Mediterranean Salad

Whenever I travel I always try to seek out new cooking magazines and this recipe is adapated from a new Canadian magazine called Ricardo. Ricardo Larrivée is from Quebec and is a huge celebrity there and hopes to make his name known across Canada. If his recipes and pictures are anything to go on, I’d say he’ll have no problem geting the attention of foodies all across Canada. Ricardo is the only magazine exclusively about food in Canada. A dish packed full of vitamins and minerals. My kind of recipe!

Serves 4-6
2 red bell peppers, halved and cored
250ml (1 cup) hot chicken broth
15ml (1 tablespoon) butter
250ml (1 cup) couscous
1 can (540ml) chickpeas/garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1 litre (4 cups) fresh baby spinach, chopped
250ml (1 cup) fresh parsley, chopped
6 green onions, chopped
250ml (1 cup) snow peas, cut on the diagonal

Dressing
180ml (3/4 cup) olive oil
grated zest and juice of 3 lemons
2 garlic cloves, finely chopped
salt and pepper

Grill the peppers skin side down until blackened. Place in a baggie to cool. Peel and dice the peppers. Set aside. In a small bowl combine the broth and butter. Stir in the couscous, cover and let stand for about 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

In a salad bowl, combine the diced bell peppers, chickpeas, spinach, parsley, green onions, snow peas and couscous. Add the dressing and toss to coat. Season to taste. Cover and refrigerate for 2 hours.

The Culinary Chase’s Note: An easy salad to make ahead. I wasn’t able to get snow peas so I used blanched sugar snaps instead. Add more lemon juice and olive oil if the salad is too dry. You can also add a 1/4 cup of chopped mint for more flavor. Enjoy!