grilled vegetable and israeli couscous salad

By pumpkinpassion

Ingredients

• dressing:
• 1 1/3 c israeli couscous
• 1 3/4 c vegetable or chicken broth
• 1/2 tbsp butter (yes, use butter!)
• 1/4 c pine nuts
• 1 tbsp olive oil
• vegetables of your choice (zucchini, bell peppers, cremini mushrooms, asparagus all work well)
• cherry or grape tomatoes
• zest of 1 lemon
• iberico cheese, cubed
• 1/4 c balsamic vinegar
• 1/4 c olive oil
• 2 tbsp honey
• 1-2 cloves minced garlic
• chopped parsley, basil and rosemary (I used fresh parsley and dried basil/rosemary)
• salt and pepper

Details

Adapted from alaunamakes.blogspot.com

Preparation

Step 1

1. slightly brown the butter in sauce pot and toast pine nuts until golden, remove and reserve on a plate
2. in same pan, add 1 tbsp oil and the couscous, toast until golden (about 5 minutes)
3. add broth to pan, bring to a boil and stir
4. reduce heat, cover and cook until all liquid has been absorbed (10-12 minutes)
*this couscous tends to stick to my pans, so i stir every once in while
5. chop vegetables into medium/bite sized pieces and generously salt and pepper them
6. on a grill pan (or sauté could work), cook until veggies are slighted softened and have grill marks
7. whisk dressing ingredients, adjust for taste
8. in a large bowl, combine grilled veggies with dressing, allow to sit for 20 minutes
9. stir in cooled couscous, pine nuts, tomatoes, lemon zest, and cubed cheese
*if you make this ahead, i would leave out the cheese until right before serving time