Cous Cous Salad with Mixed Peppers

It was only when started working on this post did I realize that I am in love with peppers; yes, the red, green and yellow variety. In the last less than a year of me writing this blog, and me cooking/documenting a lot, I have made a lot of dishes with peppers and repeatedly. I am surprised people around me haven’t killed me yet. But then again, maybe, it is the prettiness and varied nature of the peppers and for some, the healthy aspect that prevents us from getting bored. In fact, I also realized, that there are so many recipes that I haven’t even documented, but I guess they will find their way in soon.

Today’s post is Cous Cous with mixed peppers. I have always loved Cous Cous and now, it is a regular on our dinner menu. Couscous is a North African semolina dish that is traditionally served with a stew or accompanied with vegetables. Extremely simple to make and very, very versatile, Cous Cous is available in dried, instant form, and can be cooked and is ready to eat in under 5 minutes. Even though it resembles pasta, it is much and is among the healthiest grain-based products. It has a superior vitamin profile to pasta, and In terms of protein, couscous has 3.6 g for every 100 calories, equivalent to pasta, and well above the 2.6 g for every 100 calories of white rice. Furthermore, couscous contains a 1% fat-to-calorie ratio, compared to 3% for white rice, 5% for pasta etc. (Source: Wikipedia)

Now that I have justified the wonderful qualities of Cous Cous, how about an actual recipe? This is a great summer salad; can be had warm or cold, and variations can be adopted. I served it as an accompaniment to some bread and pasta with mushrooms in white sauce- however, I am sure its a much healthier meal, just by itself.

For the Recipe, (3 servings)

• 150g Cous Cous
• 1 vegetable stock cube
• 1 tablespoon Butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2-3 cloves of garlic, chopped finely
• 1 Red Pepper, chopped finely
• 1 Green Pepper, chopped finely
• 1 Yellow Pepper, chopped finely
• Salt (sea Salt is preferred)
• Pepper
• Fresh or Dried Parsley
• 1 tablespoon Balsamic vinegar (optional) 

Cook the cous cous as per instructions on the box- Usually, it is done by boiling double the quantity of water than that of cous cous. I add a cube of vegetable stock to this boiling water for additional flavor.  Remove from heat. Soak the cous cous and cover for about 3 minutes or until it softens. Add butter and mix. Heat the oil and garlic in a pan, and toss the red/green/yellow peppers for about a minute. Add salt, pepper and the cous cous- and give it a final mix. Add the Parsley and Serve.