Usually, this salad would have been made using cooked and cooled quinoa or millet to provide a crunchy-factor and boosted nutritional profile.  Instead I got home late from work, forgot to soak any grains whatsoever and had no pre-cooked superfoods on-hand.  Translation: take the quick and easy couscous fix.

Nonetheless, this coleslaw-style salad tastes fabulous and does take advantage of the first of the cabbages to come in from the garden, alongside the cukes and blueberries in their prime.  And if in doubt, add parsley.  Just because.

Yield: 4 servings

What you need:

• 3 cups well-packed shredded red cabbage
• 2-1/2 cups cooked and cooled couscous
• 1 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup fresh blueberries (the wild ones if you have access!)
• 1 small cucumber, halved and sliced (peeled if desired)
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 2 tablespoons dried cranberries (apple-juice sweetened preferred)
• 2 tablespoons raw sunflower seeds
• 2 tablespoons raw pumpkin seeds
• 1/4 cup flax or olive oil
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• 2 tablespoons sweet brown rice vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste (a couple of pinches of salt and a very generous amount of freshly ground black or white pepper)

What you do:

1. Combine all ingredients except for the couscous in a large bowl and mix well.  Let sit until ready to serve.
2. When ready to serve, add the coucous and mix well to distribute evenly throughout.
3. Eat.

Variations:

• Replace the coucous by cooked and cooled quinoa or millet;
• Replace the blueberries by a cored, halved and thinly sliced apple for a sweeter salad;
• Swap the seeds out for chopped toasted walnuts or almonds;
• Swap the sweet brown rice vinegar for ice cider vinegar (this is not your usual apple cider vinegar, it’s made from ice cider and has a much more complex flavour worth seeking out);
• Omit the raisins and dried cranberries and replace them with a quarter cup of sliced dried apricots (unsulphured preferred).