I am always looking for easy, fresh, delicious, and easy recipes. Especially easy. This one requires a bit of prep/chopping, but other than that, it's a breeze. One of those dishes you can make a massive batch of and eat for lunches all week, or even serve as a main dish with some yummy garlic bread. On Friday last weekend, my mom and I made a HUGE (no really--it was HUGE!) bowl of this stuff, and Matthew and I ate it with pretty much every meal for three days. This is great because a) I hardly had to cook all weekend, especially lunches and b) my husband was happy as a clam to have a delicious and healthy meal in the fridge at all times--doesn't even require microwaving. She's a keeper! :)
Healthy Couscous Salad (with fresh veggies and chicken)
1 box of Far East original couscous (cook according to package directions)
2 large chicken breasts or breast meat from a rotisserie chicken (may be omitted to make a vegetarian dish)
1 large tomato, diced
1 small red onion, diced (red onions are strong, so use however much you're comfortable with)
1 small cucumber or half a large cucumber, diced
Chopped cilantro to taste
1/4 cup Hidden Valley Ranch dressing (or just use your favorite dressing. I think Zesty Italian would be great in this, too.)
Salt and pepper to taste
Cook couscous according to package directions and set aside. Sprinkle chicken breasts with salt and pepper and cook in a non stick pan with a little bit of cooking spray, then chop into small pieces (remove any crispy or burned spots). Or better yet, use the meat of a juicy rotisserie chicken! Set aside to cool. Chop all veggies. Now throw all ingredients into a large bowl, and add dressing to taste. You don't want it to be drenched in the dressing, so be sparing. Add in a little salt and pepper to taste, and refrigerate. Serve cold as a main dish or a side dish. Enjoy!