Couscous Salad with Roasted Vegetables

Recipe by Cook's Hideout

This salad was part of my Middle-eastern themed dinner this past weekend (or 2 away. This recipe has been on my drafts for quite some time). Except for chopping the veggies, this dish needs less than 10 minutes of hands-on time and it can easily feed AND please a crowd. I made it about 4 hours before the party and all the flavors had enough time to mingle and make the dish super delish. Here’s how I made it:

Ingredients

• 2¼ ” half Zucchini (– medium, sliced into moons)
• 2 , 1 Red peppers (” – chopped into pieces)
• 2 , ¼ ” half Eggplant (Japanese – sliced into moons)
• 1 1 red Onion (” – medium, chopped into pieces)
• 1 cup chickpeas (- cooked)
• 3 tbsps balsamic vinegar
• 2 tbsps extra virgin olive oil
• to taste Salt Pepper (&)
• 1 tsp (1.25l) fish stock (Herbe de Provence – , crushed (or any other dried herbs))
• 2 cups Whole-wheat couscous

Method

1. Preheat oven to 425°F.
2. Place the chopped veggies in a large bowl and add balsamic vinegar, oil, s&p & herbs. Mix well to coat the veggies with the marinade. Transfer to baking sheet (s) and bake for 30-35 minutes turning the veggies half-way through until roasted around the edges. Remove from oven and cool.
3. In the meantime cook couscous: Boil 4 cups of water with 1tsp olive oil and salt, once the water comes to a rolling boil, add couscous and turn off the heat. Cover and set aside for 10 minutes. Fluff the grains with a fork and add 1tbsp balsamic vinegar, salt and pepper to taste.
4. Gently mix in the roasted veggies and cooked chickpeas; season with more vinegar or salt & pepper. Cover and set aside until ready to serve.
5. Garnish with chopped parsley & coriander if desired. You can also add some feta cheese or queso fresco to make it a fancier and non-vegan.

View the recipe instructions at Cook's Hideout