Couscous, Black Bean & Corn Salad

Couscous, Black Bean and Corn Salad

Adapted from a recipe on vegweb.com

Ingredients

1-cup Israeli couscous, uncooked (sometimes called pearl couscous, it's larger in size than normal couscous, but you can substitute regular couscous if you prefer, just follow package directions for cooking)

1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

1-15 oz. can black beans, drained and rinsed

1 cup frozen corn, thawed

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 yellow or orange bell pepper, diced

3 small or 2 large avocados, diced

4 scallions, chopped

3 tablespoons olive oil

1 teaspoon red wine vinegar

2-3 tablespoons lime juice, (more if you like it tangy)

2 teaspoons cumin

1/2 tsp ground coriander

1/2 tsp garlic salt

salt and pepper to taste

handful of cilantro, chopped

a pinch or two of chili powder

Directions

Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium pot. Add couscous, stir and cover. Simmer for 8-10 minutes or until couscous is al dente and water is absorbed.

Prepare the dressing in a large bowl by whisking together olive oil, vinegar, lime juice, cumin, coriander & garlic salt. Pour over couscous and toss to coat. (This prevents couscous from getting sticky and clumping together.)

Add the black beans, bell peppers, avocado, corn, and scallions to the dressing and toss all together. Season with more salt and pepper if desired.

Sprinkle a bit of chili powder and add cilantro at the end. Toss again and refrigerate to let the flavors blend. Serve chilled or at room temperature (my favorite).

This recipe is super adaptable. Change up the amount of spices in there as you see fit. You can bulk it up with another can of beans, or reduce the amount of couscous to lower the carbs. I like to use whole wheat couscous when I can find it. Cody likes to eat this on tortilla chips, but I think it's awesome straight from a bowl. I hope you enjoy it!!