It’s incredible how everyday ingredients such as tomato and basil can make for such a flavoursome salad recipe. Complement this vegan couscous salad with balsamic blistered tomatoes for an easy side dish any time of the week.
In a small saucepan, bring 1 ½ cups of vegetable broth to the boil. Add ½ cup of uncooked Israeli couscous and bring it down to low heat and cook for 10 minutes or until al dente.
While the pearl couscous is cooking, cut the avocado in half, peel it and dice half of the fruit. Place in a medium sized mixing bowl. Smash the other half and put on toast for breakfast the next day.
Drain pearl couscous in a colander and run under cold water for a couple of brief seconds and then place in the mixing bowl with the avocado.
Gently fold the warm couscous through the avocado to give it a creamy texture.
In a small mixing bowl, add 1 tbsp of balsamic vinegar and cherry tomatoes. Coat them thoroughly. Add 1 tsp to a large fry pan on medium heat. When hot, add the cherry tomatoes and cook for 3 minutes. Toss occasionally. Remove from the heat and rest.
Roughly chop the coriander to yield ½ cup. Have some extra for garnish.
Pick the basil leaves to yield ½ cup. Have some extra for garnish.
Add the coriander, basil leaves, and juice of ¼ lemon into the mixing bowl of avocado and warm pearl couscous. Season with salt and pepper.
Assembly
On a platter, place the salad in a heap.
Gently place the balsamic blistered tomatoes on top.
Garnish with some coriander.
Season with pepper and serve.
Notes
You can use any type of cherry tomatoes. Go for some colour to give the salad a lift. You can also use small vine-ripened tomatoes or kumato tomatoes.
Blistered tomatoes are generally quite sweet so you can omit the balsamic vinegar if you want something even healthier.
If you are not vegetarian, you can certainly use chicken stock for cooking the Israeli couscous.
For a really healthy option, you can make the broth yourself. Otherwise, the vegan organic reduced salt liquid stock is more than good enough.
If you're taking this salad to a friend's place to eat later, pack the couscous mixed salad seperate to the blistered tomatoes. Before serving, run 1 tsp of olive oil through the couscous as it can dry out a little bit. Will give it the glistening look it needs.