Mediterranean Israeli Couscous Salad

Over Thanksgiving, we visited my sister-in-law, Kim, in Seattle, Wa. She made a delicious salad to go along with the massive spread of food she and the rest of the family prepped. The salad she made was so fresh and tasty, that ever since then, I've wanted to re-create it. The basics of the salad were salad greens, lightly steamed kale, carrots, israeli couscous and a lemon-ey vinaigrette. Since I had some chicken, tomato, and avocado around, I thought I'd make the salad more 'main dish' by throwing in these ingredients as well.

With all the over-indulgence throughout Christmas and New Years, this salad is a nice break from heartier meals I've been stuffing myself with. And, it reminds me of glorious spring that should show up in just a few short months...This is definitely a salad that I'll be making all year round.

Serves 2 as a hearty main dish salad, or 4 as a side.
Ingredients:
For the Lemon Vinaigrette, prep half recipe from epicurious.com:

• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1.5 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
• 1/2 tablespoon minced shallot
• 3/4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
• 1/4 teaspoon grated lemon peel
• 1/4 teaspoon sugar

Salad ingredients:

• 1 boneless, skinless chicken breast
• 2 tbsp olive oil, divided
• 2/3 cup Israeli couscous
• 1/2 bunch red leaf lettuce, torn, rinsed and spun dry
• 1/2 bunch kale, chopped, lightly steamed and cooled
• 1 carrot, diced
• 1 tomato, diced
• 1 avocado, diced

Directions:

1. Prep the lemon vinaigrette. Whisk all lemon vinagrette ingredients in bowl to blend. Season with salt and pepper. (Can be made 1 day ahead. Chill. Bring to room temperature before using.)
2. In small saucepan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and toast couscous until lightly browned. Add water and bring to a boil. Boil couscous for 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Drain and cool.
3. In small saute pan, heat 1 tbsp olive oil and add chicken breast, cook 10-15 minutes until cooked through. Season with salt and pepper. Cool chicken and dice.
4. In a large bowl, combine the chicken, cooled couscous, lettuce, steamed kale, carrot, tomato, and avocado. Toss the salad with the lemon vinaigrette and serve.