When it comes to recipes, I see them more as guidelines than hard and fast rules — a thoughtfully crafted set of suggestions with the purpose of nudging my techniques and flavors in the right direction. In the end I have final say on what stays and what goes, though it’s often a case of what’s on hand and what’s healthiest.
But I’m trying to recreate a favorite couscous salad from a store back home, and what I wouldn’t give for a recipe. Israeli couscous, black beans, sweet potato, smoky undertones and a spicy kick from the vinaigrette. I wouldn’t stray an inch.
The flavors were wonderful, but the heat was too little, the sweet potatoes diced too large, not enough vinaigrette and, achh, I forgot the scallions. Practice makes perfect, and thankfully this salad is light and easy to eat day in, day out.
Obviously I was on the right track. So, prior notations (and scallions) in hand, I was back for another whirl, somewhat happy now that I didn’t have that recipe to begin with. The second attempt was closer to the original, though not an exact match, yet.
I am certain this salad will be revisited many times in the future, popping up at barbecues, weeknight suppers, as a light lunch. That said, I’m darn pleased with this version. Would love to hear your thoughts!
Spicy Sweet Potato Black Bean Israeli Couscous Salad [serves 4]
For the Vinaigrette:
1/2 c rice vinegar
1/2 to 1 chipotle pepper packed in adobo sauce, finely chopped (up it to 1 1/2 to 2, if you dare)
1 T adobo sauce from the canned chipotles
2 t mild-flavored honey
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
3/4 c mild olive or canola oil
salt and freshly cracked black pepper
+ + +
For the Salad:
1 c + 2 T chicken or vegetable stock
4 medium or 2 large sweet potato (about 1 1/2 lb), peeled and diced into 1/2″ cubes
4 T extra virgin olive oil, divided
1 1/2 c Israeli couscous (also called pearl couscous)
1/2 c canned black beans, rinsed well and drained
4 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
1/2 c chopped cilantro
smoked paprika, for dusting
Heat oven to 400° F.
In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, chipotle, adobo sauce, honey and garlic, then slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
Bring broth and 3/4 c water to simmer in small saucepan over medium heat. Reduce heat to low; cover to keep warm.
Put sweet potatoes on a large baking sheet, drizzle with 2 T oil, toss to coat and spread out in a single layer. Sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast, turning occasionally, until potatoes begin to brown on corners and are just tender inside, 25 to 30 minutes. Remove from oven; keep on pan until ready to toss with couscous.
Heat the remaining 2 T olive oil over medium-high heat, add the couscous and toast, stirring often, until lightly golden brown, about 3 to 4 minutes. Add the warmed broth-water mixture and salt, then bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low; cover and simmer until couscous is tender, 9 to 10 minutes.
Drain the cooked couscous well, and place in a large serving bowl. Just before serving, toss with a bit of the vinaigrette. Add the roasted sweet potatoes, black beans, scallions, cilantro and another generous splash of the vinaigrette; gently toss again. Taste and adjust seasoning as necessary, adding more vinaigrette if too dry. Be careful not to overmix.
Serve warm or at room temperature, generously dusting the top of each serving with smoked paprika.
Inspired by a similar salad from Sendik’s
squirrel bread 
Great looking salad! You sure spiced up your vinaigrette. I don’t like mine quite so hot, but the recipe sure sings out to me!
Totally agree with you on following recipes – I use it as more of a guideline too. Unfortunately, that creates some disasters when I’m baking! This looks great, love the chipotle in the vinaigrette!
Looks great Heather, I never use Israeli couscous and I really must!
I love israeli couscous and of course, the black beans and yams! Funny, I’ve always called the orange-fleshed ones yams, and the pale ones sweet potatoes. It must be a Canadian thing since seeing many US based food bloggers call the orange ones sweet potatoes. So confusing, but a great looking salad!!
I am making it this weekend; this looks delicious. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I love how pretty this looks with a dusting of paprika! It’s fun putting your own spin on things and like you said, sometimes it’s fun to not have a recipe at all for reference. I find that even when I feel like I’ve changed a recipe to my preferences and deemed it “perfect,” I still end up making changes based on what is in the house or find inspiration to add. Always evolving :)
I’m in love with the elegant rounds of couscous, and the thought of a bit of kick combined with sweet potatoes and beans… this is perfect food.
@Barbara: The great thing about recipes is that you can tweak to your personal taste. For someone with less heat tolerance, I’d recommend half of a chipotle pepper, and you might want to consider using less than the full 1 T of adobo sauce as well — can get pretty spicy!
@MarmandeintheKitchen: I’m right there with you on the disasters. Making changes in the science of baking is something that’s just now starting to work for me (knock on wood). Cooking is much simpler to play around with.
@Eva: Agreed. You *should* use more Israeli couscous. Ha. In fact, everyone should! It’s almost pasta-like, I bet even kids would devour it.
@kickpleat: That is funny. I never really knew what the difference was, nor do I think I’ve come across an actual sweet potato is there is some pale-fleshed version running around out there! Must find now!
@kitchenarian: Delightful! You’ll have to let me know how you like it. Oh, and if you make a large batch, leftovers one or two days later are just as good, if not better, than the first day! I should add that to the recipe notes…. Enjoy!
@Nicole: Evolving, yes, that’s the perfect word for what it is. I like that. Always a delicious adventure!
@lo: Aren’t they pretty? I’ve always admired them myself. “Perfect food” — you’re sweet! I do have a soft spot for it…
So… I was lamenting that the chipotles in adobo sauce were so hot that you could only use one and you had the can which, of course, has no resealability, stuck in the fridge. A friend said that whenever she buys a new can, she uses what she needs and then scoops the remainder into little portions, wraps them in a sealing wrap and freezes the little spicy pockets in the freezer. I thought that was a great idea!
@Scott: That’s what I do! I would never, ever use an entire can at once, nor even during the course of a week. I mark snack-sized zipper top bags with “1 chipotle + sauce” or “2 chipotles + sauce”, fill them with the appropriate amounts and then throw the snack bags into a larger freezer-safe sandwich bag. In a snap they’ve become a convenient grab-and-go item, taking only a half hour or so to defrost. Great minds think alike…
Not an easy game to recreate a dish you have ate somewhere and liked but perseverance always pays off and what a reward afterwards when you succeed !
This salad looks really appetizing. Now I should give a try at israeli couscous ;)
And I’ve got some Israeli couscous in then pantry too! Not sure I like mine quite as hot, but this sure looks like a great recipe!
are you trying to recreate a sendik’s recipe? i googled this on a whim since i have had cravings for it and now live in california. i am making it now! :)
Seriously addicted to Sendick’s Sweet Potato Couscous. Just brought home another container today and had to see if there was a recipe online and found this one. I will definitely give it a try.
@LJ – It’s not *exact*, but I think the recipe comes fairly close to salad we love so much! I haven’t made this in a while… thanks for reminding me of it.
Incredible! This blog looks exactly like my old one!
It’s on a entirely different topic but it has pretty much the same page layout and design. Wonderful choice of colors!