Mediterranean Couscous Salad - #SundaySupper to Celebrate Heritage

Happy #SundaySupper Day!

If you haven’t heard about #SundaySupper yet, it’s a mission is to bring back Sunday Supper Around the Family Table in every home. The family table can be anywhere as long as the main ingredient is love.

This week’s theme is Celebrating Family Heritage. My family is a genuine mix of a little of everything which is perfectly fine, except when you want to define a particular detail of your ancestry for something fun like #SundaySupper.

I could have taken the traditional route and pulled the Italian from my dad, but since I am not a scratch sauce maker, I decided to make something else that I just love to eat. Besides, I am sure if I looked far enough into our family history I would find some Mediterranean in there somewhere. 🙂

This is a total throw together recipe I created one day combining all the flavors I love into an easy to make summer salad. In the summer I prefer eating cold dishes to hot, barring the occasional grilled main dish. So this dish is perfect for this time of year.

Ingredients:
3/4 cup water
3/4 cup whole wheat couscous
pinch of salt
1/2 cup grape tomatoes, halved
1/2 cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
1/2 cup Chopped artichoke hearts
1/2 cup garbanzo beans
1/2 cup sliced Black Olives
Optional Feta Cheese for sprinkling
Balsamic Salad dressing

Directions:
1. Combine water, salt and couscous in a microwave safe bowl or large measuring cup. I prefer a 4 cup glass measuring cup for easy handling while hot. 2. Microwave couscous and water for 2 1/2 minutes. Remove from microwave, fluff with a fork and cover for another 2 minutes.

3. Combine couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, artichoke hearts, garbanzo beans and black olives in a large bowl
4. Drizzle with balsamic salad dressing to taste, mixing all ingredients thoroughly
5. Top with a sprinkling of feta cheese if you desire

This salad is full of yummy veggies! It is a perfect light dinner option for Summer. If you happen to be grilling chicken, dice some up and throw it in the mix too. The chicken will add another layer of slightly smoky flavor, plus you will have successfully turned this tasty side into a one dish entree for dinner. Can’t beat that! I love easy summer dishes easily transported out to the deck for dinner outside.

Couscous is such a versatile dish. You can serve it warm or cold, and change up the ingredients I listed with your own favorites. Get creative and get ready for making couscous a lot! Once you try it and see how easy it is, you will make it all the time. I know I do. I just wish my family would join me in the couscous love. Seems they still prefer potatoes. 🙂

So now are you ready to get even more hungry? Go check out all of the other amazing bloggers and their recipes participating in #SundaySupper this week. And if you happen to be around on Twitter Sunday between 3:00-5:00 PM, feel free to jump into the conversation with the hashtag #SundaySupper!

Scotch Eggs and Brotchen Rolls – The Meltaways
Apple Kuchen – Mrs. Mama Hen
Spaghetti Carbonara – Katherine Martinelli
Slow Cooker Chicken Paprikash – Make Dinner Easy
Potato and Spinach Knishes – The Girl In The Little Red Kitchen
German Potato Salad – Magnolia Days
Sausage and Broccoli with Orecchiette – Daddy Knows Less
Chicken Enchiladas Suizas – The Weekend Gourmet
Strawberry Tiramisu – Chocolate Moosey
Chocoflan – Juanita’s Cocina
Egg Liqueur Cake – The German Foodie
Rasmalai (Ricotta in Sweet Coconut Milk with Almonds and Pistachio) – Sue’s Nutrition Blog
Mediterranean Couscous Salad – In the Kitchen With KP
Rouladen – Midlife Road Trip
Lemon Balm Roasted Chicken and Rum Raising Cupcakes with Maple Frosting – What Smells So Good?
Keftikas (Turkish Meat and Leek Patties) – The Little Ferraro Kitchen
Croque Monsieur with a Béchamel sauce – The Daily Dish Recipes
Momma’s Meat Pie with Poutine Sauce – Momma’s Meals
Polish Rustic Plum Tart – Comfy Cuisine
Drop Scones (Scottish Pancakes) – Cositas Bonitas
Jamaican Cornmeal Pudding – The Lovely Pantry
Borscht Shooters – Cookistry
Shepard’s Pie – Big Bear’s Wife
Parsnip Cakes – Mama’s Blissful Bites
Roasted Curried Vegetables – Hot Curries & Cold Beer
Portuguese Mussels and Shrimp in a Chorizo Sauce – Family Foodie
Kalbi Steak Kimchi Grilled Cheese – Damn Delicious
Wine pairings for all the recipes – ENOFYLZ