With the beginning of a spring comes new ideas, new inspirations and of course new dishes here at Kitchen Belleicious. Spring to me is about getting rid of those heavy comfort food dishes that beckoned us in the winter and our course to more natural, fresh ingredients. While I just can’t do away with the butter, flour and sugar completely I can still provide you with exciting new healthy and refreshing alternatives to classic dishes. I am continually amazed at how restaurants are down right determined to take recipes we all know and love and turn them into some type of monstrosity where with one bite you are left bloated, full and guilty. The calories in these dishes should just be illegal in my opinion. Take the Parmesan-Crusted Chicken Salad at Macaroni Grill. 800 calories and 1,650 mg of sodium. Seriously guys? Come on, a salad is a salad. 9 out of 10 people eat salads for a reason and that is because it is healthy and nutritious. However, when you load those same salads up with bacon, creamy dressing, tons of cheese, sour cream- you name it then they can easily become the least healthiest thing on the menu.
Do you see where I am going with this? Yep, I have a salad recipe for you but its not what you think. No lettuce here but just delicious healthy ingredients that result in one mouthwatering dish! Fried Couscous Salad with Artichokes, Pecans, Celery and Red Peppers. It is light, delicious and completely satisfying as a side dish or main meal.
Doesn’t this spoon rock? It is a sample from the amazing online store I have told you all about called Restaurant Ware. They have an outstanding selection of products not only for restaurants but for food bloggers. Pictures are worth a thousand words and their incredible serve ware is everything you need. Next I want to get these acrylic skewers below. I am thinking they would look great with a surf and turf dish on the grill!
Fried but Healthy? What? Okay, stay with me here. Yes the couscous is technically “fried” however, you really could say it is just tossed around and toasted in the yummy leftover sauce after having sauteed the artichokes, red peppers, celery and garlic. What remaining oil is left in the pan has incredible flavor and is the perfect amount of oil to lightly “fry” the couscous. All that to say, this recipe just gives you a new twist on the classic couscous dish by bringing out the nuttiness and slightly crispy aspect of couscous.
Some of you may remember the post I did back about a company called the Wise Alternative. The Wise Alternative is a health business supplying everything from herbal supplments and vitamins to household cleaners and even products designed for healthy children. Jason from The Wise Alternative was gracious enough to send me a few samples to try back in January. The Love and Peas, Silver Shield Wipes and Real Salt.
The Real Salt is amazing! Salt without any additives, chemicals, bleaching, or heat processing of any kind. It has a slight pinkish appearance with the flecks of color coming from more than 60 naturally occurring trace minerals. I LOVE IT! Delicious and perfect for both baking and cooking.
The Nature’s Fresh Silver Shield Wipes are ideal for my kitchen countertops. I don’t have to worry about leftover residue on my surfaces and the harm of certain chemicals that most wipes are made with. When you have a toddler who is constantly grabbing things off the counter and eating off the table (despite that he has an actual plate in front of him) you need something that is safe for your children. The Surface Wipes are made from 100% biodegradable wood pulp, so they break down in time. And in place of caustic cleaning chemicals, they use Silver Shield to help disinfect the surfaces.
Last but not least the Love and Peas! Actually, surprisingly DELICIOUS! I am not usually one to go for the health food drinks and smoothies but when I received Love and Peas I was eager to give it a try. It provides 20 grams of vegetable protein per serving, its free from common allergens, dairy, lactose and gluten, contains a powerful antioxidant blend and offers a balanced amino acids. All you do is mix it with water. ( I added a tiny tiny bit of sugar but don’t tell anyone). Delicious! Really I Swear!
Bottom Line. I am loving the products from The Wise Alternative and I know you will too. Be sure to check them out when you get a chance and start this spring off in a healthy and environmentally friendly way and don’t forget to make this Fried Couscous Salad! It is Amazing!
- 1¼ cups couscous
- 1 stalk celery, chopped
- 1 red bell pepper, chopped
- 1 can of drained artichoke hearts
- ½ cup of chopped pecans
- 1 lemon, juiced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 4 TBSP olive oil
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp red pepper flakes
- ¼ cup parmesan cheese
- 2 cups of chicken broth, optional
- Cook your couscous according to the package directions substituting the water with chicken broth. This is optional- you can just use water.
- Saute the celery, garlic, bell pepper and artichokes in the oil for approximately 4-5 minutes on medium-low. Add in the chopped pecans and toast for another 1-2 minutes. Stir in the cooled couscous and bring heat up to high, cook for 5-7 minutes, stirring constantly til slightly toasted. Season with the salt, pepper and squeeze of lemon juice. Toss with parmesan cheese. Serve at room temperature.
This looks rather tasty. I wonder how a 3 and 4 year old will like it. I’m going to try this on my nieces!
Sorry to hear about the hacking 🙁 That is super annoying. What a great fresh salad! Love that you can throw in whatever veggies you have on hand. Perfect for spring
The recipe is printing out and all I have to pick up is a red pepper. I’m ready for the “salad days” of spring!
Sorry to hear about your blog hacking. How does one hack and what’s the purpose?
Do hackers have “followers”? Glad you got it all worked out.
Best,
Bonnie
I just pinned this. Sounds delicious!
Nothing makes me angrier than seeing what could be a healthy dish turned into a disaster by a chain restaurant. So unnecessary!
I’m loving this salad of yours, though. Totally my kind of meal!
This looks so delicious and I can’t wait to try this!
Sorry to hear that your site was hacked Jessica and your content stolen. Never fun, but I’m glad you were able to resolve things and give us another great recipe. 🙂
So sorry to hear about the hacking… I had a similar incident on my email too. Hope its been recovered now.
Thanks for sharing such a colorful cousous salad with all of us—so vibrant and packed with nutrition!!
Hi There,
This salad is looking so delightful and appetizing and I wud simply love to add it to my meals. Have a wonderful week ahead. Thanks & Regards, Sonia !!!
Its strange people can hack blogs,too.
The salad sounds (from ingredients) and looks delicious. I am going to do this with quinoa.
This couscous salad looks really good. And I love that artichokes are on this. Sometimes they go unnoticed. Love the flavors
darn hackers!!
This recipe looks delicious, I love the combination of vegetables you used with the couscous. This is perfect for lunch! !
PS. I am glad you resolved that hacking into your site. Everyone has to be careful – we live in a very dangerous world today.
Wow… sounds awful that your site was hacked! Glad you got it resolved though… I’ve never heard about frying couscous, but it sounds toasty & delicious! I love the ingredients you’ve used… Yum!
Yum, couscous “tossed around and toasted in the yummy leftover sauce after having sauteed the artichokes, red peppers, celery and garlic.” sounds delicious!
So good to be here, I have been having crazy crazy days for past 2 weeks. So I kind of missed internet… But I am here finally!!!
This couscous looks wonderful, summer really calls for recipes like this… I have a big packet of couscous unopened lying in my kitchen I am trying this recipe soon…
B/W it is sad to hear about ur blog getting hacked, trust me there are some crazy people out there stealing people stuff… God, i dont even know what to say to such monsters…
We love couscous and I am always looking for new ways to serve it, so thanks for this awesome recipe Belle.
🙂 Mandy
Love that combination of flavors! And I’ve got to check out that site all those items are right up my alley.
Mm, tasty 😉 Reminds me of a version I make, but without the pecan nuts. I like to tro put some slices of grilled halloumi on top. Not sure if you ever tried it with that, but I really recommend it!
what a great combination of flavors. pinning this. it sounds like a recipe i’d like to try.
Beautiful couscous salad Jessica! Love the lively color of red bell peppers and celery is popping out from the couscous. 🙂 Really beautiful salad!
Great recipe…that Real Salt sounds very interesting
This looks like something I would love to make and eat for my lunch throughout the week. 🙂 Delicious!!!
hi jessica, sometimes i envy you guys having 4 seasons there and appreciating the fresh food that comes in with every season, Ours here is just one season, tropical and when you talk about berries like that kind of stuffs, that can only be imported and very expensive. we do have local strawberries here though. I can see that your salad is a healthy one, roasted peppers and celery sounds great! i recently made a salad too but with some fried stuff, real fried stuff..not so healthy huh? hehe…
Wow, a beautiful bowl of salad! I have never tried artichokes before, both canned or fresh. The fresh ones are extremely expensive and I guess the canned ones would not come cheap either! Love all the combination that goes into this salad! Looks delicious!
oh dear, sorry to hear about the hacking- what a dreadful thing to go through! 🙁
looking at this, what a great idea to fry the couscous to give it a slight crisp! oh delish as a side I am sure.
So sorry about your blog getting hacked–that’s obnoxious! Don’t get why people feel the need to do that. Glad you’re back up and running though. This couscous salad looks delicious, and I LOVE that spoon!
Hackers, GGRRR… I don’t think I’ve ever had couscous before, I might have to try this. Ahahaha. I thought those were vanilla flavored peas! I’m like, seriously?!?!?! I had to go back and reread and look at it closer! =)
Your funny girl! Although if there were vanilla flavored peas that would be really neat to cook with!
This looks absolutely delicious! What a refreshing combination!
I am trying so hard to eat healthy, Jessica, and this salad will fit in nicely. It looks delicious!
Oh I am so sorry that you have had to deal with hackers! I had challenges this month with my blog and it is no fun! I am a huge fan of couscous and could probably eat it everyday. This looks so fresh and delicious and I am going to buy artichokes tomorrow so this will be a great recipe to try.Thanks.
I was just talking to another blogger two days ago about hackers on blogs. Don’t they have enough room on the web to “work” on?! Sorry you had to deal with the issues…
Lovely post, I love couscous and artichokes. And everything else blends well together.
Love, love the salad. This is what I love about cooking…it can be an endless variety of fabulous ingredients.
Sorry about your family blog being hacked (yikes).
Happy Spring to you.
Velva
the colors are beautiful, I love it when my food almost pops with different colors and textures, this couscous sounds really delicious and full of flavor
This is something perfect for my family! Bookmarked!
Sorry to know about your other site being hacked! I know how awful that is! Glad that you have resolved it.
Happy weekend, Jessica!
The couscous salad sounds terrific and will be a great addition to summer meals when we are entertaining guest. Right now we are still dealing with very cold temperatures and I am looking forward to warm days and light meals.
sorry about the hacking. some people really cross the line. glad you were able to resolve the situation. loving this couscous salad and great reviews !!
This sounds refreshing! The husband doesn’t like couscous at all. No matter how much sauce I put he always finds it dry!
Sorry to hear that your site was hacked but it is good thing you managed to resolve it.
Your couscous salad sounds so healthy and delicious! Love all the vegetables in it.
I am so glad things worked out for you and your new son, Jessica, despite the idiot healthcare workers. It’s sad to hear your system is as messed up as our’s.
That salad rant is exactly how I feel!i couldn’t have said it better! Your recipe has a delicious crunch and flavour combo!
Oh, yum! So much deliciousness in one bowl…love it! And I’m sorry about your blog hacking…that just stinks!
This salad sounds so good–I love the addition of pecans! I’m intrigued by that salt too, I hate that even the salt we buy at the store has gone through all kinds of weird processes.
Hi Jessica!
Looks great your coucous, I just bought a bpack that day and I was wondering what else I could prepare in thos hot days. thanks for sharing your recipe!
I’ve just discovered your blog via Maureen’s site. Couscous has to be one of the most versatile ingredients, lovely salad!
looks great like the nut in here
Another fearless recipe. I love this salad! The colors, flavors and texture all scream yummy.
Mmm.. delicious and colorful couscous salad. And thanks for the tip on The Wise Alternative 🙂
We love salads and I am going to definitely try this out. Gets rather boring to eat salad with some lettuce or other greens, sometimes. I love that you have used couscous with artichokes, peppers and pecans for that little crunch.
This looks wonderful! I would love to try this with brown rice or quinoa.
Have you heard of or tried The Wise Alternative gluten sensitivity formula?
http://glutenfreesoyfree.wordpress.com/2011/09/13/possible-solution-gluten-intolerance/
Please let me know what you know about it. 🙂