Phew, now that was a mouthful to type. The title looks as if it was an item borrowed from a fancy schmancy restaurant menu, but let me reassure you this is a dead easy recipe to prepare, ultra healthy and to top it all it tastes divine! Sod any decadent dessert and serve me this dish instead.
A few months ago I wrote about going on the Weight Watchers diet and remained mum until now. No, I didn’t fall off the wagon after four days. Okay, admittedly I fell off a few times but managed to complete almost three months. Did I see results? Oh yes, I’ve lost a stone (about 6.5kg). After the weeklong holiday I picked up a little bit of weight, but no worries, I’ll lose it soon enough when I get back on track next Sunday. Is the diet difficult to follow? Not really, but it is quite time consuming to sit on your bum for a few hours to work out the week’s menu, i.e. 21 meals and write down a shopping list. All you have to do then is stick to your plan.
This veritable vegetable dish made my lunches so much more appealing and satisfying. What’s more, the portions are huge and afterwards I felt quite guilty feeling so full. Come on, it’s a diet after all, isn’t it? Aren’t you supposed to starve? Well, I lost weight and enjoyed most of the food along the way. Even this month of no dieting I couldn’t resist picking up some vegetables to roast and enjoy.
P.S. Equal Opportunity Kitchen got Canada’s Christine Cushing to judge all entries to Tried, Tested & True #2. Ivy of Kopiaste and Ben of What’s Cooking are holding an event called Fat Chefs or Skinny Gourmets, which this dish is adequately suited for.
Roasted Pumpkin, Red Peppers & Onions with a Sweet Balsamic and Mustard Dressing on a bed of Couscous
Preparation: 20 mins – Cooking: 45 minutes
Ingredients
- 600g (1lb 5oz) pumpkin, peeled and cut in 2.5cm (1 inch) thick chunks
- 2 red onions, peeled and cut in wedges
- 2 red peppers, seeded and sliced
- 30ml (2 tbsp) olive oil
- 30ml (2 tbsp) balsamic vinegar
- 15ml (1 tbsp) honey
- 15ml (1 tbsp) wholegrain mustard
- 200g (7 oz) dried couscous
- 300ml (½ pint) vegetable stock
- 45ml (3 tbsp) fresh coriander/cilantro
Method
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/gas mark 6.
- Place the pumpkin, onions and peppers in a large roasting tin. Drizzle the olive oil and toss to coat.
- In a cup, add the vinegar, honey and mustard and stir well.
- Roast for about 30 minutes, turning occasionally, then add the balsamic mixture to the vegetables and toss again.
- After another 10 minutes test the vegetables for doneness and if they are ready remove from the oven.
- Meanwhile, place the couscous in a large serving bowl, pour over the stock, cover with cling film and leave to soak for 5 minutes. Remove the cling film and fluff using a fork. Serve the vegetables garnished with coriander on top of the couscous.
Notes
- This dish can be enjoyed hot or cold.
- Use as many vegetables as you like, just remember to increase the dressing as well.
- Feel free to use more vinegar, honey and mustard in different ratios to your liking.
- If you are feeling adventurous, instead of vinegar, honey and mustard, play with Indian spices like chili, cumin and dried coriander.
Hi Michelle, this is what Ben and I wanted to point out. Diet food doesn’t has to be boring. This sounds tasty, nutritious and filling. I’d eat this salad any time. Thanks for sharing.
I especially like the “dead easy”, low in fats and divine. It’s always just too easy to grab the first thing one sees when you get home hungry. This is a great healthy solution to avoid doing just that.
Thanks for a great entry Michelle.
How beautiful – I love the vibrant colours. And isn’t there just something special about the taste roasted vegetables. This looks like the ideal dish to make in double portions and then take to work for lunch the next day!
Hi Michelle, my first visit to your blog. Congratulations on your winning entry. i love the recipe. I keep doing the GM diet evry other week and hate eating ‘diet’ food or what is believed to be diet food and am always looking out for ways to make the diet interesting. Thanks for the lovely recipe.
you poor souls…i eat meat and fat all day and i am slim happy healthy. if you hate being a fatty, its time to kick the mind-dulling hybrid grain foods- ie wheat and stop living off pasteurised homogenised milk products, chocolate etc. you are actually the persons destroying your health and fattening yourselfs up for a heart attack. healthy this AINT. i came here for a pumpkin recipe (90% meat is about what i eat), im shocked there are still people looking for health in grain foods and low fat options. your body knows best. cous cous is a drug that will dull your mind and fatten you up. live and see, or wake up.
I tried this recipe because we grow pumpkins and I really liked it. We have loads of green peppers at the moment, so I replace the red peppers to green and it still comes very tasty. Thank you for sharing this recipe.