Black Lentil and Couscous Salad

This zesty side is modeled after tabbouleh, the Middle Eastern salad of bulgur wheat, tomatoes, cucumbers, herbs, lemon juice, and olive oil. Here, we use couscous instead of bulgur and add black lentils for color and texture. Serve chilled or at room temperature.

Yield: 6 servings (serving size: 1 cup)

Ingredients

• 1/2  cup  dried black lentils
• 5  cups  water, divided
• 3/4  cup  uncooked couscous
• 3/4  teaspoon  salt, divided
• 1  cup  cherry tomatoes, quartered
• 1/3  cup  golden raisins
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped red onion
• 1/3  cup  finely chopped cucumber
• 1/4  cup  chopped fresh parsley
• 3  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint
• 1  teaspoon  grated lemon rind
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 2  tablespoons  extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation

1. Rinse lentils with cold water; drain. Place lentils and 4 cups water in a large saucepan; bring to a boil. Reduce heat, and simmer 20 minutes or until tender. Drain and rinse with cold water; drain.

2. Bring remaining 1 cup water to a boil in a medium saucepan; gradually stir in couscous and 1/4 teaspoon salt. Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Combine lentils, couscous, remaining 1/2 teaspoon salt, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients in a large bowl.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

175 (25% from fat)

Fat:

4.8g (sat 0.7g,mono 3.3g,poly 0.6g)

Protein:

4.5g

Carbohydrate:

28.8g

Fiber:

2.8g

Cholesterol:

0.0mg

Iron:

1mg

Sodium:

322mg

Calcium:

31mg