Saturday Lunch Cous Cous

Submitted by chris and her whisk

"This colorful, light meal is a favorite at my house. Ridiculously easy, and versatile, this one never fails to impress. Great if you have people who drop in for a surprise lunch..."

 

• Ready In: 15mins
• Ingredients: 14
• Serves: 4

ingredients

• 2 cups instant couscous
• 2 cups boiling water
• 1 small onion, chopped
• 1 teaspoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper
• 1 cup tomatoes, diced
• 1 cup arugula, coarsely chopped
• 100 g canned tuna
• 1⁄4 cup green olives
• 1⁄4 cup feta cheese
• 1 avocado, diced
• 1 tablespoon capers

directions

1. put the cous cous in a bowl. saute the onion in the olive oil till transparent, then add the water and salt. When it boils, pour it over the cous cous and let it stand for about four minutes, then fluff with a fork, adding in the cracked pepper and the butter.
2. put the prepared cous cous in a pasta bowl, heaping it a little in the center. The next part is up to you! I put a variety of ingredients in lttle piles on top of the cous cous, around the edges of the bowl. I arrange them making sure that it looks pretty and colorful, and I add whatever I find in the pantry that will taste and look good.
3. The list of ingredients above are just for example. You can use any colorful flavorful ingredients for this step. It is good to use some strong flavors (feta cheese is better than a mild cheese, for example. Green olives, capers and arugula add a nice kick). I also typically use hearts of palm since they are common here, left over cold green beans, peas, canned mussels, canned corn, and left over grilled veggies.
4. When you serve it, each person takes the cous cous and whatever toppings they like, which makes it good for picky eaters, too.

Reviews

[Savvy Sewlal]

This is exactly what I was looking for! My husband wasn't able to join us for supper tonight, so this was great for the kids and I. I didn't have all of the ingredients, but used tomatoes, feta, tuna, olives and fresh swiss chard. A great summer evening meal. Thanks for posting.

 

[jensten1]

Delishous! The ingredients can be interchanged to use what you have in your kitchen. No capers? Replace with some edamame. I may try baby corn next time instead of watercrests. I will definitely make this one again!