Tender spring peas, cucumber, arugula and plenty of fresh herbs create a nice, light, early-summer salad. In this recipe, they’re paired with Israeli couscous. This type of couscous is a larger pearl. It’s more like pasta than traditional couscous and has a similar shape and size as peas. It’s often substituted for rice in dishes and makes for an interesting-looking salad.
PREP TIME
10 Min
COOK TIME
15 Min
SERVINGS
12
DIFFICULTY
Easy
Ingredients
Salad
- 1 cup spring peas
- 3 cups diced cucumber — ~1 large English cucumber
- 1 ½ cups dry large-pearl Israeli couscous
- 3 cups arugula — ~2 large handfuls
- ½ cup chopped fresh mint
- ½ cup shredded parmesan
- Handful of your favorite nut — pistachios, walnuts or pine nuts
Lemon Basil Dressing
- 1 ounce parmesan cheese (~the size of 4 dice)
- 1 bunch of fresh basil
- 2 tablespoon pine nuts, walnuts or pistachios
- ¼ cup fresh lemon juice or juice from two lemons
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon honey
- Salt and pepper to taste
Directions
- Bring a pot of water to boil. Drop peas into boiling water and blanch for 2 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove peas from water, and add them to a large salad bowl.
- Using same pot and water, cook couscous according to package directions. Drain water and add cooked couscous to bowl.
- Add remaining ingredients to bowl and toss.
- Combine all ingredients for salad dressing. Using a blender or food processor, blend until nuts, herbs and cheese are incorporated with the liquids.
- Drizzle dressing over salad and enjoy.
Nutrition Facts
Servings: 12 | Calories: 176 | Total fat: 12g | Saturated fat: 2g | Sodium 191mg | Total carbohydrate: 13g | Fiber: 2g |Protein: 5g | Calcium: 182mg
Recipe provided by Michelle Eaton, MS, RD, ThedaCare
