Recipe Review from 6/4/12

A rather uneventful week that ended with a Duluth Huskies baseball game.  Was a perfect evening temperature wise until the wind shifted and suddenly what was comfortable became down right cold.  (Living next to Lake Superior you get used to it).  Huskies were ahead by 8 runs at the bottom of the seventh inning, it was after nine,  a good a time as any to head home. 

Summer always brings a decrease in the number of new recipes as we grill more and rely on green salads.  This was for lunch: 

Greek Couscous  (Ckng Lght Bulletin Board)
Easy to prepare.  I noted my changes on the ingredient list, which, in hindsight, are quite a few.  Made 6-7 servings so we ran short of lunches toward the end of the week.  I enjoyed the flavor of this dish, it was light on "dressing" which I prefer, bright and flavorful, perfect for pack-n-go.  I had this with fresh fruit as a side, but some crackers would be good too.
1 1/2 cups water
1 cup uncooked couscous  (I used Israeli couscous and followed cooking directions on pkg) 
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 1/2 cups diced plum tomatoes   (I used cherry tomatoes because they don't make things so soggy)
1 cup diced peeled cucumber    (I used  zucchini; not wild about cucumber. Doesn't make salad as soggy either)
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/4 cup small ripe olives, halved
3 tablespoons diced red onion   (skipped; for lunches - no reason to offend co-workers with after lunch onion breath)
1 (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
1/4 cup water    (really? 1/4 water? Are we trying to drown this recipe in blandness? I used 1/4 cup red wine vinegar)
3 tablespoons lemon juice  (omitted because I used vinegar)
1 1/2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon coarsely ground pepper

Bring 1 1/2 cups water to a boil in a medium saucepan; stir in couscous and oregano.  Cook Israeli couscous according to direction on pkg.  Remove from heat; cover and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork [AND LET COOL].   Combine couscous, tomatoes, and next 5 ingredients (tomatoes through chickpeas) in a bowl; set aside.

Combine 1/4 cup water [vinegar] and remaining ingredients; stir well with a whisk. Pour dressing over couscous mixture, tossing gently to coat.

Cooking Light, JULY 1997