Israeli Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Original Pearl Couscous
• 6 oz. of fat free feta cheese
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
• 1 1/2 cups of roasted asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 1/3 cup of spinach (chopped into small pieces)
• 3 Tbsp. of fresh basil (chopped into small pieces)
• 2 tsp. of shallots (diced)
• 1/2 lemon, use juice only
• 3 Tbsp. of olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 2 tsp of pepper
• 1 Tbsp. of Drew's Rosemary Balsamic Dressing or and kind of Balsalmic vinegarette

Directions:

Make couscous according to the directions and place it in a large bowl to cool (about 30 minutes). In the mean time, chop asparagus into small pieces (about 1 inch in length) and place on a baking sheet. Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat all of the pieces. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy.

Place the feta, sliced tomatoes, chopped spinach and basil, and shallots into a large serving bowl. Once the couscous and asparagus are finished cooking and cooled, add them into the serving bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Mix all of these ingredients together. To dress the salad, add the juice of half of a lemon, 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, and balsalmic dressing. Toss all of the ingredients together until well incorporated. You can serve this salad hot or cold, either way it is very yummy!! Enjoy!!

**This recipe was inspired by Chef Kent Rathbun who taught the Central Market cooking class we went to called Make the Most of the Grill**