will make a warm version this winter!
• The first night I served this with turkey burgers. I ate it leftover for lunches alone, and the following night I put it next to grilled chicken with sliced up avocado, Yum!
• I used Near East pearled couscous and prepared per the box directions. You can also buy the couscous in bulk, in which case you would use 1 dried cup of the couscous and prepare per the package directions.
• I used fresh squeezed lemon juice. I find that if the lemon is going to stand alone, you are better off fresh-squeezing them yourself, but if you prefer pre-packaged lemon juice, who am I to stop you?

I think that’s it, this is an easy one, so let’s get going!

Prepare couscous per the package directions. Once cooking has finished, run under cold water immediately to stop the cooking process and remove the residual starch that will make your pearls stick together. Place the rinsed and strained couscous in the refrigerator.

While it cools, cut your cucumbers, tomatoes, and green onions into small pieces. For green onions, I used the white head and only ½ an inch up into the green section.

Juice the lemon, you want about 1/3 cup. This may take one or two lemons.

Once couscous has cooled, add the cucumbers, tomatoes, green onion, mint, and feta. Stir until well combined. Add the lemon juice. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Eat it alone or serve it next to some protein. Enjoy!

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