Grilled Vegetable and Couscous Salad

It’s the last days of summer.  *Sniff*.  I’m sad to see this summer go.  Last summer I was on maternity leave, so I got to enjoy all the beautiful weather.  This year…I’ve been stuck in an office, trying to take advantage of every minute of the weekend.  Fortunately, last weekend was a long one here in Canada, and I took an extra two days off to make it a super long weekend.  I spent those 2 days cooking with my Mama (posts to come on that later!).

But this – this was an idea I came up with to go with the barbecued ribs we were having, in a last ditch effort to forget that summer is over.  Grilled veggies, fresh herbs…what more can you ask for?  This is delicious topped with some goat cheese or feta, and while it can be eaten cold, it’s much better warm.

Print Recipe

Grilled Vegetable and Couscous Salad

Servings: 4 servings

Author: The Gourmet Housewife

Ingredients

• 2 medium zucchini
• 1 red bell pepper
• 2 carrots
• small handful green onions
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 1/2 tsp dried thyme
• pinch salt
• 1 cup couscous plus 2 cups water for boiling
• 1 1/2 tbsp chopped fresh herbs such as rosemary, oregano, basil, parsley, etc.
• 1 tsp olive oil
• 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
• freshly ground salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

• Preheat grill for medium-high.
• Cut the ends off the zucchini and cut lengthwise into 1 cm thick pieces. Peel the carrots and trim the ends. Trim the ends of the green onions.
• Brush the vegetables with 2 tsp olive oil. Sprinkle with thyme and salt.
• Place the veggies on the prepared grill. Turn occasionally and watch closely as cooking times will vary. The onions will only take a couple minutes, while the bell pepper should be dark all over, which will take up to 15 minutes.
• Remove vegetables from grill. Place the red pepper in a bag, seal, and let sit for 5 minutes. Chop the rest of the vegetables.
• Remove red pepper from bag, peel, remove seeds, and chop.
• Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, bring 2 cups of salted water to a boil. Add couscous and stir to combine. Remove from heat, cover, and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.
• To serve: combine grilled vegetables with couscous and herbs, drizzle with 1 tsp each of olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Serve warm.