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5:2 Diet - Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad

A warm couscous salad that's perfect for a light dinner. The flavoured couscous is topped with grilled vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto.

Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad

5:2 DIET - GRILLED VEGETABLE COUSCOUS SALAD


This is another great recipe for the 5:2 diet.

Of course, you don't have to be on a diet to enjoy this grilled vegetable couscous salad, but if you are watching your weight you will be pleased to know this recipe is low calorie.

It also tastes great.

Grilling vegetables really brings out their flavour without all the oil.


Grilled vegetables on a bed of flavoured couscous

WHAT IS THE 5:2 DIET?


Just in case you don't know what the 5:2 diet is, here is a wee summary.

Twice a week you have a reduced calorie day and the rest of the week you eat normally.

So 5 days of normal eating and 2 days reduced calories.

Very easy.

When the 5:2 diet was developed by Dr Michael Mosley, it was set at 500 calories on a fast day for women and 600 calories a day for men.

Since then the diet has been updated to 800 calories on a fast day, but you eat earlier the day before a fast and later the day after. so more calories, but over a longer window of time.

You can read more about the new style diet in my post The New 5:2 Diet Explained.


Aubergine, Carrot & Courgette

GRILLED VEGETABLES


Grilling vegetables is a healthy way to cook them and it brings out a lot of flavour.

When vegetables are roasted there's more oil used and it takes longer, so grilling is a good option if you want to cook your vegetables quicker and with less or no oil.

You can grill vegetables on a grill pan, in a grill press (or panini press) or on a BBQ.

The grill pan and press will give those lovely charred lines.


WHAT VEGETABLES ARE IN THIS WARM COUSCOUS SALAD?



I thinly sliced aubergine (eggplant), carrot & courgette (zucchini) for this couscous salad.

Of course, you could easily use up any vegetables you have leftover in your salad drawer to make this warm salad.

You could also add a lot more vegetables.


WHAT VEGETABLES CAN YOU GRILL?



Here is a list of a few vegetables that work well grilled.

  • Artichoke
  • Asparagus
  • Aubergine
  • Butternut squash
  • Carrots
  • Celeriac
  • Courgette
  • Iceberg lettuce wedges
  • Mushrooms
  • Peppers
  • Red onion



Courgette, Carrot & Aubergine Grilled Couscous Salad

COOKING COUSCOUS


The joy of cooking couscous is that it is so quick and simple.

You don't even need a pot.

Just add the couscous to a bowl or jug, cover the couscous with boiling water, cover the dish, then leave it for 10 minutes.

The couscous will puff out as it absorbs the liquid.

Then all you need to do is fluff it up with a fork.


ADDING FLAVOUR TO COUSCOUS



Usually, couscous is made up with hot water but you can add flavour at the cooking stage as well as once it is cooked.

Here are a few ideas:

FLAVOURING COUSCOUS AS IT COOKS


  1. Cook in vegetable stock instead of just water.
  2. Add a dollop of harissa to the boiling water.
  3. Add pesto to the boiling water.
  4. Add marmite to the boiling water.

ADDING FLAVOUR TO COOKED COUSCOUS


  1. Mix fresh herbs through the couscous.
  2. Mix pesto through the couscous.
  3. Mix harissa through the couscous.
  4. Mix finely chopped chilli and parsley through the couscous.
  5. Mix extra virgin olive oil, salt and pepper through the couscous.
  6. Season the couscous with salt and pepper.

warm couscous salad

WHAT YOU NEED TO MAKE GRILLED VEGETABLE COUSCOUS SALAD?


EQUIPMENT


  • A BOWL - or jug to cook the couscous
  • A FORK -  to fluff it up
  • A CHOPPING BOARD & KNIFE - for slicing the veg
  • A GRILL PAN - or grill press to grill the vegetables on

INGREDIENTS


  • Couscous
  • Vegetable stock
  • Aubergine
  • Courgette
  • Carrot
  • Sundried tomatoes
  • Pesto
  • Fresh herbs
  • Salt & pepper


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Easy grilled vegetable and pesto couscous

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couscous salad. couscous tips, how to cook couscous, grilling vegetables, grilled vegetable salad, warm salad, warm vegetable salad, vegetable couscous, salad
lunch
British, vegan
Yield: 2-3
Author: Jacqueline Meldrum
Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad

Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad

A warm couscous salad that's perfect for a light dinner. The flavoured couscous is topped with grilled vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes and pesto.
Prep time: 10 MinCook time: 10 MinTotal time: 20 Min

Ingredients

  • 150g couscous
  • 200ml vegetable stock (1 stock cube)
  • 1 small aubergine, sliced
  • 1 courgette, sliced
  • 1 carrot sliced
  • 3 sun-dried tomatoes per person
  • 1 heaped tbsp pesto per person
  • A good grinding of salt and pepper
  • a handful fresh chopped herbs (optional)

Instructions

  1. Slice your vegetables and heat your grill.
  2. Pour the couscous into a measuring jug and crumble the vegetable stock cube over it, then top with boiling water. Stir well with a fork, then set it aside and leave it for 10 minutes. After 10 minutes you can fluff it up.
  3. Grill the vegetables, until they have pleasing charred lines on them. You may need to do this in two batches.
  4. Pile the couscous on to plates, season with salt and pepper and top with the vegetables, sun-dried tomatoes, fresh herbs if you are using them and a generous dollop of pesto.
  5. Enjoy!

Notes:

If you don't have fresh herbs, you can add dried herbs to the stock.

You can add harissa, marmite or pesto to the boiling water instead of a stock cube.

You may also use up other veg you have.

Calories

249.22

Fat (grams)

6.46

Sat. Fat (grams)

1.33

Carbs (grams)

53.61

Fiber (grams)

12.79

Net carbs

40.82

Sugar (grams)

12.14

Protein (grams)

11.29

Sodium (milligrams)

531.76

Cholesterol (grams)

1.94
Created using The Recipes Generator

28 comments

  1. Grilled vegetables are one of my favourite summer treats and I love that you paired them with something light like couscous.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes they have so much flavour. I usually roast them but this way is quicker and no fat. It's great with couscous.

      Delete
  2. Love the veggie stock tip for the couscous! Such a colorful and vibrant recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Yes, I always do that, it adds so much flavour.

      Delete
  3. I LOVE couscous! I usually add flavoring like you do...

    grilled vegetables are my fave - I am loving this whole dish, and that grill looks fab!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It makes such a difference flavouring the couscous doesn't it? And yes the grill is fab, it has a really good weight to it.

      Delete
  4. I always wanted to make couscous at home but keep postponing as couldn't find the right recipe for me. I'll look no further. This looks as the perfect couscous recipe!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It's so easy, just pour some in a jug with boiling water and walk away, then fluff up 10 minutes later done.

      Delete
  5. I love grilled vegetables, such a flavourful and healthy dish.

    ReplyDelete
  6. OMG, I don't believe it! Last night we had roasted vegetables on couscous, I added half a jar of red pesto to the hot water for the couscous to add flavour. I roasted my veggies in the oven but the Tefal Optigrill looks ideal for the job.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, great minds and all that and yes the Optigrill is rather fab.

      Delete
  7. Well done on losing 5lbs Jac that's fantastic! This sounds like the perfect tasty lunch - I'm definitely going to be giving it a try.

    ReplyDelete
  8. This looks mouth watering! It would work well on Weight Watchers too (vegetables have no points so you can have as many as you like) so I'll definitely be trying it. The OptiGrill sounds like a great kitchen gadget to add to my wish list.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Well it sounds like the perfect dish if you are following the diet. Yes the Optigrill is fab.

      Delete
  9. This looks wonderful! What a great idea to add pesto to couscous - I'll have to try that sometime :)

    ReplyDelete
  10. I made a couscous salad last week and used 2/3 apple juice to 1/3 water - I also added some currents, raisins and dried cranberries to the salad - it was delicious.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. That's a really good idea, it must be fruitily delicious!

      Delete
  11. I LOVE my new Tefal Optigrill too and as a mark of how much I love it, I have kept it out of its box! LOL! Love the look of this recipe for my meat free days! Karen

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Haha, well that is the mark of a good gadget when you don't have space.

      Delete
  12. Wouldn't that just make for a wonderful summer meal!

    ReplyDelete
  13. I love meals like this, Jac - so filling yet light, and bursting with flavour. Fantastic! Seeing it all piled up like that reminds me of when I used to live in Morocco, and had chargrilled veggies with couscous. The couscous was steamed there though - something I've not tried to replicate, I admit, but like you, I make mine with veggie stock. I don't think I've ever made it without some kind of flavouring (and I make it at least two or three times a month... as opposed to every day in Morocco!). :-)

    Fab news about the weightloss - I have no idea how much I'm down, since my scales are back in Slovenia. Hoping there'll be a nice surprise waiting for me when I get back in December! LOL!

    Hope you're having great holibobs! xx

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. I bet it was even better in Morocco. I didn't know they steamed the couscous. Thanks re the weight loss although I've probably put it back on during my week away.

      Delete
  14. We do the same as you, we'll cook the cous cous in a stock rather than plain water. That or I toss through a dressing once it's cooked and drained. So yum!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. It really does make a difference to the flavour and yes dressing can be good too.

      Delete

I love reading comments, so thank you for taking the time to leave one. Unfortunately, I'm bombarded with spam, so I've turned on comment moderation. I'll publish your comments as soon as I can and respond to them. Don't panic, they will disappear when you hit publish. Jac x