Pearl Cous Cous Salad with Cherry Tomatoes and Zucchini
Cous Cous is a terrific grain for salads of all kinds. In this salad, multicolored cous cous, cherry tomatoes, zucchini, and tofu feta cheese come together to create a delightful summer/early fall entrée that’s as quick and simple to make as it is delicious.
Tips and Tricks
This is a salad that could easily take on added/different ingredients. Use what you have in your kitchen if you have things about to go bad. Or change it all up entirely to create an entirely new flavor and style of salad.
I use multicolored pearl cous cous because I enjoy the color it provides in the meal. There’s really no difference in flavor or texture between that and regular pearl cous cous. Use whatever you prefer!
I would not use Moroccan (small) cous cous however. Pearl (also known as Israeli) cous cous is really more of a pasta, made with semolina flour and is more chewy. Moroccan cous cous is much finer and is actually a grain, not a pasta.
I added tofu feta cheese not only for more protein, but also because the flavors marry well with everything else in the salad. Feel free to swap with another vegan Feta, or another vegan cheese entirely.
Ingredients:
1/2 recipe of tofu feta cheese (best if marinated for at least 1 hour beforehand)
1 1/2 cups water
olive oil
kosher salt
1 1/2 cups multi-colored pearl cous cous
2 cloves garlic, minced
8 oz. cherry tomatoes
1 small zucchini, quartered and sliced into thin, 1/4 inch slices
2 cups baby arugula
Add the water to a small pan (be sure it has a lid to go over it). Add a tbsp of olive oil and a tsp of salt and bring it to boil.
Add the pearl cous cous, cover, and take off the heat. Let it steam for 10 minutes at least. After the 10 minutes, take off the lid and fluff the cous cous with a fork. Place in a large bowl and set aside for later.
While the cous cous is steaming, heat a couple tbsp of olive oil in a large pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds. Add the cherry tomatoes (be careful they don’t splatter) and stir for a minute. Add the zucchini and salt and stir everything together.
Cook on the stove for several minutes, until a few of the cherry tomatoes have burst and the zucchini are nice and browned. Taste for salt and take off the heat.
In the bowl where you have your cous cous, add the vegetables, tufo feta cheese and baby arugula. Stir with a fork until everything is mixed evenly. Taste test for salt or anything else that might be lacking. For a richer flavor, add a tbsp more of olive oil to the salad.
Serve and enjoy! Leftovers will be good in the refrigerator for another 4 to 5 days (perfect for lunch during the rest of the week!)
