Couscous, Raspberry and Feta Salad

I made this salad for dinner last night.  It was inspired by a recipe in "Salads", a cookbook I got last summer from Aldi's for $4.99.  It was pretty simple, but easy, filling, and refreshing.  Definitely a keeper for the summer.

You need couscous, follow the recipe on the box.  My box said it served 3, but it was plenty for the 4 of us.

Some toasted pine nuts (I think any kind of nuts would be fine)

The recipe in the book called for a thinly sliced zucchini, but my zuke (the reason I was going to make the recipe!) had degenerated into serious slime in the fridge, so I had to improvise and lightly steamed a small amount of broccoli side shoots from my garden, and some asparagus cut into sections.

Mix all this with the couscous and add about a cup of feta cheese, some grated lemon zest, and a cup of raspberries (I used frozen from last year's harvest, but fresh would be best), and a small handful of fresh basil (I used some fresh basil and also some fresh mint from my herb garden).

Then I made a sprightly vinaigrette with juice from a lemon, 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar, 1 tablespoon of apple cider vinegar (the recipe called for white wine vinegar, of which I had none), 4 tablespoons of olive oil, and salt and pepper and pore onto the salad.

I think this would be a fabulous summer main dish with shrimp added to it, or some cold grilled or rotisserie chicken.  I think it might be good with rice instead of couscous, but couscous is so simple to cook (soak in water that was boiling for 5 minutes).

Linked to Eat At Home