Couscous Salad
We love the Il Fornaio restaurants in California and we almost always end up at either their Carmel or Walnut Creek location when visiting my mother in the Bay Area. Unfortunately, so many of their delicious dishes are not vegan ( without alterations of course ) but I was surprised to find some exceptions this time. The Walnut Creek location was offering a large vegan couscous salad on their lunch menu. It was full of unique flavors, surprisingly filling and absolutely delicious so I knew I would have to try to recreate it once I got home.
So below, my version of Il Fornaio's “Insalata Regina”. This salad is sweet, tart, salty, and slightly bitter thanks to the abundance of arugula. Throw in some diced avocado for some extra healthy fat if you desire, but either way, it’s great!
I find this salad tastes best a room temperature so let the couscous cool a bit before tossing in the other ingredients. This makes roughly two large main course servings or four smaller side salads.
Insalata Regina - 2 to 4 servings
1 cup dried couscous
1 and ¼ cup of water
2 cups arugula
2 tomatoes, diced
1/3 cup red onions, finely diced
1/3 cup raisins ( dried currants could work too )
1 tbs capers, drained
Avocado, diced optional
Dressing
2 tbs fresh lemon juice
1/2 tsp lemon zest
1.5 tbs extra virgin olive oil
2 tsp Dijon mustard
½ tsp sea salt
Cook couscous according to the brand’s instructions. I usually go with 1 and ¼ cup of water to one cup of dried couscous. Boil the water and add dried couscous, stir, cover, and lower heat to a low setting. Cook for 5 minutes. Remove from heat and fluff with a fork. Let cool while prepping other ingredients.
Make the salad dressing - I usually place the dressing ingredients in a small mason jar, cover with a lid and shake until incorporated an aerolatte would work too. Store any leftover dressing in the fridge for later use if desired. (keeps about a week)
In a large bowl, toss cooled couscous with tomatoes, arugula, onions, raisins, capers (and diced avocado if using). I usually end up using 3/4 of the prepared dressing. Taste and then add remaining dressing if needed.