Caribbean Cous Cous Salad

Caribbean Cous Cous Salad is a light and delicious “taste” of warmer weather!

I know it’s only early February, but I’m already dreaming of Spring.  It’s been a rough winter in these beautiful mountains I call home.  I now fully understand how cold single digit temps feel.  And it's not pretty.

After last week’s terrible snow & cold, I’m looking forward to temperatures being a little less frigid this week.   And since I’m fairly certain this spell of mild weather will only last a few days, I came up with a dish with a bit of a tropical flair.  With juicy mangos, crisp red peppers, hearty black beans, and creamy avocados this salad is just what I need to be thinking warm thoughts.

Come… join me… will you?  It’s 80 degrees in my mind… and next to my space heater.

This is an easy recipe to make ahead of time for a light lunch or a really unique covered dish.  I got inspiration for the meal from the blog, One Lovely Life where it is made with Quinoa.  Click HERE for the original recipe.

I used a slightly larger version of Cous Cous for more substance.  You can find it in the store called Pearl or Israeli Cous Cous.

You could even add chicken or shrimp to make this a little heartier of a main dish for dinner.

Caribbean Cous Cous Salad

Ingredients:

8 oz uncooked Israeli Cous Cous (I used the box from Trader Joes)

1 (14.5oz) can black beans, rinsed and drained

1 red bell pepper, diced

1 mango, diced

1 avocado, diced

1 red onion, cut in slivers

½ cup fresh cilantro, chopped

Dressing

¼ cup red wine vinegar or pomegranate vinegar

2 tablespoons olive oil

3 tablespoons lime juice

¼ teaspoon salt/ adjust to taste

¼ teaspoon pepper/ adjust to taste

Directions:

1. Cook Cous Cous according to directions on the box.  I toasted mine first!

2. Chop the pepper, onion, mango, avocado and cilantro.

3. Whisk together the vinegar, olive oil, lime juice, salt & pepper.

4. Combine all the ingredients in a bowl and toss gently.

Serve with a garnish of lime or cilantro!  AND pretend you are eating in the Caribbean… where it is warm and tropical… and never snows