Steamed Broccoli Couscous Salad with Almonds and Cranberries

There are many benefits to cooking in a Steam oven, but one of the best is the ability to cook multiple foods simultaneously instead of juggling various saucepans. Being able to place cooking containers in the oven and monitor the cooking with a timer means there will be no boil-overs on the stove. So you can more easily focus on preparing the other ingredients for the dish so that everything is ready simultaneously.

When you remove the couscous from the steam oven, set it aside to cool for a few minutes, then gently fluff it with a fork to avoid mashing the grains. 

If your oven doesn’t have small pans to cook the ½ cup of couscous, you can use a small Pyrex or other ovenproof casserole dish.

INGREDIENTS

½ cup whole wheat couscous (I used the Trader Joe’s brand)

½ cup water

2 large broccoli crowns, cut into florets, and some tender slices of the stem only

½ red onion, minced

½ cup dried cranberries

½ cup toasted almonds (toasted in regular Bake mode 350 for 10 minutes)

½ cup toasted pepitas (toasted with the almonds)

Dressing

3 tbsp olive oil

3 tbsp mayonnaise

1 tbsp Dijon mustard

2 tbsp apple cider or golden balsamic vinegar

PREPARATION

Heat the steam oven in the steam mode at 212 F (100 C) degrees. Place the couscous in a small solid pan and add ½ cup of water and a pinch of kosher salt.

Place the broccoli florets and stems in the perforated pan. Slide the pans into the oven and set the timer for 6 minutes. Remove the broccoli and set it aside to cool before adding to the remaining salad ingredients. Leave the couscous in the oven for another 6 - 8 minutes until all the water has been absorbed. Remove the couscous from the oven and set it aside to cool before coming with the remaining ingredients.

Combine the remaining ingredients in a large shallow bowl and prepare the dressing.

Combine the dressing ingredients in a glass measuring cup, mix well, and add a good pinch of sea salt and freshly ground pepper to taste.

Serves 4