Couscous Cakes

Yield: 4 medium-sized cakes

This recipe is fun and versatile. You can mix up the cake seasoning and topping to suit your taste. Make this dish vegan by using flax meal and skipping the egg. Simply mix 1 TB flax meal with 3 TB water and set it aside to sit for a moment, then add it to the mix instead of the egg. Top these tasty cakes with the tomato/olive blend and serve them on a bed of greens or fresh baby spinach.

Ingredients for cakes:

• 1/3 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
• 1/2 cup boiling vegetable broth
• 1/4 cup crumbled feta cheese
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 1 egg
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• dash of salt and pepper
• grape seed oil for light frying

Ingredients for topping:

• 1 medium tomato, seeded and diced
• 10 pitted kalamata olives, chopped
• 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
• 2 teaspoons red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon olive oil
• salt and pepper to taste
• mixed greens or baby spinach

Preparation:

1. For the cakes, put the couscous in a small bowl. Add the boiling vegetable broth to the couscous, stir, cover, and set aside for 5 minutes.
2. For the topping, combine the tomato, olives, parsley, vinegar, olive oil, salt, and pepper (to taste) in a small mixing bowl.
3. In a medium mixing bowl, combine the feta, green onion, egg (or vegan substitute), Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. Fluff couscous with a fork and add it to the mixture. Combine well.
4. In a skillet, heat the grape seed oil over medium-high heat. Use a spoon or scoop to add equal-sized mounds of the mixture to the hot skillet (it may help to do two cakes at a time). Press on the mounds with the back of a spatula to make them 1/2″- thick patties. Cook them for about 2 minutes per side, or until golden brown.
5. Place the cakes on a bed of greens and top them with the tomato/olive mixture. Enjoy!