Couscous likes things like dried fruit and almonds and “sweet spices,” turmeric, and ginger. It also loves mint, onion, garlic, allium flavors and broths and essences. It’s extremely versatile. This salad is a fantastic quick side dish or base of a main dish for a spring or summer lunch. As we move into onion and garlic and pepper seasons—you can add whatever you like to your leftover couscous salad.

Leftover Couscous (Or Millet) Salad

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2 cups of COLD cooked leftover couscous (prepare it according to package directions—tip—use a low sodium broth for more flavor) (If you have a gluten condition substitute cooked millet.)

2 tbsp of finely chopped yellow bell pepper

2 tbsp of finely chopped green bell pepper

2 tbsp of finely chopped red bell pepper

2 tbsp of finely chopped red onion

2 tbsp of thinly sliced green onion (chiffonade)

2 tbsp of fresh Italian parsley

2 tbsp of dried cranberries or golden raisins

Kosher salt to taste

Coarse black pepper to taste

(Use your own judgment with spices—I add salt-free herb or spice mixes to punch up the flavor and add color…you can do a pinch of this or that..but keep it simple and keep it sparing.)

¼ cup of red wine vinegar

¼ cup of extra virgin olive oil

1 tbsp of honey or light agave (optional)

Put it in a bowl and mix it. Add more vinegar or olive oil and cover and allow it to chill and set for an hour or two.

You can add almonds or peanuts, tofu or tempeh, meat, poultry or seafood to make this a more “main course,” salad. Mint can be substituted for parsley if you are serving it as a side salad.