Fetta and couscous salad
<p>Apart from being an excellent source of starchy carbohydrate, couscous is a great background for other ingredients. In this lunch salad, both raw and lightly steamed vegetables are added to the couscous together with toasted almonds, fresh mint and creamy fetta.</p>
<p><strong>Serves:</strong> 4<br /><strong>Preparation:</strong> 30 minutes<br /><strong>Cooking:</strong> About 5 minutes</p>
<p><strong>Ingredients</strong></p>
<ul>
<li>1¼ cups (230g) couscous</li>
<li>300ml hot vegetable stock</li>
<li>170g slim asparagus spears, halved</li>
<li>2 zucchinis, cut into thin sticks</li>
<li>1 red capsicum, seeded and cut into thin strips</li>
<li>⅓ cup (30g) toasted flaked almonds</li>
<li>Handful of fresh mint leaves, finely chopped</li>
<li>170g fetta</li>
<li>Chilli dressing</li>
<li>3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil</li>
<li>Grated zest of 1 lemon</li>
<li>1 tablespoon lemon juice</li>
<li>1 clove garlic, finely chopped</li>
<li>½ teaspoon dried red chilli flakes</li>
<li>Salt and pepper</li>
</ul>
<p><strong>Preparation</strong></p>
<ol>
<li>Put the couscous into a large bowl and pour over the hot stock.</li>
<li>Set aside to soak for 15-20 minutes, or until all the liquid has been absorbed.</li>
<li>Meanwhile, steam the asparagus for 3 minutes.</li>
<li>Add the zucchini and continue steaming for 2 minutes, or until the vegetables are just tender but still retain some crunch.</li>
<li>Tip the vegetables into a colander and refresh under cold running water.</li>
<li>Drain well.</li>
<li>To make the dressing, combine the oil, lemon zest and juice, garlic, chilli flakes, and salt and pepper to taste in a screw-top jar.</li>
<li>Shake well to blend and emulsify the mixture.</li>
<li>Fluff up the couscous with a fork, then fold in the capsicum strips, almonds, mint, and asparagus and zucchini.</li>
<li>Pour over the dressing and stir gently together.</li>
<li>Crumble the fetta over the top and serve.</li>
</ol>
<p><em>This recipe first appeared in <a href="http://www.readersdigest.com.au/recipes/fetta-and-couscous-salad"><span>Reader’s Digest</span></a>. For more of what you love from the world’s best-loved magazine, here’s our <a href="http://readersdigest.innovations.co.nz/c/readersdigestemailsubscribe?utm_source=over60&utm_medium=articles&utm_campaign=RDSUB&keycode=WRN87V"><span>best subscription offer</span></a>.</em></p>
<p><img style="width: 100px !important; height: 100px !important;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7820640/1.png" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/f30947086c8e47b89cb076eb5bb9b3e2" /></p>
