April 7, 2009 | Pasta & Pizza, Side Dishes, Vegetables

After a busy day of getting things ready to move my parents and a business event with my husband, I needed something quick for dinner, but I wanted something good. If you haven’t tried couscous, it’s great on many fronts: it’s quick, you don’t need to cook it really (just pour boiling water over it and let it “bloom”), it comes in a whole wheat variety, it can be eaten at room temperature, and you can add an endless variety of ingredients to it. I grabbed what I had on hand so here’s a non-recipe type of recipe – you can change any of the ingredients to suit your taste and what you happen to have on hand!

Spring Couscous for Two

Combine 1/2 cup whole wheat couscous with a little over 1/2 cup boiling water – cover and let bloom. When it’s ready, add to the couscous:

1/2 cup diced yellow pepper
1/4 cup diced red onion
1 scallion, sliced
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds
1/2 cup dried cranberries
2 tablespoons minced parsley
Zest of one lemon
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
Extra virgin olive oil, to taste (I used a fair amount)
Salt and pepper, to taste.

Stir everything together and serve. I served this along with some lamb chops I found in the freezer which I just marinated in a little olive oil, balsamic vinegar, red wine vinegar, dried thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, salt and pepper, then grilled to medium rare. Together this was a great meal and quick!