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:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Wash and chop your eggplant into thin slices and assemble on a baking sheet.
- Wash and chop your red peppers into bite size pieces. add to the baking sheet.
- Drizzle a bit of EVOO + sea salt over the eggplant + red peppers. Roast for about 20 minutes or until lightly cooked.
- 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).
- 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.
- As your veggies are grilling and cous cous is cooking, wash the remaining vegetables (cucumber, kale) and chop into bite size pieces.
- Chop your dill, parsley + raw walnuts.
- If using canned chickpeas, rinse well.
- When the eggplant and red peppers are cooked, remove from the heat and set aside.
- Drain the cous cous and set aside to cool.
- 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.
- 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.