By Samantha Chabior, RD
Can you believe that 2021 is finally here? I’m not going to lie, I won’t miss 2020. This has been a stressful year for so many people between dealing with a pandemic, sickness, lost jobs, and social isolation. But we made it through, and I have hope that 2021 will bring us much better things!
With a new year, often come New Year resolutions. If your goal is to eat healthier, lower your cholesterol or blood pressure, and in general optimize your diet to reduce your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, then I encourage you to download my FREE heart healthy meal planning guide.
It includes step by step instructions on how to meal plan, a weekly meal planner, and a heart healthy grocery list. It’s my gift to you for the New Year! And be sure to check out my article on 7 Life-Changing Heart Healthy Meal Prep Tips to save time on meal planning.
Now, let’s talk a bit about why I love this Easy Artichoke & Feta Mediterranean Couscous Salad recipe!
You’ve probably already heard about some of the benefits of a Mediterranean Diet, which is one of the best diet patterns for heart health. This diet is rich in heart healthy unsaturated fats, anti-inflammatory nutrients, and plant foods, which all combine to lower your risk of having a heart attack or stroke. If you want to learn more about the Mediterranean Diet then check out my article on the 8 Things You Need to Know Before Starting the Mediterranean Diet.
This salad combines key elements from the Mediterranean Diet including monounsaturated fats from the olive oil and olives, as well as antioxidant rich tomatoes and garlic. It’s full of zesty flavours that come from the lemon dressing which also incorporates dill and parsley.
This recipe does not disappoint!
In this recipe I used pearl couscous, which is also known as Israeli couscous as the base for the salad because it has a nice chewy, firm texture. Pearl couscous is larger than regular couscous and it takes longer to cook but it’s well worth it!
You could use regular or whole wheat couscous, however the effect won’t be the same. So I highly encourage you to try out the Israeli pearl couscous if you can for this recipe!
This salad is more of a grain side dish rather than a vegetable salad, and can be used to substitute your grain or starch for your dinner meal.
It pairs really nicely with a protein and another veggie dish. I personally loved it with grilled salmon and steamed green beans. You can also add a vegetarian protein such as chickpeas or white beans and toss it on a bed of arugula or spinach for a plant based meal. To make this recipe vegan, simply omit the feta cheese.
So if you’re looking to mix up your grain side dishes then this recipe is for you!
One of my favourite things about this salad is that it takes under 30 minutes to prepare and is super easy to throw together in three simple steps, but it gives the effect of a much more elaborate dish! It would be wonderful to bring to a potluck or serve at a family dinner event. It’s sure to be a crowd pleaser.
This recipe is definitely going into the regular meal rotation for our family dinners!
Easy Artichoke & Feta Mediterranean Couscous Salad
Ingredients
For the couscous
- 2 cups Pearl couscous
- 2 Tbsp Extra virgin olive oil
- 4 whole tomatoes diced
- ¼ large red onion finely chopped
- ½ large cucumber diced
- 2 artichoke hearts chopped
- 3 Tbsp sliced kalamata olives
- 2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil leaves
- ¼ cup crumbled feta cheese
For the dressing
- 3 Tbsp lemon juice
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tsps fresh dill chopped
- 2 tsps fresh parsley chopped
- 3 garlic cloves minced
Instructions
- In a large pot heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil on medium heat. Add couscous and sauté for about 5 to 10 minutes, or until golden. Add 4 cups of boiling water and cook for about 15 to 20 minutes (or as per package instructions) until water is absorbed. Once couscous is cooked, remove from heat and briefly run under cold water in a colander to allow couscous to cool.
- While couscous is cooking, prepare the salad dressing. Add lemon juice, olive oil, dill, parsley, and garlic into a small bowl, and whisk to combine.
- In a large salad bowl combine cooked couscous, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, artichoke hearts, olives, basil. Then pour the lemon salad dressing over all the ingredients and toss to combine. Finally, crumble the feta cheese into the salad and give it a few quick tosses to distribute it throughout the salad.
Notes
Calories: 348 kcal, Fat: 19 g, Saturated fat: 3 g, Carbohydrates: 38 g, Fibre 4 g, Protein 7 g, Cholesterol 4 mg, Sodium 149 mg (Note: Nutrition information for this recipe is provided as an estimate only and is generated using a generic nutrition calculator and may contain errors.)
