This year, we joined a local farmer co-op program from Sausser Farms which provides us with five pounds of produce each week for one low price. Saturday was our first week receiving produce from the co-op, so we headed to the Lynchburg Community Market at about 10:30 to pick up our share. We came home with yellow squash, green peppers and carrots in hand from the co-op, local raw honey from a Nelson County apiary, local strawberries and zucchini and sweet potatoes from another gardener.
With fresh produce in hand, I made a quick dinner on Friday which included chicken burgers (Buffalo and BBQ), sweet potato fries and grilled zucchini. The burgers were great and the sweet potato fries were excellent! We finished our meal with homemade strawberry shortcakes with fresh vanilla whipped cream.
Fast-forward to Sunday afternoon. I made the decision to make a light, vegetarian meal for dinner after we enjoyed a meat-laden lunch at Firehouse Subs. As I searched through a few recipes, I decided to do my own take on a vegetable and couscous salad. I used a variety of fresh vegetables (all from the market, with the exception of a 1/2 onion) and made a lemon pepper dressing. It was bursting with fresh flavor and color — we didn’t miss the meat! The recipe for my Roasted Vegetable and Whole Wheat Couscous Salad is included below along with the recipe for the sweet potato fries.
ROASTED VEGETABLE AND WHOLE WHEAT COUSCOUS SALAD
For the vegetables
1 large zucchini, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/4″ thick pieces
1 medium yellow squash, quartered lengthwise and sliced into 1/4″ thick pieces
1/2 large onion, sliced
1 large green bell pepper, sliced lengthwise into 3/4″ thick pieces
1 large carrot (or two medium carrots), sliced into 1/4″ thick pieces
About 1/2 lb. fresh green beans, cut into 1 1/2″ pieces
2 T. olive oil
Coarse salt and freshly ground pepper
Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss all vegetables together with olive oil, salt and pepper and roast for 25 minutes on a rimmed baking sheet or until vegetables are softened.
Whole wheat couscous
1 c. water
1 t. olive oil
Salt
1 c. whole wheat couscous
Mix together water, olive oil and salt and bring to a boil. Follow package directions to complete the cooking process. (I used Trader Joe’s Whole Wheat Couscous)
Lemon Pepper Dressing
2 T. olive oil
Juice of one lemon
Freshly ground pepper (probably about 1/4 t.)
Dash of coarse salt
Small pinch of granulated sugar
Whisk all ingredients together.
TO FINISH THE SALAD: Put cooked couscous into a large bowl, top with vegetables and dressing and toss together. Serve warm.
SWEET POTATO “FRIES”
3 sweet potatoes, peeled
1 T. olive oil
Juice of 1/2 lemon
Salt and pepper
Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Slice sweet potatoes lengthwise into 1/2 inch slices, then slice again vertically into 1/2 inch slices. Toss in olive oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper and spread into one layer on rimmed baking sheet. Roast for 25 to 30 minutes, tossing once, until tender and starting to brown.
