Kittencal's Greek Couscous

Kittencalskitchen's Note:

This goes back years and has remained a family favorite --- you may adjust the amounts to suit your taste and the recipe may be doubled :)

• Total Time: 10 mins
• Prep Time: 10 mins
• Cook Time: 0 mins

Ingredients:

Servings: 4

• 1 1/2 cups chicken broth (I use a garlic flavored broth for this) or 1 1/2 cups water (I use a garlic flavored broth for this)
• 1 cup uncooked couscous
• 1/2-1 teaspoon dried oregano
• 2 plum tomatoes, chopped
• 1 -2 cup diced peeled cucumber
• 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1/2 cup small ripe olives, halved
• 1 small red onion, finely chopped
• 1 (15 ounce) can chickpeas, well drained (garbonzo beans)
• 1/4 cup water
• 3 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 -3 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper (or to taste)
• salt (to taste)

Directions:

1. Bring the 1-1/2 cups chicken broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in the couscous and oregano, remove from heat; cover, and let stand 5 minutes.
2. Fluff with a fork.
3. Combine the couscous with tomatoes and the next 5 ingredients (tomatoes through chickpeas) in a bowl; set aside.
4. Combine 1/4 cup water with the remaining ingredients; stir well with a whisk.
5. Pour over the couscous mixture, tossing gently to coat.
6. Season with black pepper and salt.

Reviews

[JanuaryBride]

I made this vegan with veggie broth and no feta. It was very good and agree that it tastes better on days 2 and 3. We had it as a side salad one night and then used it as a wrap filling another night. Since I didn't use the salty feta, I used the salty kalamatas and it worked out well. Thanks for sharing.

[MindyP679]

This was super yummy! I'm always looking for new unique sides and I wasn't disappointed with this recipe. I made a full recipe and it fed 4 and had enough leftovers for lunch for the entire week so, be warned, the quantity is large! I also used block feta and cut into cubes which I liked better than crumbles. I recommend using regular black olives... we used kalamatas and they were WAY too strong in this for our tastes even chopped up.

Update-4/11/2012- I've since made this recipe MANY times. I've also made it with veggie stock to make it completely vegetarian and taken it to many a potluck. It's always one of the first things gone and the longer it sits, the tastier it gets. Lots of flavor and fun to change out the "add in" ingredients. The dressing is really flavorful and adding the oregano in with the couscous gives it great flavor. Thanks for another great recipe Kitten!

[Chef de Sucre]

This was excellent! I swapped freshly grated Parmesan for the feta and Kalamata olives for the black olives. Omitted the onion and chick peas. Added diced sweet bell pepper. Thanks for a great recipe!