• Skip to content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Zen & Spice

Zen & Spice | Dallas Dietitian Nutritionist | Food Photographer

  • About
    • About
    • Contact Me
    • FAQ
  • Work With Me
  • COOKBOOKS
    • The Everything Easy Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook
    • Kindred Table: Intuitive Eating for Families
  • Recipes
  • Blog
    • Intuitive Eating
    • Cooking
    • Mindfulness
    • What I’m Loving
  • Portraits

[Lighter] Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika & Salmon

January 22, 2015

It’s time for another Recipe Redux! This month’s theme: Start Smoking in the New Year. I’ll admit I did giggle a little before reading the description of the theme. But no fear– this month’s theme is all about using smoke and spiciness in our foods!

The New Year is heating up with smoke and spiciness. From boldly flavored smoked salts to actual smoking techniques, subtly smoked food is on-trend. The same can be said for spice as we savor heat from harissa, sriracha and smoked paprika. Show us the healthy dish you’re heating up with smoke and/or spiciness.

Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika & Salmon 6

My mom has a knack for finding really, really good recipes on the internet. She’s the one who first introduced me to famous foodies such as The Pioneer Woman and Giada De Laurentiis. My recipe today comes from the latter– Giada’s Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika. Whenever my mom would make this dish, you could pretty much guarantee that there wouldn’t be any leftovers the next day.

Giada’s version is packed with tomatoes, peppers, spinach, feta cheese, toasted almonds, and a delicious olive oil dressing. The original recipe calls for 1/3 cup of olive oil which = high calorie dressing. I wanted to remake this old favorite with a few lighter substitutions.

[Tweet “Check out this veggie-loaded Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika & Salmon! #reciperedux via @zenandspice https://goo.gl/kSRdRn”]

Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika & Salmon 1

The first change I made was to reduce the amount of dressing the recipe calls for and scale down the recipe size for four servings. I used 1/8 cup of olive oil and nixed the cherry tomatoes in favor of more roasted red bell peppers. Have I mentioned that I am obsessed with the roasted red bell peppers that come in the jar? I had no idea about these until recently and totally didn’t know how healthy they were– low in sodium and no additives! And I’ve been slaving away roasting my own peppers in the oven for years!

I also switched the cheese to fresh mozzarella for a soft bite and I didn’t toast the almond slivers. A salmon filet adds a tasty source of heart healthy fats and extra protein!

Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika & Salmon
2015-01-18 19:20:01
Serves 4
Save Recipe
Print
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
45 min
Prep Time
30 min
Cook Time
15 min
Total Time
45 min
Dressing
  1. 1/8 cup extra virgin olive oil
  2. 1 Tbsp balsamic vinegar
  3. 1 1/2 tsp smoked paprika
  4. 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  5. 1/4 tsp ground black pepper
Fish
  1. 2 small salmon filets
Couscous
  1. 2 tsp extra virgin olive oil
  2. 1 cup Israeli couscous
  3. 1/2 tsp kosher salt
  4. 2 cups packed baby spinach, chopped
  5. 1 small jar roasted red bell pepper, chopped (about 1 1/4 cups)
  6. 4oz fresh mozzarella, diced
  7. 1/4 cup flat leaf parsley, chopped
  8. 1/4 cup slivered almonds
  9. 1/8 tsp dried mint
  10. kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
  1. For the dressing: whisk together the oil, vinegar, paprika, salt and pepper.
  2. For the salmon: Lightly brush a little of the dressing onto the top of the salmon. Place on a foiled baking sheet and broil for 5-7 minutes until the salmon is flaky.
  3. For the couscous: Heat the oil in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the couscous. Cook, stirring frequently, until couscous is golden, about 4 minutes.
  4. Add 1 3/4 cup water and the salt and bring to a boil. Reduce to low and cover/simmer until the couscous is tender and the liquid is absorbed, about 12-13 minutes. Set aside to cool.
  5. In a large bowl, combine together the spinach, cheese, peppers, parsley, almonds and mint. Add the couscous and dressing. Toss until coated.
  6. Serve warm alongside the salmon or refrigerate and serve as a cold pasta salad!
Notes
  1. You could flake the salmon and mix into the salad as well!
By Emily @ Zen & Spice
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Adapted from Giada De Laurentiis
Zen & Spice https://zenandspice.com/
Be sure to check out the other spicy recipes this month!

[inlinkz_linkup id=480239 mode=1]

Emily Weeks, RDN, LD
Emily Weeks, RDN, LD

Hi! I’m Emily, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist and self-taught intuitive chef. I firmly believe that cooking is the simplest and most important step we can take to improve our minds and bodies and build healthier communities. Join me and let’s bring food back to the kitchen!

Filed Under: Dinner, Entrees, Fish and Seafood

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Rebecca @ Strength and Sunshine says

    January 22, 2015 at 10:42 am

    That dressing sounds superb!

    • Emily Hein, RDN, LD says

      January 22, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      It’s really delicious! I love olive oil/paprika/vinegar combos.

  2. Alanna says

    January 22, 2015 at 12:04 pm

    Yum! This sounds so light and satisfying. I absolutely love salmon and couscous.

    • Emily Hein, RDN, LD says

      January 22, 2015 at 1:31 pm

      They’re a great combination!

  3. Jessica @ Nutritioulicious says

    January 22, 2015 at 12:12 pm

    Mmm…that couscous looks delish! I love roasted peppers too and never slave away making them myself – why bother when they’re so good already in the jar?!

    • Emily Hein, RDN, LD says

      January 22, 2015 at 1:37 pm

      Haha yay I’m glad we’re on the same page! :)

  4. Francesca says

    January 22, 2015 at 12:33 pm

    Beautiful and the perfect addition to any entree!

    • Emily Hein, RDN, LD says

      January 22, 2015 at 1:37 pm

      Thanks! Glad you stopped by!

  5. Heather Mason says

    January 22, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    This looks great! I like Israeli couscous so much better than the regular kind.

    • Emily Hein, RDN, LD says

      January 23, 2015 at 9:50 am

      I love both kinds, but love Israeli couscous better for pasta salads! So good!

  6. genevieve @ gratitude & greens says

    January 27, 2015 at 1:46 am

    This salad sounds delicious! Love how vibrant it is. I’ve never actually tried Israeli couscous before so it might be time!

Trackbacks

  1. Recipe of the Week: Israeli Couscous Salad with Smoked Paprika & Salmon says:
    August 10, 2015 at 8:37 am

    […] recipe originally appeared on Zen & Spice and is owned and used with permission from Emily Hein.  Emily Hein, RDN, LD Hello! […]

Primary Sidebar

Meet Emily

I'm Emily Weeks, Registered Dietitian Nutritionist. I believe the path to a nourished, happy life is to develop a healthy relationship with food, our minds and our bodies.

Follow along for delicious, easy recipes and simple strategies to learn how to become comfortable in the kitchen and embrace mindfulness. Read More…

My Latest Videos

https://zenandspice.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/10/Shoestring-Potatoes_ig.mp4

STARTING A WEBSITE?

Copyright© 2023 · Dear Theme by Shay Bocks

MENU
  • About
    • About
    • Contact Me
    • FAQ
  • Work With Me
  • COOKBOOKS
    • The Everything Easy Anti-Inflammatory Cookbook
    • Kindred Table: Intuitive Eating for Families
  • Recipes
  • Blog
    • Intuitive Eating
    • Cooking
    • Mindfulness
    • What I’m Loving
  • Portraits