Nothing beats a one-dish dinner. It saves both time and energy, and you can throw it into bowls and head out to the patio with a glass of wine in your other hand. This salad is delightful warm or chilled, not to mention filling and full of healthy ingredients. As with any recipe, I encourage you to mix and match to suit your tastes. The easiest way to begin doing that is to make basic, intuitive swaps. 

Don’t eat fish? Use grilled chicken or tempeh.

Can’t find pumpkin seeds? How about walnuts or toasted almonds?

Arugula’s not your jam? Spinach to the rescue.

One-Dish Summer Salad:

3 cups cooked Middle Eastern Couscous (any cooked grain will work.  Try Quinoa, Barley, Rice, Farro, whatever you’ve got hanging around in a jar)

12 oz. smoked salmon, broken into big chunks

2 ears sweet corn, grilled or boiled and cut off the cob

1/2 a red onion, julienned (if you find raw onion too strong, try soaking the sliced onion in ice water for 30 minutes first)

1 large, ripe tomato, diced

1/2 C. dried cranberries

1/2 C. toasted pumpkin seeds

3 big handfuls arugula

1/4 C olive oil

juice of 1 lemon

S & P

Prepare anything you necessary in advance – cook your grain, grill your corn, etc.  Once everything in ready, just toss it all together in a large bowl with plenty of salt and pepper. VIOLA!