Bento box salad
YOU WILL NEED
200g couscous 250ml vegetable stock 1 lemon, juice 2 tbsp olive oil 1 large onion, finely chopped 4 garlic cloves, sliced 1 tsp ground coriander 200g sundried tomatoes, chopped For the salad ½ cucumber 1 large avocado 150g baby tomatoes, halved 3 spring onions, sliced diagonally Small bunch of parsley, leaves picked and chopped 1 lemon, zest and juice
DIRECTIONS
■ Heat a non-stick frying pan over a medium heat, add the couscous and toast for 5-7 minutes, shaking the pan occasionally. Tip into a large heatproof bowl.
■ Bring the vegetable stock to the boil in a saucepan, then pour over the couscous along with the lemon juice and stir well. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes until the liquid has been absorbed. Fluff the couscous up with a fork.
■ Heat the olive oil in the frying pan. Add the onion and cook for 4-5 minutes until soft and brown. Stir in the garlic and coriander, reduce the heat and cook for another minute.
■ Remove the pan from the heat and leave the onion mixture to cool slightly before stirring into the couscous with the sundried tomatoes.
■ Meanwhile, prepare the salad. Halve the cucumber lengthways and use the tip of a teaspoon to scrape out the seeds from each half. Cut the cucumber halves into thin, crescent-shaped slices. Place in a large bowl. Halve and de-stone the avocado, then peel and cut the flesh into 1-2cm cubes. Add to the bowl with the tomatoes, spring onions, parsley, lemon zest and juice, and toss to combine.
■ Pile the couscous into a dish or food storage container, make a well in the centre and fill with the salad. Cover and leave in the fridge until lunchtime.
Recipe and image courtesy of Higgidy: The Veggie Cookbook by Camilla Stephens (£20, Octopus)