Southwestern Couscous Salad

I found this delicious recipe on the Whole Foods website. It's such a simple and tasty dish that is perfect for summer. Almost like a different spin on my corn & black bean salsa. You can eat it on a bed of greens, as a side, and it's even great in a wrap with some spinach and hummus.

Southwestern Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1 cup couscous (*use quinoa to make it gluten free!)

1 1/2 cup black beans (or 1 15-oz can), drained and rinsed 

1 cup fresh corn kernels (2 ears), I cheated & used a can of no salt added corn

1 cup pepitas (pumpkin seeds)

1/4 cup chopped cilantro leaves

1-2 tomatoes, finely chopped

1 zucchini, finely chopped

1 red bell pepper, chopped

1/4 cup lime juice (or more to taste)

3/4 tsp chili powder

(note: I thought the pumpkin seeds and raw zucchini would be strange at first, but it was so perfect and fresh! Def don't skip em!)

Directions:

Get to chopping! Chop the cilantro, tomatoes, zucchini, red pepper. 

Place your vegetables in a very large mixing bowl along with the pepitas, corn, and black beans.

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan.
Stir in couscous, cover and remove from heat.
Let stand 5 minutes.
It should look like this!

Fluff couscous with a fork and toss into the bowl with all the vegetables.
Add the lime juice and chili powder and mix together.

This makes a HUGE amount of food. I believe it serves 8. The bf and I ate this stuff for days! I'm actually surprised at how long it lasted, we rarely have leftovers because we usually we can't stop eating! What can I say, we are true vegan fat kids. But this recipe is very healthy, low fat, low sodium, and high in fiber! It would be perfect for any summer barbeque that vegans and non vegans will all enjoy.

Corn & Black Bean Salsa

Ok, so this is one of my absolute favorite things to make! I made it for the first time two years ago and it was actually one of the first recipes I developed and continued to make. This dish is perfect to take to family gatherings, cookouts, parties, or any group setting. It's always a hit! Last summer I made two huge batches for my step-sister's wedding and I had so many guests coming up to me asking for the recipe. It's also great to make in the summer time because red bell peppers are a lot cheaper this time of year.


Corn & Black Bean Salsa

Ingredients:
1 can black beans
1 can corn
1 red bell pepper
cilantro
diced jalapeno peppers
2-4 garlic cloves
2 Tbsp olive oil
3 Tbsp lime juice


Directions:

Start chopping!

Dice the red bell pepper into pieces the size of the corn and black beans.

I used about half a bunch of cilantro. Maybe more, maybe less.

I use a ton of garlic. I love it! Haha and I have a handy dandy garlic press from Pampered Chef that saves me some time. It's wonderful, really.

Throw all of your chopped goodness into a large bowl. Here we have the red pepper, cilantro, garlic, and diced jalapeno. You can use fresh or jarred jalapeno. I used the jarred stuff, obvi. Plus I found a jar of diced jalapenos so that saved chop time too. Woo! Oh, and I never measure the jalapenos, but I used at least 5 to 6tablespoons, maybe more? You be the judge.

Next, open the corn and black bean cans, drain and rinse them.

Throw the drained and rinsed corn and beans into the bowl with the chopped stuff and stir together.

Add the oil and lime juice and continue mixing. You want everything to be evenly distributed. At this point you can taste it and see if you want to add more jalapeno or lime juice or something.

Once you've achieved your desired taste, it's ready to chow down with some tortilla chips. Maybe even some guacamole if you have some. Yum, guacamole. I gotta make some of that soon.

This stuff is so good!! Pretty healthy too. I hope you try it and LOVE it!