Grilled Vegetable and Lentil Couscous Salad
My coworker Gabrielle and I live over 150 km from the grocery store. Well, technically there is another one only 130 km away. But either way, it is a bit remote where we are. We live in a one-room (well, there’s a separate bathroom) cabin, on the shore of a beautiful lake. The remoteness is worth it. The other teams on our crew aren’t so fortunate– two are based in basement suites in Fort McMurray, and another team lives dorm-style at an oil camp north of the city.
In addition to our lovely location, we have a barbecue on our deck. I’ve never actually grilled before; I’ve always left that to someone else. But I have amassed quite a few recipes from various sources that involve grilling, so on our last trip to the store we gathered all the necessary ingredients to try a recipe I recently found in an old magazine. It turned out fantastically– we will definitely make this again this summer! A delicious, vegetarian, filling, summery supper, and we’ve got leftovers for lunch tomorrow.
Grilled Vegetable and Lentil Couscous Salad
(makes 4 servings, adapted from Canadian Living)
2 cloves garlic
3/4 tsp salt
1/3 cup extra-virgin olive oil
3 tbsp lemon juice
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 small zucchini
1 Chinese eggplant or 1/2 small eggplant
5 large mushrooms
1 red pepper
1 yellow pepper
1/2 cup dried green lentils
1 1/4 cup couscous
1/3 cup chopped cilantro
1/3 cup crumbled feta cheese
Grease grill and preheat to 350°F.
Bring a saucepan of salted water to a boil, add lentils and cook until tender, about 20 minutes. Drain and set aside.
On cutting board, finely mince and rub garlic with salt until smooth paste, place in a small bowl. Add oil, lemon juice, and cumin, stir well. Set aside.
Slice zucchini and eggplant lengthwise into 1/2-inch thick slices. Halve mushrooms. Seed and quarter red and yellow peppers. Brush vegetables with the oil mixture, using as much as needed. Place on grill; close lid and grill, turning often, until tender. Cooking time will vary for the different vegetables, about 6-10 minutes or longer. Coarsely chop when cool enough to handle.
Meanwhile, in a saucepan, bring 1 cup of water to a boil. Add couscous, cover and let stand until absorbed, about 5 minutes. Fluff with fork. Add lentils, chopped vegetables and remaining oil mixture; toss to combine. Gently mix in cilantro and feta. Serve.
There’s still time left to enter the fair trade chocolate and tea giveaway!
Have you grilled anything lately?
I grilled last night, in fact. Asparagus and zucchini. I grill pretty much every night whenever I can. It even braved the rain last night for the grill. I’m that dedicated.