It's the beginning of salad season

Hubby and I enjoyed this salad last night served with marinated chicken breasts.  I made several changes because we live out in the country and I can't just drop everything and run to the store to pick up things we're out of. Also, because there are only two of us at home, I wanted a smaller amount. 

 Tunisian Couscous Salad

    * MAKE-AHEAD

    * VEGETARIAN

   3 medium red bell peppers (I used one green pepper)

   10 ounces instant couscous (about 1 1/2 cups) (I used 1 cup)

   Salt

   1/4 cup olive oil

   1/4 cup fresh lemon juice

   1 teaspoon ground cumin

   Pinch of cayenne pepper

   Freshly ground black pepper

  1 pound ripe beefsteak tomatoes—peeled, seeded and cut into 1/2 -inch dice

  1 large seedless cucumber, peeled and cut into 1/2-inch dice (I used a zucchini)

  1/2 cup Moroccan or other small, oil-cured black olives, pitted and coarsely chopped (I used 1 can  olives)

  2 scallions, white and tender green, minced (I used 8 green onions)

  1 large garlic clove, minced

  2 tablespoons finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley

   1. Roast the bell peppers over a gas flame or under a broiler, turning, until charred all over. Transfer the peppers to a paper bag and let steam for 10 minutes. Remove the skin, cores, seeds, and ribs and cut the peppers into 1/2-inch dice. (Instead of doing this, I chopped the peppers and placed them in the couscous while it "cooked")

   2. In a saucepan, bring 2 1/4 cups of water to a boil. Stir in the couscous and 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and let stand until tender, about 5 minutes. In a small bowl, combine the olive oil, lemon juice, cumin, and cayenne and season with salt and pepper.

   3. Fluff the couscous with a fork. Add the roasted peppers, tomatoes, cucumber, olives, scallions and garlic. Pour the dressing over the couscous and toss to combine. Let stand at room temperature for at least 1 hour or up to 4 hours. Just before serving, stir in the parsley.