Pasta Salad Series: Vegan Couscous Salad

Summer!  It is hot as all get out in Houston; summer started for us back in April.  The searing temperatures make me alter my ways of cooking.  Pasta salads are the way I like to roll (and eat) half of the time.  Just make a huge batch and eat it through the week.  Like many savory dishes, like chili, it gets better with time.  I added garbanzo beans to mine to make it a more complete dish, but can be eaten solo.  Here is one that I just threw together with the ingredients that I had.

Serving size: 6-8 people

INGREDIENTS

- 3 tbsp olive oil

- Israeli or regular couscous

- Vegetable broth (follow directions on the box)

- 3-4 raw vegetables of your choice, chopped (I used an orange bell pepper, asparagus and red onion)

- 1/2 cup of chopped fresh parsley

- 1 cup of garbanzo beans (optional)

- 1/4 cup red wine vinegar (lemon juice would be a great substitute)

- 1 tsp dried oregano

- 1 tbsp honey

- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste

DIRECTIONS

- In a medium pot, heat olive oil over medium heat.

- Add couscous and stir to toast until they achieve a light brown color.

- Add appropriate amount of vegetable broth (per the directions on box) and bring to a boil.  Reduce to a simmer and cook according to the directions.  DO NOT WALK AWAY FROM YOUR COUSCOUS.  STIR FREQUENTLY OR IT WILL STICK LIKE A MOTHER.

- Remove from heat and allow to cool off slightly.

- In a large bowl, combine vinegar, oregano and honey.  Whisk to blend.  

- Drizzle the extra virgin olive oil while whisking vigorously.  Add salt and pepper to taste.

- Add veggies, parsley and cooled couscous to the dressing.  Toss to combine.  Salt and pepper, if needed.

Tomato and Basil Bruschetta

Whether it's pronounced "brews-keh-tah" or "brew-shet-tah," this recipe is simple and delicious.  It's basically toasted bread with a fantastic raw salad.  You can easily make this vegan by solely using olive oil to brown the bread.  Keep this one simple and leave the fancy techniques for another occasion.

If you've seen "Julie & Julia," this dish was inspired by one of the scenes.  Julie makes this dish right before deciding to start a blog.  

2 of 3 dishes from my Late Summer Supper Spectacular

Serves 4 or 2 hungry people

INGREDIENTS

- 1/2 of an italian round bread

- Olive oil

- 2 tbsp unsalted butter

- 4 tomatoes, chopped

- 1/2 cup of yellow cherry tomatoes

(other yummy alternatives: heirloom tomatoes - if you're feeling ritzy)

- 1/3 cup English cucumber, chopped

- 1 cup fresh basil, chopped

- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil

- Kosher salt 

- Freshly ground black pepper

DIRECTIONS

Wash the vegetables and basil.  Chop and place in a large bowl.  Drizzle with a healthy amount of extra virgin olive oil and toss to combine.  Do not season with salt and freshly ground black pepper until you're ready to serve.

Slice the bread into 1/2-1" pieces.  Add olive oil and butter to a cast iron pan over medium/low heat.

If you're like me, you'll smell the bread first before slicing it.  I love the smell of bread!

Toast until they're golden brown on each side.

 Serve the tomato and basil salad on top of the toast.  Enjoy!