COusCOus alla Panzanella

I'm obsessed.  We just got new cable service and we now have The Cooking Channel.  Im in love.  I can't stop watching.  Just ask Bo.

So I was watching David Rocco's Dolce Vita the other day and he made this panzanella dish.  My thought process, "I dont have a carb for tonight's dinner, and I have all the ingredients for this!"  So I rushed into the kitchen and in 10-15 minutes it was done and chilling in the fridge for dinner.  And it tasted great!  I utilized veggies I had in the fridge, because really any veggie would work.  Bo enjoyed it so much that he added more veggies and some chicken and took it for lunch the next day!

 

Cous Cous alla Panzanella (Adapted from David Rocco)
I printed the recipe as is and put my adaptations to the side - this way you can see how easy it is to make lots of changes.

• 2 cups canned plum tomatoes with juices, chopped  (I used 1)
• 1/2 cup extra-virgin olive oil (I used 1/4 cup)
• Juice of 1 lemon (1/2 lemon)
• 2 cups couscous (1 cup)
• 1 red onion, chopped (1/4 onion)
• 1 red pepper, seeded and chopped (1/2 red pepper)
• 1 yellow pepper, seeded and chopped (1/2 green pepper)
• 10 cherry tomatoes, quartered (didnt have any, so chopped leftover asparagus and used that)
• Bunch fresh basil leaves, torn (didnt have any)
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• I also added 2 T red wine vinegar and 1 T honey to the couscous

Place the plum tomatoes, olive oil and lemon juice in a large mixing bowl. Add the couscous and mix thoroughly. ( I added the vinegar and honey now)

Since there is no cooking involved, it is essential that there's an excessive amount of liquid in the bowl. The liquids will act as a 'cooking agent' for the couscous. The couscous will absorb all the liquids, puff up and become very flavorful.

Add the red onion, red and yellow peppers, cherry tomatoes, and the basil to the bowl. Mix well. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Let the mixture sit in the refrigerator for a few hours for all the flavors to amalgamate.