This warm orange couscous salad is a unique and satisfying way to eat your veggies!
I love this meal. It's simple, really tasty, and it's how I like my salads... with carbs thrown in. Couscous salad could be accused of being boring as hell, but not when you throw in warming spices like cinnamon and turmeric to make the couscous cozy. And of course, the orange juice you cook it in really brightens things up!
You might have seen this post on my Instagram account. I created this recipe for a sponsored post with Florida Orange Juice. Of course, you can use any type of orange juice for this recipe, including freshly squeezed. But the kind in a jug is the most convenient!
If you want a refreshing summery version of couscous try my watermelon couscous salad here too!
ingredients
- olive oil
- pearl israeli couscous
- ground cumin
- ground cinnamon
- ground turmeric
- ground ginger
- sea salt
- orange juice
- medjool dates
- red bell pepper
- red onion
- fresh mint
- fresh cilantro
- dijon mustard
- white wine vinegar
- ground black pepper
- arugula
- roasted salted almonds
how to make orange couscous salad
In a stock pot, toast the couscous in olive oil until light brown.
Add all the spices and continue to toast another minute or so.
Stir in orange juice and salt. Cover the pot with a lid and simmer for 15 minutes.
Stir in dates, red bell pepper, red onion, mint, cilantro, olive oil, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and ground pepper.
Plate the warm couscous on a bed of arugula.
Top with chopped roasted and salted almonds.
warm orange couscous salad
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil, divided
- 1 C pearl israeli couscous
- ½ teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon ground turmeric
- ½ teaspoon ground ginger
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 ½ C orange juice
- 3 pitted and finely chopped medjool dates
- 1 C finely chopped red bell pepper
- ½ C finely chopped red onion
- ⅓ C chopped mint
- ⅓ C chopped cilantro
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon white wine vinegar
- fresh ground black pepper, to taste
- 4 C arugula
- ⅓ C roasted salted almonds, roughly chopped
Instructions
- Heat a pot over medium heat with 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Toast the couscous until light brown for about 3 to 4 minutes.
- Stir in cumin, cinnamon, turmeric, and ginger and toast another minute or two.
- Add orange juice and sea salt, stir to combine and cover with a lid. It will take about 15 minutes for the couscous to cook and absorb most of the liquid.
- Turn off the heat and stir in dates, red bell pepper, red onion, mint, cilantro, 1 tablespoon olive oil, dijon mustard, white wine vinegar, and ground pepper to taste.
- Plate the warm couscous on a bed of arugula for each serving and top with chopped almonds.
Lauren Toyota
Lauren is a plant-based powerhouse, a former TV host turned wildly successful food creator, best-selling cookbook author, and the woman responsible for making vegan comfort food a thing worth craving. Through her blog and YouTube channel, hot for food, she’s amassed a dedicated following by recreating all the nostalgic, indulgent dishes we love—mac & cheese, burgers, cinnamon rolls—but making them entirely plant-based. No compromise on taste, no weird ingredients, just damn good food.