Greek Couscous Salad

• servings: 6 servings
• active time: 25 minutes
• total time: 25 minutes

Ingredients

2 packages (4.7 ounces each) Pearled Couscous Mix (I use one made by Near East) Roasted Garlic & Olive Oil flavored

1 english (or hothouse) cucumber, (coarsely chopped)

3 bell peppers (1 red, 1 green, 1 yellow), (coarsely chopped)

1/2 of 1 large red onion, (chopped)

1 cup cherry tomatoes, (halved)

1/2 cup flat leaf Italian parsley, (finely chopped)

2 cans (15 ounces EACH) chickpeas

Feta cheese, (to taste)

1 lemon, (cut into wedges)

1/4 cup red wine vinegar

1/2 cup olive oil

1 tablespoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1 teaspoon minced garlic

1 teaspoon dried oregano

1/2 teaspoon Dijon mustard

Sea salt and freshly cracked pepper

Directions

Prepare the couscous mix according to package instructions making sure to add in the seasoning mix. If you don't use couscous from a package, you'll want to add some of your favorite seasonings because a lot of the flavor in this salad comes from that seasoning.

While the couscous is cooking, prep the veggies: coarsely chop the cucumber, the peppers, the red onion, and cherry tomatoes. Finely chop the parsley. To take the "bite" out of the raw red onion you can soak it in cold water (or freshly squeezed lemon juice) for about 10 minutes.

Drain and rinse the chickpeas. If desired, roast them in the oven (see the last paragraph in this post).

Prepare the dressing by adding all of the dressing ingredients to a mason jar. (I add about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper, but add to your personal preference). Seal the jar and shake until combined.

TO SERVE AS A SALAD: Add the prepared couscous to a large bowl and allow to cool. Add in all of the veggies and chickpeas. Add in some feta cheese, freshly squeezed lemon, salt and pepper to taste, and the dressing. Only dress what you will enjoy as this salad doesn't sit well for a long time with the dressing on it.

TO MEAL PREP: Divide the dressing evenly into 6 small containers. Divide the couscous evenly among 6 meal prep containers. Next add in equal parts of all of the chopped veggies and chickpeas. Add a lemon wedge, some feta cheese, and cover everything with some salt and pepper. To enjoy, add the dressing, squeeze the lemon over everything, stir together, and eat!