Meatless Meals: couscous salad

As promised, I've submersed myself in vegetarian cooking. I've found some great recipes and am really excited about cooking up some veggie goodness in the upcoming weeks. My first dish is a delicious couscous salad.

Ingredients:

1 cup cherry or grape tomatoes

1 medium English (unseeded) cucumber, peeled, halved lengthwise and sliced

1/2 cup chopped green onions

1 cup dry instant couscous

1/4 cup halved kalamata olives

1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

1/2 cup of your favorite oil-based salad dressing (I use Gazebo Room Greek dressing)

In a small bowl combine tomatoes, cucumbers, green onions and 1/4 cup of dressing. Cover and refrigerate for at least 15 minutes.

Bring 1-1/2 cups of water to a boil. Stir in couscous and a pinch of salt. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff couscous with a fork and transfer to a large serving bowl. Allow to cool completely. Stir salad mixture into couscous and add remaining 1/4 cup dressing. Add olives, feta and salt and pepper to taste.  Toss completely. Serves 4.

Need more protein? Add grilled chicken or store-bought rotisserie chicken with the olives and feta.