Couscous with dill-lemon dressing and zaatar-crusted tofu

I love using pearl couscous for this dish because it is a fun textural contrast to the tofu. Quick, easy and delicious

Ingredients for couscous salad
1 cup of 1/2 cups of pearl couscous, cooked according to package instructions & set aside
2-3 tbsp olive oil
1 cup asparagus, cut into 3 inch pieces, lower 1/3rd/hard stalks trimmed
1 English cucumber, diced
2 meridian sized tomatoes
1/2 cup toasted walnuts
Salt, to taste

Ingredients for dressing
1/2 cup fresh dill, chopped
1/4 cup olive oil
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste
2 cloves of garlic, minced

Instructions for the couscous salad
Heat a pot of water & bring to a boil & blanch the asparagus briefly. Carefully remove the stalks & then rinse them in cold water to stop them from continuing to cook & then set aside.
To a large salad bowl, add cooked couscous, diced cukes, tomatoes, walnuts, asparagus - toss well.

For the dressing, combine all the ingredients well, taste, adjust seasoning accordingly. Add the dressing to the couscous salad & mix well

For zaatar crusted tofu
1 block of extra-firm tofu
4 tbsp zaatar
3 tbsp olive oil
Salt, to taste
1 tsp lemon juice

Instructions for tofu
Remove tofu from the packaging & wrap it well in a dish cloth. Set tofu in a bowl, place a heavy object, like a cast iron skillet on top of the tofu block. Let the excess water drain out of the tofu for at least 30 min
Cut the tofu blocks into large cubes & set aside
In a bowl, combine zaatar, lemon juice, olive oil & some salt, mix well. Carefully toss the tofu cubes in the zaatar-oil & set aside for at least 15 minutes
Heat a cast iron pan, place the tofu cubes and roast on medium-high heat, taking care until
they form a golden-brown crust all around.
Turn off heat and serve it with with the couscous.

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