Greek Couscous Salad

Greek Couscous Salad

Ingredients

1 1/4 cups couscous
1 1/2 cups chicken broth
5 medium black olives, finely chopped
2 medium tomato, chopped
1 medium cucumber, chopped
1/2 medium zucchini squash, chopped
1 cup feta cheese, crumbled
2 Tablespoons Greek Spice Mix (found at Penzey's)
2 Tablespoons water
1 teaspoon sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1/2 cup red wine vinegar
1 bunch spinach leaves, torn

Directions

1. In a large saucepan, bring the chicken broth to a boil. Add the couscous (I like to use whole wheat couscous bought at the health food store.) Bring back to a boil, remove from heat and cover. Let sit for 5 or so minutes, until all broth is absorbed. Fluff with a fork. You can also use prepackaged couscous, just follow the package directions and make the entire box. After the couscous has cooked, cool to room temp.

2. Chop the tomato, cucumbers and zucchini. You can use halved cherry tomatoes instead of chopped tomatoes if you'd like.

3. In a small bowl, mix the Greek Spice Mix, sugar and the water together. Let sit for 5 minutes. Whisk in the olive oil and red wine vinegar. Let the dressing sit for about 5 minutes.

4. In a large bowl, mix the cooled couscous, feta cheese and the chopped vegetables. Rewhisk the dressing and pour over the couscous mixture. Chill.

5. Tear the spinach leaves into bite sized pieces and place on a plate. Serve the couscous salad on top of the spinach leaves.

Notes

Servings: 10
Notes: I use whole wheat couscous and fat free feta cheese (you can buy it at Sam's Club.) The nutritional information is not accounting for the whole wheat couscous or the fat free feta cheese. So there is a little more fiber and a little less fat when you use these ingredients. You can find Penzey's Greek Spice Mix here (http://www.penzeys.com/cgi-bin/penzeys/p-penzeysgreekseas.html )If I don't have the Greek Spice Mix from Penzey's, I use Ken's Steak House Lite Northern Italian with Basil and Romano. I know it's not Greek, but it works well. Any bottled Greek dressing would work well. You can add more or less vegetables according to your tastes. The spinach is optional...if you don't like it, don't use it!

Nutritional Information (from MasterCook 9)
Calories: 191
Total fat: 9 grams
Sodium: 307 mg
Total Carbohydrate: 21 g
Dietary Fiber: 2 g
Protein: 6 g

Food Exchanges:
Starch/Bread: 1
Lean Meat: 1/2
Vegetable: 1/2
Fat: 1-1/2