roasted veg israeli cous cous salad

Happy Hump day!

It is going to be another gorgeous and sunny day at home and I am looking forward to soaking up some vitamin D.  

The husband is still in syracuse, so before I left I made him some food that he could enjoy throughout the week I was gone. On the menu was a few different cold salads that are easy to add to any meal or can be enjoyed alone as a snack.

While I typically choose wholesome and nutrient dense grains when cooking...I do have a soft spot in my heart for any form of cous cous salad. This salad is inspired by one that I frequently enjoyed last summer from a local juice bar in my hometown. With a few whole food additions, this is what I came up with ...

Ingredients:

• 2 cups dried israeli cous cous (I bought mine in bulk)
• 2 small or 1 large eggplant
• 1 red pepper
• Large handful fresh dill
• Large handful fresh flat leaf parsley
• 3/4 cup raw walnuts
• 1 can chickpeas (If using canned I go for Eden Organics)
• 2 cups dino (lacinato) kale
• 1/2 large cucumber

Ingredients for the dressing:

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• Juice of a lemon
• 2 tbsp apple cider vinegar
• 2 cloves of garlic (minced)
• 1 tbsp stone ground mustard

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and chop your eggplant into thin slices and assemble on a baking sheet.
2. Wash and chop your red peppers into bite size pieces. add to the baking sheet.
3. Drizzle a bit of EVOO + sea salt over the eggplant + red peppers. Roast for about 20 minutes or until lightly cooked.
4. Bring a pot of water to a rolling boil. Rinse the cous cous and then add to the boiling water. Reduce and simmer until cooked (approx. 15-20 minutes).
5. Make your dressing by adding the EVOO, juice of a lemon, apple cider vinegar, garlic and mustard to a small bowl or mason jar. Set aside.
6. As your veggies are grilling and cous cous is cooking, wash the remaining vegetables (cucumber, kale) and chop into bite size pieces.
7. Chop your dill, parsley + raw walnuts.
8. If using canned chickpeas, rinse well.
9. When the eggplant and red peppers are cooked, remove from the heat and set aside.
10. Drain the cous cous and set aside to cool.
11. Once the cous cous is cooled add to a large bowl. Chop the eggplant and red peppers in to your desired sizes and add to the cous cous.
12. Now add the rest of the ingredients - kale, cucumber, dill, parsley, walnuts + chickpeas. add as much of the dressing as you would like and combine very well. I like to set mine in the fridge to cool for a few hours before serving.

Serve alone, add to heaping pile of greens, bbq up a piece of chicken. The possibilities are endless!

I hope you are able to enjoy some sunshine wherever you are today too.