Pomegranate is one of my all time fave fruits. I love it when I find nice, super red poms that are bursting with sweetness, while at the same time being slightly tangy. When I was a kid, my grandpa would always get these giant pomegranates that we would gladly devour, but not so gladly de-seed. De-seeding pomegranates really is a pain, or should I say it used to be. Since I was a kid I’ve discovered that it’s much easier to de-seed poms under water, plus there is this other super quick and easy way to de-seed them within seconds. You basically need to cut the pom in half and then use a heavy spoon to whack it and the seeds just fall out! Yeap I said it, they just fall out! If you don’t believe me, check out this method in a quick video tutorial here. So now that you know easy ways to de-seed these amazing fruits, there is no excuse not to eat them! They are so good for you and besides just eating them with a spoon out of a bowl (my fave), you can also add these lovely red morsels into salads, yogurt/froyo, various desserts as well as many savory dishes.
Today I decided to get creative with the pomegranate I got and make a couscous salad with it. I think couscous is such a lovely dish, especially as a salad in the summertime. Add some pomegranate seeds, nuts, greens and a light dressing and you’ve got yourself a perfect side dish for a lunch, dinner or a summer bbq. When it comes to the dressing, you wanna keep it light. I created the dressing using lemon, garlic infused olive oil, little bit of salt & pepper, mixed italian seasoning, and some pomegranate juice from crushed seeds.
I still had some curly kale so of course I didn’t miss an opportunity to add some of my new green best friend in there along side of some slivered almonds. You can get creative with this and use different kinds of nuts, such as pine nuts or even pistachios! Pine nuts are the nuts commonly used with couscous, but I wanted to try something different so I used almonds. This salad is really a quick and easy dish that doesn’t take much effort at all. I think it would go amazingly well with barbecued prawns or fish in particular. Or you can do what I did and top it with a poached egg and some hot sauce and call it a meal! xoxo
Pomegranate Couscous Salad
by: Totes Yummy
Makes 6 one cup servings
Ingredients:
- 1 cups uncooked couscous
- 1.5 cups water
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- pinch of salt
- seeds of 1 pomegranate (mine came out to around 1 cup)
- 1/2 cup slivered almonds
- 1 cup fresh curly kale, chopped
For the dressing:
- handful of pomegranate seeds
- juice of 1/2 lemon
- 1 tbsp garlic infused olive oil
- 1 tsp mixed italian seasoning
- salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
Pour 1.5 cups water into a small saucepan. Add 1 tbsp of olive oil and a pinch of salt. Bring to boil over high heat. Once boiling add 1 cup of couscous, stir, and immediately remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5-6 minutes. Gently break apart and fluff the cooked couscous with a fork, then transfer to large bowl to cool. While the couscous is cooling, de-seed your pomegranate (check out easy de-seeding methods mentioned above). Chop the curly kale into small pieces and measure out your slivered almonds. Add everything to cooled couscous. For the dressing, crush a handful of pomegranate seeds then strain and keep the juice. Add the rest of the dressing ingredients and mix until combined. Pour dressing over salad and toss lightly. Serve immediately or refrigerate until needed. It will keep in the fridge for 3 days in an air tight container.
(Average nutrition per 1 cup serving: 200cal, 7g fat, 30g carbs, 2.7g fiber, 5.8g protein)
Making healthy choices totes yummy! 