Vegan Couscous Salad
This salad, oh this salad. This vegan couscous salad is basically a pantry salad, since we almost always have each of the ingredients on hand at any time. Every food I love, on one plate, mixed together and tossed with the most delicious scallion vinaigrette. Colorful, flavorful, tangy and crunchy. I love it so much. Can you tell?
Ingredients in 4 servings:
2 sweet potatoes, scrubbed and dried, then diced
3/4 cup Israeli couscous
1 cup canned chickpeas, rinsed
1/4 cup scallion vinaigrette or more depending on taste
1/4 cup sunflower seeds
1/4 cup chopped flat leaf parsley
2 tbsp thinly sliced scallions
olive oil
salt + pepper to taste
red pepper flakes, optional
Directions:
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees, toss diced sweet potatoes in olive oil, place on baking sheet and bake until cooked through and just crisp, about 30-40 minutes
- While the potatoes bake, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil
- When the water is boiling, add the Israeli couscous, turn down the heat and cook for 10 minutes or until it’s fluffy and has absorbed most all the water, drain any remaining water and set couscous aside
- In a large bowl, mix sweet potatoes, couscous, and chickpeas with scallion vinaigrette, toss to combine
- Mix in sunflower seeds, parsley and scallions, season to taste with salt and pepper, and add more scallion vinaigrette if desired
- Serve immediately with or without red pepper flakes or refrigerate and serve cold
I prefer Israeli couscous to regular couscous, but it’s a personal preference and either would work well in this dish. My husband likes spicy food, so I always top his with extra red pepper flakes. This salad is excellent served on its own, and would also be delicious served with a fried egg, steamed lobster or grilled chicken, or in keeping with the vegan theme, tofu! It’s a perfectly tangy combination of flavors and textures that makes for a really interesting dish. But don’t stop there - switch it up or add something else you like: edamame, celery, hearts of palm, cilantro, black beans, the list goes on and on. Customizable! How easy was that?
I’d love to hear from you - what’s your grain salad go to? If you try this at home, please let me know how you liked it! Hope you enjoy…
-MW.
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