Chickpea Couscous Salad

When I get back home from classes, it's usually 12:45 p.m. and I am starving. I try to have a snack between breakfast and lunch, but I'm not a fan of eating in class as it can be distracting. I'm not always in the mood to make something complicated for lunch because I just want food in my stomach. Something really simple that can be put together in minutes is what I like on those late-lunch days.

This is when couscous comes in handy. Couscous is ready in 5 minutes and you can be preparing other things while waiting. I knew that all the chopping of the vegetables would not be done in a quick five minutes for me, so I did that the night before so all I had to do when I got home was make the couscous and toss everything together. I love all the refreshing vegetables in this salad and the chickpeas! The feta adds a nice creamy texture to every bite. I didn't put in as much olive oil as listed because I'm not an oil fan and the salad tastes fine as is. Also, you don't have to use boxed couscous. I always buy couscous in bulk at Whole Foods (my favorite part of the whole store) so I just used 3/4 cup of dry couscous to replace the box.



Couscous Salad with Feta and Chickpeas [Makes 6 servings]
From Ezra Pound Cake

- 1 box flavored couscous (garlic or Parmesan), cooked (recommended: Near East)
- 1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
- 1 red bell pepper, finely chopped
- 1/2 Vidalia or red onion, chopped
- 1 English cucumber, peeled, seeded, and finely chopped
- 1 tomato, chopped
- 1/4 cup fresh parsley leaves, chopped
- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 2 to 3 limes, juiced

1. In a large bowl, toss all the ingredients with the olive oil and lime juice, to taste.