This is one of my favorite summer salads.  It’s similar to pasta salad but lighter since it's made with couscous.  The cucumber and cherry tomatoes are refreshing and the lemon and mint give it a nice twist.  And who doesn’t love feta in their salad?!  Have fun playing with the ingredients to make it your own.  You can always use a tricolor couscous as I did here.  Use whatever tomatoes you have growing in your garden (or what you find on sale at the store).  I love these sunrise bumblebee yellow tomatoes that are like a red cherry tomato but much sweeter.  Go as heavy or light on the lemon and mint that you’d like but I’ve found this is the perfect ratio.  These are the two ingredients that make this salad unique and are the crowd-pleasers.  This salad is quick to make (easily under 30 minutes after you’ve cooked the couscous) and perfect to take to an outdoor gathering.  It pairs nicely with grilled chicken, burgers, or grilled shrimp.  

Recipe for Couscous Salad with Lemon and Mint:

Ingredients:  

• 2 cups Israeli couscous, cooked and cooled

• ½ cup cucumber, finely diced

• ½ cup cherry tomatoes, cut in half

• ¼ cup scallions, finely chopped

• 4 ounce crumbled feta cheese

• 1 lemon, zested and juiced, divided 

• ½ cup extra virgin olive oil

• Sea salt, to taste

• Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

• Fresh mint, about ¼ cup, chopped

Directions:  

Make the dressing:  In a medium bowl add the lemon zest and 2 tablespoons of the lemon juice and whisk together.  Slowly drizzle in the extra virgin olive oil while you continue to whisk so that the mixture emulsifies.  Add in salt and pepper to taste and whisk to combine.  Set aside.

In a large bowl add the couscous, cucumber, cherry tomatoes, and scallions.  Pour the dressing in and mix to combine.  

Stir in the feta and mint.  Refrigerate for an hour before serving to let the flavors incorporate.  If you’d like it more lemony, stir in the remaining lemon juice before serving.