Lunchtime: Couscous and Tuna Salad

For Lent 2020, The Jersey Girl gave up lunchmeats - you know, your standard deli ham, sliced turkey, etc.

For one thing, I just needed the processed content and salt out of my life.

Though Lent has come and gone, I have stuck with this decision to ixnay deli fare from my palate. As a result, lunchtime has become much more interesting. And I feel so much better that the salt and fake-food factor of lunchmeat is no longer in my bod.

This Israeli Couscous and Tuna Salad from Barefoot Contessa is an ideal lunch for me, particularly on a bed of baby spinach or mixed greens.

Good Italian tuna is mixed up with a whole lot of thangs from the pantry. The thing is those actual items - olives, capers and red peppers - already come with a bit of salt in them. So, I have significantly cut the amounts of salt called for in this recipe. Truth be told, I often do that. I really only follow salt measurements for baking.

I cut this recipe in half and it stayed nice in the fridge for a couple of days for my lunch purposes.

Like I said, it rocks on a bed of greens and I top it with just a teaspoon of feta. I recommend cooking your Israeli couscous as the package recommends. This recipe was easy to cut in half (which is what I did), and it still made enough to last me for three lunches.

Israeli Couscous and Tuna Salad

Serves 6 to 8

From "Barefoot Contessa: Foolproof"

By Ina Garten

2 cups Israeli couscous (10 to 12 ounces)

2 (7-ounce) cans or jars Italian tuna, drained and flaked

2 tsp. grated lemon zest (2 lemons)

1/4 cup freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 cup good olive oil

3 Tbsp. capers, drained

1/2 cup pitted, oil-cured black olives, coarsely chopped (3 ounces)

1/2 cup jarred roasted red peppers, medium-diced (4 ounces)

2 tsp. minced garlic (2 cloves)

Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

1 cup chopped scallions (6 to 8 scallions)

1/4 cup julienned fresh basil leaves, lightly packed

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Bring 4 cups of water to a boil in a medium-size saucepan. Add the couscous and reduce the heat to very low. Cover the pot and simmer for 12 to 15 minutes, until the couscous is just tender. (I pull the pot halfway off the heat.) Drain in a colander.

Meanwhile, combine the tuna, lemon zest, lemon juice, olive oil, capers, olives, red peppers, garlic and 1 Tbsp. salt and 1 1/2 tsp. black pepper in a large bowl. Pour the hot couscous into the mixture and stir well. Cover and set aside for 10 to 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Just before serving, stir in the scallions, basil, juice of the  1/2 lemon, and 1 more tsp. of salt. Taste for seasonings and serve warm or at room temperature.

Please note: The Jersey Girl uses way less salt than the Barefoot Contessa calls for in this recipe.