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Full of vibrant color and fresh flavors, this Mediterranean inspired Holiday Couscous Salad is made with juicy red pomegranate seeds, mandarin orange slices, feta cheese, pistachios, parsley and mint. It makes a stunning holiday side dish!
It’s then tossed in a tangy, citrus dressing made with Lemon-Ginger Apple Cider Vinegar and omega-3 rich Udo’s Oil from Flora.
Serve this salad as a standalone side dish on your holiday table or over mixed greens. With festive colors like red and green, it’s perfect for the holidays, but it’s delicious and light enough to enjoy year round.
And the best part is it can be ready and on the table in 20 minutes.
Let’s get cooking!
The Salad Ingredients
- Couscous
- Pomegranate seeds
- Pistachios (roasted + salted + shelled)
- Crumbled feta cheese
- Parsley + Mint
Couscous: One cup of dry couscous will yield about 2 cups of cooked couscous. One cup dry is all you need for this recipe. Couscous is usually cooked with water, but you can use veggie or chicken broth for more flavor.
Pomegranate Seeds: Pomegranate seeds are rich in vitamin C, antioxidants, and fiber.
One pomegranate will yield over 1 cup to 1 1/3 of seeds. You only need about ½ cup for this recipe.
💡 Tip: Did you know the ripest pomegranates have flattened sides and aren’t perfectly round? For best taste and the juiciest seeds, choose large, firm and heavier pomegranates that have an outer skin that is smooth and blemish-free.
Mandarin Oranges: Slice some up for the top of the salad and reserve some so you can add some juice to the dressing. Smaller oranges slice up nicely for this salad, but any type of orange will do – such as tangerines and clementines. Blood oranges would also be a lovely choice.
Fennel: This Mediterranean veggie in the carrot family is optional, but it adds a nice crunchy texture and fresh anise flavor to this salad. Cut the frilly top off leaving only the bulb. Then cut out the hard core and slice the remaining bulb thinly.
Crumbled Feta Cheese: Use a plant-based feta to make this salad vegan-friendly.
Pistachios: Roasted and salted adds a nice flavor and texture contrast. They’re heart-healthy, antioxidant, fiber and protein-rich.
The Dressing Ingredients
Lemon + Orange Juice: Fresh and tangy citrus juices add some bright citrusy flavor. You can enhance the flavor even more by adding zest to the dressing as well. If you’re adding the zest, it’s best to use an organic lemon.
Udo’s Oil 3·6·9 Blend: Adding this sustainably sourced certified organic buttery tasting oil made of a blend of oils, including organic flax, sesame, and sunflower seed oils, gives this dressing a rich, smooth and nutty texture. It also adds a boost of plant-based essential fatty acids and provides 6 grams of omega-3 fatty acids per serving in an optimal 2/1 ratio. Most of us can use more omega-3s in our diet and Udo’s is a great way to do it!
Flora Health Lemon-Ginger ACV: This tasty organic lemon and ginger flavored is a tonic more than a straight ACV. It’s a delicious, lightly sweetened tonic with a blend of digestive supporting apple cider vinegar and antioxidant, body cleansing herbs.
It’s tangy, complex and lightly sweetened with apple juice. That means you don’t have to add any extra sweeteners to the dressing.
It’s also Organic + Non-GMO + Gluten-Free + Vegan!
Salt + Pepper
How to Cook the Couscous
Cooking couscous is so easy!
It’s simply a 1:1 ratio of couscous to water. For this salad we’ll need 1 cup of water to a boil and then add in 1 cup of dry couscous. Stir it, remove it from heat, and let it sit covered with a lid for 5-10 minutes undisturbed.
Then remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Allow it cool completely before mixing with the other salad ingredients.
For guidance you can always follow the directions on the box.
How to Make and Serve The Salad
-
- Cook the Couscous
- Make the Dressing: To make the dressing, whisk together the Udo’s Oil, Lemon-Ginger Apple Cider Vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl or jar and then set aside.
- Toss and Dress the Salad: Spoon couscous mixture in a large bowl and toss with the pomegranate seeds, pistachios, fennel, feta, parsley and mint and dressing.
- Plate to Serve: Transfer it to a serving bowl or dish and for a stunning presentation top with the oranges, more pomegranate seeds, pistachios. Add a touch more feta on top if desired.
Tips
- The couscous will stick to the oranges. For a nice presentation, top the salad with them at the end.
- For more flavor, cook your couscous with veggie or chicken broth instead of water.
Get The Recipe!
Couscous Salad With Pomegranate. Easy Recipe!
Ingredients
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE DRESSING
- 1 lemon juiced with zest (about ¼-⅓ cup)
- ¼ cup Flora Lemon-Ginger Apple Cider Vinegar
- ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon Udo's Oil
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ¼ teaspoon salt + pepper
- INGREDIENTS FOR THE SALAD
- 1 cup of dry couscous
- ½ cup pomegranate seeds divided
- 2 scallions chopped
- 1 fennel bulb sliced (optional)
- 4 Mandarin oranges sliced
- ⅓ cup pistachios, roasted + salted, divided
- ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese divided (may sub plant-based feta)
- ¼ cup mint chopped
- ¼ cup chopped parsley
- ½ teaspoon salt divided
DIRECTIONS
- Cook the Couscous: Bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add couscous and stir. Remove from heat, and let sit covered with a lid for 5 minutes. Then remove the lid and fluff the couscous with a fork. Allow to cool. Drizzle with 1 tablespoon of Udo’s Oil or olive oil.
- Making the Dressing: Whisk together the Udo’s Oil, Lemon-Ginger Apple Cider Vinegar, lemon juice, orange juice, salt and pepper in a small bowl or jar. Set aside.
- Making the Salad: Add the couscous with 1/3 cup pomegranate seeds, 1/4 cup feta cheese, ¼ cup pistachios, the fennel, parsley, and mint in a large bowl. Toss with ½ the dressing to coat.
- Serving: Transfer to a wide shallow serving bowl sprinkle with the feta. To finish, garnish with the orange slices, remaining pomegranate seeds and pistachios. Drizzle with more dressing if desired or serve on the side for guests.
Notes
💡 Visit FloraHealth.com for Udo’s Oil 3·6·9 Blend and Ginger Lemon Apple Cider Vinegar
