It's giving cowboy caviar vibes, but with pearled couscous instead. This is my Corn & Jalapeño Couscous Salad, and it is truly delightful. It's a blend of pearled couscous, tomato, corn, avocado, jalapeño, and fresh cilantro with a simple lime vinaigrette.
As it gets closer to summer, I love making simple salads like this that I can easily pair with a lean protein. For example, this salad + a white fish would be a hit for any dinner. You can easily meal prep this and enjoy it for several days. If you are going to meal prep it, I suggest you add the avocado the day of so it doesn't brown over time.
This is a quick salad you can make for yourself in under 15 minutes. It's also a great dish to serve at a BBQ if you have no idea how to get some vegetables in! Serve it chilled and enjoy! Let's get to the recipe.
Yields: 1-3
Prep time: 12 minutes
Total time: 15 minutes
This recipe is dairy free, vegetarian, and vegan.
Ingredients:
1. 1 box of pearled couscous
2. 1 can corn kernels, drained and rinsed
3. 2 medium tomatoes, finely diced
4. 1 jalapeño, finely diced (add more if you like it spicier)
5. 1 avocado, diced into cubes
6. Fresh cilantro to garnish
Dressing:
1. 3 TBSP extra virgin olive oil
2. Juice of 1-2 limes
3. Salt
4. 1 TSP white wine vinegar
Instructions:
1. First, cook the pearled couscous according to the box's directions
2. As the couscous is cooking, prepare the corn, tomatoes, jalapeño, avocado, and cilantro. A tip for the tomatoes: slice into thin rounds and remove the middle. This way the salad doesn't become soggy since the middle of each tomato slice is watery.
3. Prepare the dressing.
4. Now let's put it all together: add the couscous into the bowl. Add the rest of the ingredients besides the cilantro. Pour on the dressing. Mix well.
5. Taste test for salt and add if necessary.
6. Once you serve each bowl, garnish with fresh cilantro. You can also opt for adding ⅓ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro to the large bowl, but I chose not to do that just in case some people don't like the taste of cilantro. Apparently 50% of people think cilantro tastes like soap!
