|

Platter Salad

The weather here has been amazing.  Hot. Hot. Hot.  Bring on the heat!  Summer is here!  Because the weather is so fantastic, we’ve been spending a lot of time at the beach.  But this also makes dinner time a bit of a challenge. I don’t feel much like cooking on hot days, and we all don’t have big appetites because it’s so dang hot. This is when salads are the best!

Platter Salad

I love the idea of salads on a platter – it’s a fun way (especially for kids) to make your own salad to your own taste.  And it looks fancy.  Much fancier than it is!  The idea with this salad is to use what you already have at home – real life and real food.  I just opened up my fridge and found simple veggies, then cooked up some Israeli couscous to serve over the salad.  Delish.

Platter Salad

I am going to be making a few different kinds of these platter salads this summer (stay tuned)! This was our first one, which I served along side a BBQ chicken.  Now on to the salad!  There are 3 parts to it:  the veggies, the dressing and the couscous.

Print

Platter Salad

Ingredients

Scale

Dijon Vinaigrette:

  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 1 tbsp grainy Dijon mustard
  • 1/2 tsp ground pepper
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tsp red wine vinegar
  • 1 tbsp honey

Israeli Couscous:

  • 1 3/4 cup water or broth (I prefer to use vegetable broth – the end flavour is amazing!)
  • 2 tbsp butter
  • 1 1/4 cup Israeli couscous

Platter Salad:

  • You can basically use any type of vegetable that you like in your salad.
  • 2 chopped carrots
  • corn from 2 cobs (great way to use leftovers or just use 1 can of corn)
  • 2 cups spinach
  • 3 green onions (chopped)
  • 1 cup cucumbers (sliced)
  • 6 small tomatoes (cut into quarters)

Instructions

Dijon Vinaigrette:

  1. Whisk together all the dressing ingredients.
  2. Don’t pour the dressing on the platter!  Instead serve it separate so you can add as little or as much as you would like to your own individual salad.

Israeli Couscous:

  1. Bring the water or broth to a boil.
  2. Add the butter, and stir until it is melted.
  3. Add the couscous, bring back to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, covered, for 10 minutes.  Stir a few times.
  4. Then remove from the heat and let sit for about 10 more minutes.
  5. Fluff up with a fork before serving.
  6. Add a scoop of the couscous, either warm or cooled, to your salad!  Delish!

Platter Salad:

  1. Arrange all the salad ingredients on a platter for serving.

Putting the Salad Together: 

  1. Now it’s time to put your salad together…this is the fun part!  Assemble it any way you like – pick your veggies, add a scoop of couscous, then drizzle on some dressing!  Enjoy!

Follow me on Pinterest!

Mention @prettysuburbs so I can see what you made!

I hope you are all having a fantastic summer!  It sounds like there’s a heat wave everywhere!

More Salads you might enjoy:

Have a delicious day!

Similar Posts

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe rating 5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star

14 Comments

  1. yUM!!! That’s my kind of salad. There was this restaurant that I used to go to that served chicken tacos that way. All the ingredients lined up in sections on the plate with the tortillas on the side. I love to DIY my dinner 🙂

  2. Very pretty! But oh, Jo Anna, I can tell by the look of your veggies that you used a knife. Poor thing, how does your family cope? I find the chainsaw works so much better, something along the lines of what the Swedish Chef uses…it’s all the rage really. I’m not really sure why you aren’t doing it. Also, i can tell your couscous is over cooked. Baaaaaaaaaaaaaaa haaaaaaaaaaaa. Hugs, Lori

  3. YUM! The platter looks really delicious and fun to eat. Love all the colors and variations you have going on there. That must have sparked up the kid’s appetite to eat veggies! LOL

    We just posted a coca-cola cupcake recipe, check it out and let us know what you think! (how2home.wordpress.com/2012/07/10/how-to-coca-cola-cupcakes/)

  4. just wondering is Israeli couscous different than Superstore couscous, and if so, where do you get it
    Caroline, Calgary (south end)

    1. Hi Caroline! I buy mine from Costco – It’s Pearl Harvest Couscous, but I bet you could buy it at Superstore (I’m going to check next time I’m there.) As long as it’s Israeli couscous you can use any kind you find – it’s different than regular couscous though – Israeli couscous is bigger and the grains are more ball shaped.
      Jo-Anna

  5. Jo-Anna, this looks great! I love making salads this way; they look so pretty. Couscous is also a really yummy filler-upper for those who stick their nose up at salads for meals (aka most of the men in my family.) Thanks for sharing.