The weather was kind this weekend, Mr TS wandered off to Portland to do a bit of essential maintenance on the boat’s bottom, DG disappeared to the river with her chums, BB and I gardened, biked and played and my teen boys revised. Again. It’s endless. I’m going to write a parenting manual warning people of the fool hardiness of leaving a two year gap between children – it works really well right up to the point where they are sitting GCSEs and A Levels at THE SAME TIME! As I wrote for Tesco Living, there isn’t much I can do for them other than listen a lot and keep them well fed. This cous cous salad eaten under the shade of the apple tree is full of goodness and summer promise – the exams will finish, you will be free to enjoy the sunshine or to sleep until the afternoon but, in the meantime, get this in your tummy.
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Couscous Salad in the Shade of My Apple Tree
Ingredients
- 125 g couscous
- 200 ml hot vegetable stock made with 2 tsp vegan Marigold bouillon powder and 1tsp chilli oil
- 2 spring onions sliced
- 50 g roasted butternut squash I always roast more than I need for a recipe and freeze the rest for just such an occasion
- 100 g sugar snap peas
- 30 g vegan greek cheese or tofu diced
- Sprig of thyme finely chopped
- Sprig of parsley roughly chopped
- 2 tbsps dried cranberries or to taste, I didn't measure them out, I just threw in what I fancied!
- Omega seed mix the one I used included pumpkin, sesame, sunflower linseed and golden linseed
- 2 tbsp chilli oil
- 1 tbsp tamari soy sauce
- Freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- Pour the stock over the couscous, cover and leave to stand for 5 minutes
- Gently fry the seeds in the chilli oil until they just begin to change colour, add the tamari and sizzle briefly, remove from the heat
- Steam the sugar snaps for 5 minutes - you want them crunchy not soggy
- Fluff up the couscous with a fork
- Combine all the ingredients in a bowl
- Stir in the seeds with their oil and tamari
- Serve
Notes
Nutrition
This serves two as a generous lunch, four as a side salad.
Oh no…I have a two year gap too! I think you better get writing that manual!!!
I miss couscous being gluten-free, it used to be one of my Summer favourites rather like yours filled with lots of gorgeous colourful veg, feta & fresh herbs! It is not the same with rice I am afraid *sighs!
Love the fact you titled it under the shade of your apple tree! We have a gorgeous beech tree in our very small garden but I love the shade under it to, so relaxing!
I have a two year gap between number 2 and 3 too Ali, bad planning!
Can you eat quinoa? This would work really well with that! Our garden is very small too and I love the apple tree – I have a bench underneath it and it’s my very favourite place to sit 🙂
This looks delicious and funnily enough we ate something similar for dinner today. I have two lots of two year gaps also, didn’t think that one through at all!
This looks delicious and healthy, Chris (and i love the photos, superb), all the better for being eaten with daisy’s as table mats. Don’t think i could get cranberries past my 7yr old boy but i could replace for sultanas….in the meantime, i’m now glad that my two have a a 3 academic yr gap, even though they’re only 2.3 yrs apart…!