Couscous Vegetable Salad 
with Salsa Vinaigrette

Ingredients:

• 2 cups couscous cooked to tender (follow cooking instructions on package ~ add a sprinkle of Himalayan salt to water)
• 1 English cucumber, diced
• ½ cup chopped scallions, sweet or red onion
• 1 15-ounce can kidney beans drained and rinsed
• 1 cup fresh or frozen peas
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• ¼ cup chopped fresh cilantro
• 2 large tomatoes, peeled and diced
• 3 T extra-virgin olive oil
• Juice of 1 lemon
• Himalayan salt
• ¾ - 1 cup prepared Salsa

Salsa:

• 1 large tomato
• 1 t green chilli pepper finely chopped
• 4 t minced sweet or red onion
• 2 t fresh cilantro
• 2 t fresh squeezed lemon or lime juice

Directions:

Cook and cool couscous to room temperature and set aside. In a bowl combine the cucumbers, scallions or onions, beans, peas, parsley and cilantro and toss.  Add the tomatoes and toss. Combine the oil, 2 T lemon juice and salsa in a small bowl. Toss with the salad and season with salt and lemon juice to taste. Serve immediately at room temperature. Serve as a meal or as a side dish.

Serves 4 to 6

Couscous (pronounced "koos-koos"), is now widely available in your local grocery store, a main staple of Northern Africa.  It makes for a great alternative to rice or pasta, a low-fat complex carbohydrate, high in magnesium and low in sodium. Can be used all kinds of ways both hot and cold, in soups, stews, or pour any kind of pasta sauce overtop of it. It stores well and only take approximately ten minutes to cook.