Quick and Easy Meal

When we were at the beach last week, we stayed in a condo with a full kitchen.  This was great because we were able to spend our mornings at the beach and then head inside for a quick lunch instead of having to drive around trying to find somewhere to eat every afternoon.  Below is the recipe for a simple summer "salad" that I made.

Summer Vegetable "Salad"
1 box couscous/quinoa (I used couscous because I couldn't find quinoa at the store)
3 carrots, chopped
2 zucchini, chopped
1/2 red onion, chopped
1 jar kalamata olives, pitted
1 container crumbled feta cheese
1 lime, juiced
cilantro
salt & pepper

1. Cook couscous or quinoa as directed on box
2. Chop red onion and saute in butter or oil of your choice (olive, sesame or coconut) until almost translucent
3. Chop carrots and zucchini into evenly sized pieces and add to pan with onion.  Saute until tender but still crisp
4. Chop kalamata olives in half
5. Add sauteed vegetable, olives, feta cheese and cilantro to the couscous/quinoa
6. Add juice of 1 lime
7. Add salt and pepper to taste
8. Stir

I apologize for not taking any pictures but, take my word for it, it was easy and delicious!  My sister-in-law, Quinn, can vouch for this as we ate it for lunch 3 days in a row.

I think this is great served cold in the summer but you can certainly heat it up before eating if you wish. 

Please remember that you can always vary the quantity and ingredients to suit your personal taste.  One alternative that I like is using cucumbers and tomatoes in place of the zucchini and olives.  You can also mix in fresh mixed greens or spinach (fresh or sauteed).     

For those of you that are super busy (and who isn't), this is a great dish to make at the beginning of the week.  You can leave it in the fridge and you will always have a great meal ready to go.

Enjoy!