If you are bored with the regular old green or Cesar salad, and want to try something a bit more ethnically diverse, have a crack at this.  Easy to put together and your only effort is to find where to get some couscous, which nowadays shouldn’t be an issue at all – you can also substitute the couscous with some Bulgar wheat (soaked); but the couscous is lighter on the stomach.

Time:

About 40 minutes

Serves:

8

Good for:

• An exotic appetizer or salad option
• A light and jam packed healthy dish

Ingredients:

• 1 ¼ cups fat-free, less-sodium chicken broth
• 1 (5.7-ounce) box uncooked couscous
• 1 ½ cups cubed cooked chicken (about 6 ounces)
• ½ cup thinly sliced green onions
• ½ cup diced radishes (about 3 large)
• ½ cup chopped seeded peeled cucumber
• ¼ cup chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2 tablespoons pine nuts, toasted

For the dressing:

• ¼  cup white wine vinegar
• 1 ½  tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 1 tspn ground cumin
• ½  tspn salt
• 1/8 tspn freshly ground black pepper
• 1 garlic clove, minced

Kitchen things you’ll need:

• Large bowl
• Medium saucepan
• Knife and cutting board
• Toaster oven or a skillet for the pine nuts

Making it:

• To prepare salad, bring broth to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous.
• Remove from heat, cover and let stand 5 minutes.
• Fluff with a fork then spoon the couscous into a large bowl; cool slightly.
• Add chicken, onions, radishes, cucumber, parsley, and pine nuts and toss gently to combine.
• To prepare dressing, combine vinegar and remaining ingredients, stirring with a whisk. Then drizzle dressing over salad and toss to combine.

Tips/notes:

• Try adding feta cheese and cherry tomatoes to the salad as well.
• Try the dressing for other salads, will add some really great flavour.
• Also try adding some pomegranate beads for an extra sweet crunch.
• You can toast nuts quickly in a dry skillet over medium-high heat. Stir frequently, and as soon as they become fragrant, remove the nuts from the pan.