Organic Dill Pickles
Marinated Grilled Vegetables with Spiced Couscous and Lemon Yogurt Sauce
Spring is has finally arrived. Hurrah! Time to dust off the bikes, don the shades, and break out the sun hats (a wonky lil’ panama for me). I have been itching to share my lighter recipes with you, and this one is fab. Light, delicious, nutritious, and most of all, quick and easy.
I probably shouldn’t go on, as this is a food blog, but go on I will: I am positively brimming with excitement at the thought of universal healthcare. 32 million Americans will have the chance to be insured, and it really feels like the dawn of a new era. I am so grateful to be living in these times to witness such groundbreaking change, even with all the drama. The goal of my blog to to keep you healthy and happy so you don’t have frequent trips to the doctor, but it’s certainly a relief to know that if you do need to go, it will be affordable and available to everyone.
I’m not much of a multiple-photo food blogger (although I think it looks fantastic on other blogs). After I took my initial shot, I laid the vegetables on the platter for dinner and thought, “hmm, that looks quite nice, ” so I’m sharing it with you. Kind of a Jackson Pollock with vegetables. The couscous shot might help out with seeing how the grain should look. Anyhoo, hope you like it.
Marinated Grilled Vegetables and Spiced Couscous
3 zucchini sliced lengthways
1 red pepper deseeded and sliced lengthways
1 yellow pepper deseeded sliced lengthways
small handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
Marinade
1/2 cup olive oil
juice of half a lemon
teaspoon of sea salt
Lemon Yogurt Sauce
1 cup plain yogurt
juice of half a lemon
1 teaspoon sea salt
1. In a bowl, mix the marinade ingredients. Place the vegetables on a plate and coat evenly with the marinade. Marinate for 30 minutes to an hour at room temperature.
2. Preheat a grill pan for three minutes, then lay the vegetables on the pan next to each other, evenly spaced. Grill in batches for about 3-5 minutes or until the dark grill marks appear, flip to the opposite side and continue to grill until marks appear.
3. Set aside on a serving plate and drizzle with the leftover marinade. Sprinkle with chopped parsley. Serve with a dollop of Lemon Yogurt Sauce on the side.
Spiced Couscous
1 cup wholewheat or white couscous (I used wholewheat)
1 cup vegetable stock
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1 teaspoon sea salt
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon cumin seeds
1 tablespoon fennel seeds
1 tablespoon coriander seeds
1/2 teaspoon red pepper flakes
1/2 a red onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
1 teaspoon sugar
small handful of flat leaf parsley chopped
1. Heat the stock on low heat while preparing the couscous.
2. Using a mortar and pestle, grind together the cumin seeds, fennel seeds, coriander seeds, red pepper flakes, and sea salt.
3. In a pan, melt the butter and olive oil, then saute the onion until softened. Add the spices and garlic, then fry for a minute, taking care not to burn the garlic. Add the vinegar and sugar and cook for a minute, then add the couscous and stir. Add the stock and simmer for five minutes.
4. Turn off the heat and cover for 10 minutes. Fluff with fork and sprinkle with chopped parsley.
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