Summer is officially here, bbq's and potlucks are on the menu, and sharing food with your loved ones is definitely the best way to enjoy these long days and warmer nights! Tuck into this Smoky Couscous Salad, this salad contains meat - however the chicken can be replaced by tofu to make this salad vege friendly!
Ingredients
Salad -
150g uncooked couscous
1 Red Capsicum, chopped lengthways.
1 Courgette, sliced into small pieces.
1 1/2 chopped roasted chicken breast, seasoned with salt and pepper. (Replace with Tofu for a vegan alternative)
50g Chorizo sliced into small pieces. (Omit for Vegan Alternative.)
1 Tablespoon Smokey Paprika
2 Ripe Red Tomatoes, sliced.
Dressing -
2 Tablespoons lemon juice
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 Red onions, chopped
Salt and Pepper
Garnish -
2 Tablespoons Pumpkin seeds
1 Tablespoon black olives (without the pip)
100g Feta (Use Vegan Cheese for Alternative)
Directions
Step One: Heat a pan with a table spoon of oil and add couscous. Fry off until couscous is a light brown paper. Add 2 cups of boiling water and cover with a lid, stirring occasionally. Wait for water be be absorbed by the couscous, if couscous is still hard add more water. Once cooked through, pop in a strainer and run cold water over, omitting the salt and fat that has come out. Put in a bowl and fluff couscous with a fork before setting aside.
Step Two: Reheat the pan on the stove, adding a light drizzle of oil. Once hot, add chopped up capsicum and courgette. Leave this to cook through, allowing it to get slightly charred around the edges - this creates a beautiful smoky taste.
Step Three: Add chopped up roasted chicken and chorizo to the veggies. Sprinkle all with smokey paprika and fry off for a couple of minutes. Pour the contents of the pan back into the salad bowl that already has the couscous in it, give it a light toss mixing all ingredients together, and set aside.
Step Four: Reheat the pan and add a drizzle of oil, when hot add you chopped onion, cook until translucent (Not brown). Take the pan off the heat and add the olive oil and lemon juice, stirring to combine. Pour mixture of the couscous salad and give another light toss. Salt and pepper to taste.
Step Four: Heat a small pan on the stove and add pumpkin seeds (do not add any oil as the seeds produce their own). Fry these off quickly, until they start to become sightly brown (this happens very quickly so its important to stay by the pan as these cook and toss regularly). Take off the heat and allow to cool.
Step Five: Store the salad in the fridge until you are ready to serve it. Store the seeds in an air tight container in the cupboard. When you are ready to serve, garnish the salad with the seeds, olives and feta. For an extra smoky taste you can add a light drizzle of Culley's Vegan Smoky Mayo.
Enjoy!! This dish is perfect to enjoy alone as a meal and can easily be paired with some leafy greens or garlic bread. The best thing about this salad is that the flavours develop over time - so make sure to make enough for leftovers for tomorrows lunch! This salad can also be enjoyed warm, either being prepared at the time of the meal and served hot or reheated in the pan.
