Warm Grilled Veggie Cous Cous Salad: Thin slices of eggplant, sweet potato, onion & asparagus, perfectly charred & layered atop of almond basil cous cous. Hel-lo meatless Monday.
When it comes to removing whole food groups from my diet, I show little restraint. I have this on very good authority because I’ve tried. Maybe it’s the old adage of being told you can’t have something making you want it even more. That’s me. I entertain the idea of completely removing any animal products from my diet, for both the animals’ welfare & my health. Instead of deciding never to eat animal products ever again, I’m making better choices.
This involves reducing the amount of meat & animal products I consume. It’s also about making better choices – locally, humanely raised meat & poultry & wild, sustainable seafood. I enjoy days of vegetarian & vegan eating. It’s not only good for my waistline but for the planet.
I’m a work in progress but watch this space ’cause baby I’m workin’ on it. Or workin’ it. Both!
The instant cous cous is ready in 10 minutes &, if you use broth & add some flavorings – fresh herbs, lemon juice (blood orange is also wonderful), toasted nuts, olive oil & a little spice, well you’ve got yourself pretty darn tasty cous cous.
I made the cous cous & left it to absorb the broth while Finn & I went outside to grill the veggies. This recipes makes A LOT. It’s surprising. And there’s just the two of us. So we’ll be eating leftovers for days. Halve the recipe if you want but this is good cold. It’s hearty & satisfying. And meatless. If you want to go meatless a few times during the week then check out these recipes, they’re a good place to start:
- Tortellini with Spinach, Artichokes & Sun-Dried Tomatoes
- Bean & Beans Nachos
- Roasted Squash, Cannellini Chipotle Chili
Catch you during the week, stay safe,
- 2 cups vegetable (or chicken) broth
- 15.5 oz (439g) chick peas (garbanzo beans ), rinsed & drained
- 10 oz (284g) packet cous cous
- 1 tablespoon honey, plus extra for drizzling
- 1 tablespoon olive oil, plus extra for the veggies & drizzling
- pinch of salt & pepper
- 2 or 3 small sweet potatoes (yams/kumera), thinly sliced lengthways
- 1 medium eggplant, trimmed & thinly sliced lengthways
- 2 small red onions, thickly sliced
- 1 lb (453g) asparagus spears, trimmed
- 1/4 cup shredded basil leaves, plus extra leaves for garnish
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice, plus extra wedges for serving
- 1/4 cup toasted slivered almonds
- Preheat a barbecue or grill pan to high.
- Pour broth into a medium-sized saucepan. Bring a boil over high heat. Add chick peas, cous cous, honey, 1 tablespoon of olive oil, salt & pepper. Stir until everything is well combined. Remove the pan from the heat & cover with a tight-fitting lid. Let stand for 10 minutes.
- While cous cous is ‘cooking’, drizzle the veggies with a little olive oil & sprinkle with salt & pepper. Cook on greased grill for 3 to 4 minutes per side until good char marks appear & veggies are cooked, removing asparagus while it’s still crisp & bright.
- Add basil, lemon juice & almonds to cous cous & stir until well combined. Pile cous cous onto plates, top with veggies, drizzle with a little extra honey & olive oil, sprinkle with extra basil leaves; serve with lemon wedges. Serves 6.
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