Asparagus Couscous Salad

This is a healthy and delicious recipe that’s sure to delight vegetarians and even non-vegetarians.

12 asparagus spears, cut into 1-inch pieces
1 cup frozen green peas
2 oz. snow peas, trimmed and cut diagonally in half
2 medium-sized carrots, peeled and cut into 2-inch long thin strips
2 tomatoes, diced into small pieces
4 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, finely sliced
4 cups uncooked Israeli couscous
2 cups vegetable stock (or canned vegetable broth)
1 tbsp lemon juice
soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Boil water in a pan. Place asparagus, frozen peas, snow peas, carrots and tomatoes in boiling water. Cook for about 4 minutes. Drain vegetables and then set aside.

In a pan, heat olive oil. Add onion slices. Cook for 2 to 4 minutes or until onion slices are tender and then set aside. Cook the couscous based on package directions, but use vegetable stock (or broth) instead of water. When couscous is ready, fluff it up with fork and mix it in with the onions in the pan. Add the cooked vegetables and stir. Add a tablespoon of lemon juice and add in soy sauce, salt and pepper to taste.

Asparagus Factoids

• The Greeks were the first people to gather wild asparagus on the Eastern Mediterranean shores. By 200BC, asparagus was being cultivated by the Romans. Asparagus was brought to the New World by the first settlers.
• Regarded in many cultures as an aphrodisiac, asparagus is mentioned in early Greek, Chinese and East Indian poetry and literature.
• Asparagus is incredibly healthy: it’s packed with calcium, phosphorus and potassium. It’s a low calorie veggie too! Six medium asparagus spears only have 20 calories – that is, if you eat them unbuttered.
• If you want to grow asparagus in your garden, keep in mind that your first asparagus harvest is about two years away! But once you get your asparagus bed going and give it proper care, it can supply you with all the asparagus you’ll ever need for the next 15 years or more.

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