Grilled Vegetable Couscous Salad with Spicy Harissa Dressing

A pretty layered salad of couscous, grilled vegetables, and lots of fresh herbs and a spicy harissa based dressing.

Prep Time: 10

Cook Time: 20

Total Time: 30

Course: lunch, Salad, Side Dish

Cuisine: Mediterranean, Middle Eastern, North African

Keyword: couscous, entertaining, harissa, healthy, spicy

Servings: people

Calories: 284kcal

1 small egg plant
1 small zucchini
1 red bell pepper
1 yellow bell pepper
½ bunch asparagus woody stems snapped off
12 - 15 black olives pitted
½ pint cherry tomatoes cut in half
1 tbsp capers
2 cups mixed fresh herbs, torn or roughly chopped (cilantro, parsley, mint, basil)
½ cup crumbed feta or goat cheese optional
1 cup couscous
1½ cups water
3-4 tbsp olive oil

4 tablespoons tomato passata/ puree
4 tablespoons lemon juice or lime juice
2 tsp harissa spice blend substitute ½ tsp each paprika, cayenne, cumin, turmeric
⅓ cup olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Heat an outdoor grill for medium-high, direct heat.
Trim and cut the vegetables while the grill heats. Drizzle the vegetables on both sides with the olive oil and season with salt.
Grill the vegetables in a single layer, starting with the peppers as they will take the longest (about 8-10 minutes), followed by the eggplant and zucchini (about 7-8 minutes) and finally the asparagus (about 4-6 minutes).
Place the grilled peppers into a bowl and cover while you grill the other vegetables. This will "steam" the peppers making it easy to remove the charred skin.
Note: You can also use roasted vegetables for this dish. Simply toss in olive oil and roast on a baking sheet at 425 degrees F, stirring occasionally, for 30 -45 minutes.
Rinse the cherry tomatoes and cut into halves.
Peel the charred skin from the grilled peppers.
Cut the grilled vegetables into roughly one-inch pieces and toss together with the cherry tomatoes. Set aside while you prepare the couscous.
Note: The grilled vegetables can be prepared up to a day ahead of time, then brought to room temperature and tossed with the cherry tomatoes when you are ready to assemble the salad.

Bring 1 ½ cups of water to a boil in a heatproof bowl in a microwave. Add ¼ tsp salt and the couscous. Give a quick stir then cover the bowl and let stand 5 minutes.

Meanwhile, prepare the dressing.
While the couscous is standing, prepare the dressing.
Place the tomato puree, olive oil, lemon juice and the harissa spice blend in a bowl or jar and shake or whisk to combine. If the mixture is too thick, add a little water to thin to your desired salad dressing consistency. Taste and add salt if needed.
Fluff the couscous with a fork and drizzle with a little olive oil.

Place the couscous in the bottom of a large salad bowl. Mix the cherry tomatoes, capers and olives together with the grilled vegetables and layer on top of the couscous. Next, crumble the feta or goat cheese over the grilled vegetables.
Roughly tear or chop the fresh herbs, leaving any smaller leaves whole, and layer over top of the salad.
Note: tear or chop the fresh herbs at the last minute, just before you are serving the salad.
To serve, drizzle with a little of the salad dressing over top, and serve the extra dressing on the side for people to help themselves.

Serves 6-8 as a starter or side salad

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