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.

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.

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.

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

also try Roasted Sweet Potato & Falafel Couscous

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.

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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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

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