Couscous & French Beans Salad with Chickpeas & Cucumber

          This is a very healthy salad with the goodness of couscous, french beans, black chickpeas and cucumber. A great light meal for any weight watchers. I added some feta cheese to add a punch to the salad.

           I also gave a tempering of mustard seeds, dry red chilies and asafoetida, which was later poured over the prepared salad at the time of serving. It gives a complete new dimension to any ordinary salad. Just try it and you will not be disappointed.

• 1/2 cup couscous
• 1/2 cup black chickpeas, boiled
• 1 cup french beans, finely chopped & boiled al dente
• 1 small cucumber, chopped into small pieces
• salt to taste
• 1/4 tsp. pepper powder
• 1-2 tbsp. olive oil
• 1/2 tsp. mustard seeds
• 1 dry red chilli
• 2 fresh red chilies, chopped
• 2-3 tbsp. feta cheese, crumbled

          Add 3/4 cup water to the couscous and keep it covered for 10 minutes. Fluff it up with a fork. In a bowl, combine couscous, beans, chickpeas, cucumber, salt and pepper.

          Heat oil in a pan and temper with the red chilly and mustard seeds. Allow it to crackle. Switch off the flame.

          Pour this tempering on the prepared salad and top it up with the fresh red chilies and crumbled feta cheese. Serve immediately for a light dinner / lunch.