Mediterranean Couscous Salad and Award Time

This colourful summer Mediterranean salad is favourite of me and my hubby. My hubby, who always find an excuse not to eat veggies, also relish this salad. Mediterranean Couscous Salad is the salad. This low fat salad, but filling dish can be served as a side dish, or lunch or as a supper dish and can be cooked in a jiffy. It is great to take on picnics. Couscous salad is extremely versatile salad, once you know how to make it, you can add your choice of veggetables and herbs.

Couscous or Kuskus as it is known in Morocco is a Berber dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The granules of couscous appears like Broken Wheat or Daliya, but they are bigger in size than Broken Wheat. Couscous is a primary staple throughout Morocco, Algeria and Libya. Properly cooked Couscous should be light and fluffy, not gummy or gritty.

Source: Wikipedia

Ingredients
1/2 Cup of Couscous
1 Cup of Vegetable Stock / Water
1 Teaspoon of Butter
2 Teaspoon of Olive Oil
1 Teaspoon of Dried Basil
1 Teaspoon of Dried Oregano
1 Teaspoon of Pepper Powder
1 Tablespoon of Chopped Garlic
2 Tablespoon of Finely Chopped Mint Leaves
2 Medium sized Shallots / Vidalia Onions
2 Tablespoon of Chopped Olives (Black and Green)
1 Bell Pepper (Colour of your choice)
4 Chopped Baby Corns
2 Tablespoon of Sun dried Tomatoes
1/2 Chopped Cucumber
1 Tablespoon of Soaked Sultans / Kish Mish
1/2 Cup of Butternut Squash (Optional)
Salt to taste

Method:
1. Soak the couscous as mentioned on the packet. The art of getting fluffy granules of couscous is the method of soaking the Couscous. First time when I made this salad it was bit soggy, because I soaked them for a longer time. Then I tried the below mentioned method and they turned out perfectly well. In a pan boil vegetable stock or water, once it starts boiling add 1 teaspoon of butter and 1 teaspoon of salt and mix it in the stock or water. When the butter dissolves add the couscous and remove the pan from the heat and keep on stirring the couscous for a minute. When the couscous turns soft drain them by using a sieve. Let couscous cool and in between keep on separating them with the help of a fork.
2. In a pan heat the olive oil, add garlic granules and shallots aont ond saute for few seconds. Later add all the vegetables, and herbs mentioned above along with salt to taste and sultans. Toss these vegetables till they are partially cooked. Don't overcook the vegetables and let them be bit raw.
3. Now take your serving bowl and mix the veggie and herby mixture to the couscous and toss it well.
4. Keep it in the referigetor and serve it cool.

Note: I have not added Butternut Squash, but if you enjoy the flavour one can add the same.

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Ramya Vijaykumar has shared with me Kreative Blog Award, Ramya Thank you for sharing this lovely award with me.

7 things I say more often
1. Shut Up!!
2. Oh! My GOD
3. Gosh!
4. Chooo Chweet!
5. Simply at all!
6. Pleaseeeee....
7. Grrr......

7 things I did Before
1. Learned Dancing (Miss my Salsa and Jive Class).
2. Freaked out with Friends (Miss my days in Mumbai).
3. Listen to Radio till late.
4. Music Freak, Carry my Ipod everywhere
5. Organise Events (Typical HR quality ;)
6. Spend 3 Hours in Gym after my work
7. Fight with my Brother....

7 things I do now
1. Read loads of Books
2. Invite Guests over the place
3. Blogging consume lots of Time
4. Download loads of Song
5. Workouts
6. Experiment New Dishes on my Hubby ;)
7. Love traveling.

7 things I want to do
1. Start a discplined life again, not able to spend much time in the Gym now
2. Go back to my childhood days
3. Own a small cottage near the sea.
4. Travel the whole world.
5. Watch Olympics in the stadium
6. Have my own Dance School
7. Can prove to my Dad and Hubby, Ladies are better Driver :(

7 things that attract me about the opposite sex
1. Hazel Eyes
2. Witty Humor
3. Supportive and Understanding
4. Well Groomed
5. Articulate
6. Caring
7. Intelligent

7 favorite food
Now this is a difficult question, as it says only 7 and the list is exhaustive...
1. Thai Food
2. Samosa
3. Home cooked food
4. Chaat
5. Any Spicy Curry
6. Tiramisu Ice Cream
7. Chocolate and Walnut Brownie

I would like to share this Award with 7 Kreative Bloggers

Priti
Lubna
Anudivya
Rekha
Uma
Trupti
Jaishree

Adlak's Tiny World has Honoured me with Hard Working Blogger Award, Thanks Dear for such lovely gesture.

I would like to share this award with Fellwo Hard Working Food Bloggers

Ramya Vijaykumar
Malar
Ng33ma
Raaji
Viki
Gita
Lakshmi Venkatesh
Soma
Vij

Congrats Gals!! U'll Deserve this...

Adlak has also showered me with Inspirational Award, Good Job Award, Butterfly Award and Perfect Blend of Friendship Award.....Thank you Gal this means a lot to me...