Courgette, Lemon & Mint Couscous

Zingy, minty & fresh

When you want something green, crunchy and fresh for a sunny day, this is the salad for you.

When it’s hot, all I want to do is eat salad, so last week I decided to make a fresh, citrusy salad. Here’s how you can make it at home.

Ingredients:
4 courgettes
1 lemon
10-20 leaves of mint (chopped)
1 cucumber
500g couscous
1 large white onion
4-5 cloves of garlic
50ml olive oil
Jar of Bold Bean chickpeas
Maldon salt + pepper

To make:

Start off by slicing your onion into fairly thin slices and cook on a low heat with plenty of olive oil in a pan. Add a pinch of salt, stir and leave to cook for a few minutes. Whilst your onions are softening, slice your courgettes in 1cm thick diagonal disks. Following by thinly slicing your cucumber in a similar size (and popping in a bowl with salt) and also slicing your garlic. This is a good time to get your couscous on. Just make according to the packet - typically 125ml for every 100g of couscous.

When your onions have softened, add your drained chickpeas and cook for a few minutes. Remove from the pan and set aside. In the same pan, add more oil and cook your courgettes for around 10 minutes, adding in your garlic around 5 minutes from the end to soften, but don’t let them go brown. Cook until your courgette is your desired texture and once cooked, take off the heat. It’s now time to put it all together.

Add your couscous to a big bowl, using a fork to break up any lumps. Add in your cooked ingredients, followed by the zest and juice of your lemon and some more olive oil. Season with salt and pepper, add in your mint and then it’s time to serve up! A great zesty option for cooler lunches and the start of al fresco evenings.