Couscous Salad

I ate horribly last week, so I'm trying to find some healthy options to cook this week. This limits the recipes I have to choose from, so the menu will take fewer risks.

Loaded up with raw veggies, Couscous Salad (pg 136) seemed like a good choice. I was afraid it would be bland, like so many diety recipes, but it was good. Really good. Good enough to become a staple meal. I love recipes that are perfectly spiced as written. I always find myself adding more spice than recipes call for just to make them taste like something. Not so, this time. The couscous is seasoned with ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and cumin, then tossed with raw peppers, sugar snap peas, raisins, carrots, chickpeas, and cukes. I'm not one to fawn over raw veggies, so I wasn't sure how this would come together, but it did, in crunchy glory. I'm really fond of how Dorie throws raisins into savory dishes. The shrimp were my idea. Clearly, I'm a culinary genius.

I'm glad that I halved the amount of couscous in the recipe (I ran out. I halved the seasonings and some of the veggies, accordingly), because this made enough food to fill a giant Pyrex bowl.

Matt liked it, but felt unsatisfied. He said it would have been great if it came with a loaf of bread or a steak. I think it's substantial enough just the way it is.

Conclusion: Liked it. It's not a dish that I expect to crave, but it's a good, healthy meal to keep in my arsenal, and I know I'll revisit it pretty regularly.