Monday, 1 March 2010

Sluttishly Savoury: Green Bean & Cous Cous Salad


Packed lunches might seem like a bit of a palaver, but they're better for you, cheaper, and much, much tastier than that same old sandwich from Pret.

I love cous cous as a lunch box filler - it's so quick to make and really filling. It's also great at taking on flavours from herbs or dressings, so let your imagination run wild.

This recipe was inspired by an Ottolenghi one for green beans with orange and hazelnuts. I've added cous cous to round it out into a proper lunch, plus mint and pomegranate for oompf and colour. I make it straight in the lunch box to save on washing up!

You'll need
  • 40g cous cous
  • A handful of green beans, washed
  • 10 hazelnuts
  • 1/2 an orange
  • Seeds from 1/2 a pomegranate (or buy a pack)
  • A handful of fresh mint
Make it!
  • Boil the kettle
  • Put the cous cous into your lunchbox, cover with boiling water and pop on the lid
  • While the cous cous is cooking, top and tail the green beans, then halve them
  • Boil the beans for 4 minutes, then drain and refresh under the cold tap
  • Roughly chop the hazelnuts
  • Zest and juice the orange
  • Pick the leaves from the mint and roughly chop, or tear if you're feeling lazy
  • Mix all the ingredients together with the cous cous and season to taste
If you're feeling particularly peckish, you can add some more protein. Tofu, chicken or even lamb would all be best friends with this dish.

3 comments:

  1. Sounds delicious! I love the Ottolenghi one – this is a great idea for turning into a proper lunch. Might even have to make it tonight…

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  2. Instead of making cous cous with plain boiling water, which can be a bit bland, I tend to add a vegetable stock cube to the water.

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  3. That's a fab plan - I'm not a huge fan of cous cous because I do find it quite bland. Will give that a shot to jazz it up a bit!

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