Spinach and Mushroom Salad with Pearled Couscous

Lately, I've gotten in to salads that combine raw and cooked elements. I got hooked on a salad in Chico, CA that had marinated tofu, brown rice, and quinoa on top of organic greens. SO tasty. This salad may sound a little odd, but it works. Beautifully.

Ingredients:

• 1 box pearled couscous, cooked according to package directions
• 1 package organic baby spinach
• 2 portobello mushroom caps
• 4-6 cremini mushrooms
• 1-2 T olive oil
• 1 t fig balsamic vinegar
• pinch of dried basil
• 1/2 white onion
• 1/2 red pepper
• slivered almonds, toasted
• lemon tahini dressing*
• salt & pepper to taste

Preparation:

1. Saute the mushrooms in olive oil until tender and darkened. (It will look like you have a ton of mushrooms at first, but don't worry - they will cook down!)
2. Add fig balsamic vinegar, basil, and salt and pepper to taste.
3. In a separate pan, saute red peppers and onions in a bit of olive oil.
4. Cook the pearled couscous according to package directions, and toast the almonds in a dry pan.
5. To assemble, put baby spinach in the bottom of your bowls. Top with mushrooms, red peppers, and onions.
6. Sprinkle with toasted almonds, drizzle with lemon tahini dressing, and top with pearled couscous.
7. Enjoy!

Notes:

*For the lemon tahini dressing, I don't really use a recipe. The ingredients are water, tahini, lemon juice, soy sauce, nutritional yeast, and garlic or garlic powder. I usually mix everything but the water together first, taste test it, adjust, and then add water to thin to desired consistency. Note that if you use raw garlic, use it sparingly - it's much stronger than powdered or granulated garlic!