Roasted Veg & Pearl Couscous Salad

Hey guys!  I'm going to spare you the long story before a recipe.  All is good with Peter and I.  We went to visit his dad and brother over Thanksgiving in Barcelona so expect a post about all the delicious food and gorgeous sights soon-ish!  

I'm not sure if this is common or not, but when I was a kid, I couldn't eat leftovers.  Looking back now I see what an entitled brat I was, but at the time, it was almost like a compulsion.  The thought of eating food out of a Tupperware (or an old butter container) made me feel physically ill.  But oh how times have changed!  I'm sharing this recipe because I love having it on hand and I'm hoping whoever reads this would too.  I add it to salads, eat it alone, or add it to soups.  It's also a fantastic side dish to bring to any party.  Omnis and vegans alike have loved it! I can never think of what to call it though.  I seem to have settled on Roasted Veg and Pearl Couscous Salad, but I usually just call it, "that couscous thing."  

One of my favorite things about this dish is that it is so easily customizable.  You can use whatever vegetables you have on hand.  I usually use celery, peppers, zuchini, sundried tomatoes, and mushrooms but I have used red onion, broccoli, eggplant, and cauliflower before.  I also like to add some arugula to it after it's cooled a bit! 

I hope you like it and let me know if you try it! 

Roasted Veg and Pearl Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

1  bell pepper, diced

3 ribs of celery, diced

1 zucchini, diced

1/4 cup of sundried tomatoes, diced

4 oz of mushrooms, diced

1/2 tsp red pepper flakes

1 tablespoon of EVOO (i like to use the oil that the sundried tomatoes were packed in)

1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

1 teaspoon of Italian seasoning

1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder

salt and pepper to taste

1 cup of tricolor Israeli couscous

1/4 cup of fresh basil, chopped

Preheat the oven to 375F.  Place the diced veggies in a casserole dish.  Drizzle with the olive oil, vinegar, top with the seasoning, salt and pepper.  Mix it really well and let the veggies roast for 30 mins, stirring once after 15 mins.  

While veggies are roasting, bring 1 1/4 of water, or a mixture of water and veggie broth to a boil.  Add the couscous when the liquid is boiling and turn it down to a simmer.  Let the couscous cook until all the water has been absorbed.  After the veggies are done, remove from oven.  Mix the couscous and veggies together along with the basil.  Taste and add salt and pepper to taste!  I usually add some more balsamic and red pepper flakes.  Some other fun additions could be lemon zest or juice, nutritional yeast, cubed tempeh.  The sky is the limit! 

Enjoy!