Saffron Israeli Couscous Salad

Edit 9/3/18 -- I'm rereading my recipe to make for a potluck and I believe I omitted the sun-dried tomatoes from the recipe I posted.  I actually found my recipe posted on another blog. The person made the recipe as written without the sun-dried tomatoes. 

It's now 2018 and Udi's has since been sold and is now primarily a gluten free line of breads and granola. The catering company and bakery still operates under a newname Etai's. I remember when I was processing AP for the Foundation and the vendor we had in the system for lunch catering was "Udi the Sandwich Man." Udi's was not focused on gluten free products. They had a line of gluten free sandwich breads and pizza crusts but that was about it. Udi's offered a wide selection of sandwiches, sides, and salads. I always looked forward to their tray of assorted mini sandwiches. The bite-size vegetarian sandwich with sprouts and avocado was a favorite of mine.

The inspiration for this salad comes from Udi’s Foods, a local bakery/caterer. Udi’s bakes some of the most wonderful breads in Denver. My favorite is their cranberry walnut. They also make delicious sides to go with their sandwiches and salads. Their sides include: Saffron Israeli Couscous salad, Cranberry Quinoa, Taboulleh, Crab Artichoke Pasta and other various pasta and potato salads. My favorite side is the Saffron Israeli Couscous.

Although it is my favorite, I can’t seem to remember the last time I actually had this salad. I haven’t attended any meetings where they served Udi’s and the Udi’s Bread Café in Stapleton doesn’t include the salad on their menu.

I had some Israeli couscous in the pantry and I wanted to try making the salad but I couldn’t recall the ingredients. I decided to just toss a few things together and it ended up tasting pretty darn good.

Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta that is pretty pale in color. I infused the water with saffron threads. The saffron turns the couscous a beautiful yellow color.

Saffron Israeli Couscous Salad:
1 ¼ cup water
pinch of saffron threads
1-8.8 ounce bag Israeli couscous
2 tablespoons light tasting olive oil
¼ cup onions, diced
4 ounces mushrooms, sliced
¼ cup yellow bell pepper (or any color)
4 sun-dried tomatoes, sliced
salt
pepper
2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
¼ cup flat leaf Italian parsley, chopped


1. Boil water in a medium saucepan. Add saffron and the couscous. Return to a boil, lower heat and cover. Stir occasionally. Cook about 8 minutes. Turn off heat and allow couscous to absorb the water before fluffing.
2. Meanwhile, in a medium skillet, heat light olive oil. Add onions and mushrooms and sauté until tender.
3. Fluff couscous and transfer to a larger bowl. Add sautéed onions and mushrooms and the rest of the ingredients. Toss everything together and refrigerate several hours before serving.