Jen KuharIt’s finally warming up and we’ve been dreaming about summer picnics at the park over here. This is a great summer picnic salad filled with bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers and fennel making the colors so bright and so fun. We used a tricolor pearled couscous here but you can certainly use a plain pearled variety or even a Moroccan-style couscous. Try this salad on its own for a light lunch or pair with some tasty kabobs and anything else you love to BBQ. Up to the dressing, you can prepare this salad a day ahead. Prior to eating, drizzle on the dressing and let marinade for about 15 minutes to make sure the couscous soaks in enough of the fresh lemony vinaigrette.
[ingredients title=”What you’ll need”]
- 1 ½ cups tricolor or plain pearled couscous
- 1 medium fennel bulb, chopped
- 1 medium orange bell pepper, chopped
- 1 yellow bell pepper, chopped
- 1 cup sliced cherry tomatoes
- 1 ½ cup quartered cucumber
- 1 cup chopped parsley
- ¾ cup chopped mint (plus a few sprigs for garnish)
- 1 small red onion, finely chopped
- Juice of 1 lemon
- 6 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- Salt & pepper to taste
[/ingredients]
[directions title=”Prep + Cook”]
- Cook couscous according to package directions. Let cool.
- In a large serving bowl, gently toss together couscous, fennel, bell peppers, cherry tomatoes, cucumber, parsley & mint.
- In a small bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon zest, lemon juice and salt & pepper to taste. Pour over salad and toss to coat (or set aside if storing for future meals).
- Chill before serving for about 15 minutes and top with a little extra mint for garnish. ENJOY!
[/directions]
Serves 6
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Author: Jennifer Kuhar