This salad is a stunner.

Couscous laced with black beans, corn, red pepper, green onions and dressed in a lime juice and olive oil dressing… How could that not be wonderful?

And, did I mention that it is fast to make? It can be on your table in 35 minutes, although I like to leave it to marinate in the lime juice dressing longer. The salad can be served at room temperature or chilled.

This recipe is adapted from one I found on the Allrecipes site. I used to love Allrecipes but, alas, the site has undergone a major remake in recent months and lost its way.

Recipe: Black Bean and Couscous Salad

1 C. uncooked couscous
1 1/4 C. vegetable broth
3 T. extra virgin olive oil
3 T. fresh lime juice
1 t. red wine vinegar
1/2 t. ground cumin
6-8 chopped green onions
1/2 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped
1/4 to 1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro
1 C. corn kernels
2 15-ounce cans of black beans, drained and rinsed
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
Stir couscous into boiling broth. Cover, remove from heat and let couscous sit until you have prepared the rest of the ingredients (at least 5 minutes).

Combine olive oil, cumin, red wine vinegar and lime juice in a large bowl. Whisk to combine. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat. I used my hands to be sure the mixture is thoroughly mixed. Add couscous to the bowl of vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. I think this salad is at its best at room temperature where you can enjoy the flavor of the olive oil in the dressing, but it can also be served chilled. You can also drizzle a bit of olive oil on the salad at serving time or spritz a bit more lime juice on the salad.

I sprinkled a pinch of whole cumin seeds on my salad and garnished it with cilantro sprigs and slices of beautiful fresh tomatoes I bought at this week’s Farmers Market.

Here is the link to the AllRecipes site: Allrecipes Black Bean and Couscous Salad

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