Recipe Couscous Salad

CraigC

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This is a vegetarian side dish, but we have added leftover pork and black beans to it as a meal.

Couscous Salad
Gourmet | August 1996

Ingredients
2 tablespoons olive oil
3/4 cup fresh corn (cut from about 2 ears)
1/3 cup finely chopped red onion
1/3 cup finely chopped red bell pepper
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
11/4 cups water
2/3 cup plain couscous
2 teaspoons red-wine vinegar
1/4 cup fresh coriander sprigs, washed well, spun dry, and chopped fine
cayenne to taste

Preparation
1) In a heavy skillet heat 1 tablespoon oil over moderately high heat until hot but not smoking and sauté corn, stirring, until golden.
2) Add onion, bell pepper, garlic, cumin, and 1/4 cup water and cook over moderately low heat, stirring occasionally, until bell pepper is crisp-tender.
3) While vegetables are cooking, in a small heavy saucepan bring remaining cup water to a boil and stir in couscous and salt to taste. Cover pan and remove from heat. Let couscous stand 5 minutes and fluff with a fork.
4)In a bowl whisk together vinegar, remaining tablespoon oil, and salt to taste until emulsified.
5) Add vegetable mixture, couscous, coriander, and cayenne and toss to combine well.
6) Serve warm or at room temperature.

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Its vegan too! Couscous salads are a great versatile dish. I haven't thought to make one for a while but as they are vegan friendly I think I should.
 
@CraigC - about six months too late … but congratulations, you've taken this to a new level.

I noticed that you used ground cumin in the recipe and wondered whether you'd thought of using cumin seeds (as well, or as alternative) ?

I confess to being a bit of a seed junkie - I'm almost hopelessly addicted to using cumin seeds, fennel seeds or caraway seeds in recipes where it's probably inappropriate (but I don't care). I feel (and hopefully I'm not alone in this) that not only do they add lots of flavour to dishes, but additional texture too.

At this time of year I'm always casting around looking for meals to prepare in advance of an evening bike ride, so that once I'm back home, it's a quick shower then I can dive head first into whatever I've prepared. Your excellent couscous salad is on my menu planner for next week.

Going off-topic, I know that I don't get enough protein in my diet as a vegetarian - and I've so far have resisted the need for protein shake supplements etc. I usually add a couple of hard-boiled eggs to a salad like this - but that's pretty boring after a while. I note that you served it with black beans ….I used black beans extensively when I lived in the UK, but now that I'm in France I simply can't find them anywhere : "haricot noir ?" is just met with a blank look..."quoi?"... the same applies to other types of beans: I can get chick peas, and haricots blancs & rouges, but that's the complete list. It's hugely frustrating.

@CraigC and @morning glory

Should I start a new thread on the topic of protein-packed food for endurance athlete vegetarians - or has it already been widely discussed on the forum? note: I'm not what most people would consider an endurance athlete - but I haven't come across anyone over 60 who gets half the exercise I do, so that's "endurance athlete" in quotes....

I could also write a lengthy thread on my frustration at trying to source locally foods that I consider to be of everyday use. But I suspect it'd be of very limited interest.

Sorry - this post just ran on and on ….
 
Going off-topic, I know that I don't get enough protein in my diet as a vegetarian
Didn't realise you are vegetarian (not sure you mentioned it before). There are only a few regular members who are vegetarian - @SatNavSaysStraightOn (site owner) is vegan with eggs, @oddduck is vegetarian, @Duck59 is vegetarian - there may be some others (sorry if I mussed anyone) but also @Herbie and @Elawin often cook vegetarian dishes as do I. I've two grown up kids here: son is vegan and daughter is vegetarian with fish so I cook vegan most days when my son is here which is mostly. I used to be vegetarian for years but now I'll eat almost anything - although I'm happy on a vegetarian diet. Getting protein into a vegan diet is even more challenging than including enough in a vegetarian diet.

So - in a long winded way I'm saying that a thread about protein in vegetarian and vegan diet would be good.

As for a thread on protein packed food for athletes, I suspect there would be limited interest. @SatNavSaysStraightOn has good knowledge of this topic as she was a keen cyclist before health issues and I know she will have lots of ideas* - also @Shadow (who drops in sometimes) and @The Velvet Curtain (@Lullabelle 's other half) are cyclists. I'm not sure we have any other keen athletes but that doesn't mean you shouldn't post a thread. New threads are really important to attract new members (we need more members!). So please go ahead.

*@SatNavSaysStraightOn is currently in hospital so may not reply straight away.
 
Didn't realise you are vegetarian (not sure you mentioned it before). There are only a few regular members who are vegetarian - @SatNavSaysStraightOn (site owner) is vegan with eggs, @oddduck is vegetarian, @Duck59 is vegetarian - there may be some others (sorry if I mussed anyone) but also @Herbie and @Elawin often cook vegetarian dishes as do I. I've two grown up kids here: son is vegan and daughter is vegetarian with fish so I cook vegan most days when my son is here which is mostly. I used to be vegetarian for years but now I'll eat almost anything - although I'm happy on a vegetarian diet. Getting protein into a vegan diet is even more challenging than including enough in a vegetarian diet.

So - in a long winded way I'm saying that a thread about protein in vegetarian and vegan diet would be good.

As for a thread on protein packed food for athletes, I suspect there would be limited interest. @SatNavSaysStraightOn has good knowledge of this topic as she was a keen cyclist before health issues and I know she will have lots of ideas* - also @Shadow (who drops in sometimes) and @The Velvet Curtain (@Lullabelle 's other half) are cyclists. I'm not sure we have any other keen athletes but that doesn't mean you shouldn't post a thread. New threads are really important to attract new members (we need more members!). So please go ahead.

*@SatNavSaysStraightOn is currently in hospital so may not reply straight away.

@morning glory - thanks for all of this.

I'm mostly vegetarian - I occasionally eat meat and fish, but only because I think I should do so in order to get a bit of variety (and extra protein) into my diet.

If you're generally happy for me to post new threads then I will - across a range of subjects. If I've got something to say then I find these days that writing it, rather than attempting to translate it into French and bamboozling my neighbours, helps de-clutter my head. I did post quite a lot on Cycle Chat but got disheartened by the ….well, if you know the site, then you'll know what I was about to say - and if you don't, then it's probably better that I don't use the pejorative term.
 
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@morning glory - thanks for all of this.

I'm mostly vegetarian - I occasionally eat meat and fish, but only because I think I should do so in order to get a bit of variety (and extra protein) into my diet.

If you're generally happy for me to post new threads then I will - across a range of subjects. If I've got something to say then I find these days that writing it, rather than attempting to translate it into French and bamboozling my neighbours, helps de-clutter my head. I did post quite a lot on Cycle Chat but got disheartened by the ….well, if you know the site, then you'll know what I was about to say - and if you don't, then it's probably better that I don't use the pejorative term.

I know the site - its different from here!
 
Hey - that's really kind and helpful of you - thanks very much !

It puzzles me that these tins aren't available in my local Bio-Coop (sort of French equivalent of a health-food store - but with a ridiculously small selection of goods).

Maybe it'll print this off and go and talk to them again. If I don't get anywhere with them, then I'll place an order through Amazon.fr
 
I can't help you finding beans in France...but if you do manage to find light red kidney beans, i use light red kidney beans in many dishes...hot or cold. I tend to season them with garlic powder, a tad of salt, and black pepper...good on their own like this or with a spoon of sour cream or a pat of butter melted. Sprinkled in tossed salad, added to spaghetti or other pastas, of course added to rice dishes, rolled in a tortilla, stuffed in a pita. A good source of protein and iron. I can't imagine the french hate beans...beans are so good, hearty and filling.
 
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