Cooked green beans and sweet potatoes and raw julienned peppers make for a beautiful main course salad.
Bring 1 C. of water to a boil and pour over 1/2 C. couscous in a bowl. Cover and allow to sit for 15 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
Trim green beans to make 2 C. Cut beans into 2-3 pieces. Dice 1 large sweet potato. Thinly slice 1 red onion.
Remove the stem and seeds from 2-3 sweet peppers, then cut into very thin, 2 inch long slices.
Separate 2 T. of the onion and marinate in 1 T. red wine vinegar or lime juice for 5 minutes. Toss with the peppers.
Heat 3 T. olive oil in a heavy skillet and saute the rest of the onion and the sweet for 5 minutes. Add the green beans and continue to saute until they are bright green and tender. Add a little water if necessary. Season with salt and pepper.
Combine the raw vegetables in a bowl with the cooked vegetables while they are still hot. Season with salt and pepper, then add the couscous.
Serve topped with fresh basil leaves and slices of lime or lemon.