Mediterranean Chopped Salad
Ingredients
- Ingredients for the dressing:
- ¼ cup olive oil
- 2 teaspoons honey
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- zest of 1 lemon
- 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 1 teaspoon dried oregano
- 1 medium clove garlic finely minced
- Ingredients for the salad:
- 5 cups water
- 1 cup Israeli Couscous
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon salt this seems like a lot but very little will actually be absorbed into the pasta. Add it now to season the pasta as it cooks, giving deeper flavor.
- 2 ½ cups cherry or grape tomatoes halved or quartered
- 1 large seedless cucumber usually plastic-wrapped; about 1 pound diced
- 1 medium red onion diced
- ½ cup Kalamata olives halved or quartered
- ¾ cup Feta cheese crumbled. We love French Feta but any kind will do.
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons fresh basil finely chopped
- 1 ½ tablespoons fresh oregano or parsley finely chopped
- 2 teaspoons fresh thyme leaves don't worry about chopping these
- ¼ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- For the dressing, combine all dressing ingredients in a glass jar and shake well to combine. Set aside.
- Bring water to boil in a medium-size pot. Add couscous, olive oil and salt. Return to a boil. Reduce to a steady simmer and cook for 8-9 minutes or until al dente. Drain well and rinse with cool water. Transfer to a medium size bowl.
- Add tomatoes, cucumber and red onion to the bowl with the couscous and stir to combine. Drizzle about half of the dressing over the salad and toss to coat. Add the olives, Feta, fresh herbs, salt, and pepper. Stir gently. Serve immediately or store in the refrigerator for several days. Remove from refrigerator about 30 minutes before serving to bring to room temperature.