Mustard-y Israeli Couscous

I had an incredible urge to make an israeli couscous salad with beets and caramelized onions and maybe a squash (no preference if it was warm or cold) this weekend, but managed to forget to grab some beets at the farmers' market. D'oh! I couldn't get to a decent grocery store to pick some up on Monday, so I shuffled my plans a bit. 

I picked up a nice bunch of arugula at the farmers' market and thought a few wilted leaves would go great with the couscous and onions. The rest of the ingredients found their way into the bowl as I started cooking. Thankfully they all played well together and made for quite a tasty dish!

Israeli Couscous with Arugula and Caramelized Onions

1 c Israeli couscous

1 1/4 c low sodium chicken broth

1 tsp butter

Pinch salt

Sprinkle garlic powder

1/2 can quartered artichoke hearts

1/3 c arugula, chopped

1/2 c caramelized onion

1 large zucchini diced

1 c mushrooms, diced

1 tbsp olive oil

1/4 tsp salt

1 1/2 tbsp Dijon mustard

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

1 tbsp champagne vinegar

1/2 tbsp rice wine vinegar

1 1/2 tsp maple syrup

Pinch tarragon

Pinch salt

1/4 tbsp olive oil

Preheat oven to 425. Toss zucchini, mushrooms, 1 tbsp olive oil and 1/4 tsp salt and scatter on a baking sheet. Bake for 10 minutes and set aside.

Whisk together mustard, vinegars, syrup, tarragon, salt and 1/4 tbsp olive oil in a small bowl and set aside.

Combine arugula, zucchini, mushrooms, artichokes and onions in a large bowl. 

Heat butter in a pot and lightly toast couscous. Pour in chicken broth, garlic powder and salt and bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and simmer for 8-10 minutes. Pour cooked couscous over arugula/veggie mixture while still hot so arugula starts to wilt a bit.

Drizzle about 2-3 tablespoons of mustard vinaigrette over couscous and toss. Serve immediately.

March ingredients used: arugula, mushrooms, onions

Definitely a random mix of ingredients, but I thought they went surprisingly well together! Even though this was a warm(ish) salad, I really liked having a light coating of the tangy/sweet dressing with the couscous and veggies. I was a bit worried about reheating this for lunch the following day (you know, being vinaigrette-ed and all), but it tasted even better! I think there was just enough tartness and bitterness going on. Totally worth testing out.