Grilled Vegetables and Chickpeas with Couscous

Served over couscous, this vegetable-bean combination makes a complete one-dish meal with rich flavors of the Middle East. Add the Grilled Onion Raita (page 178) as a side dish, or serve with hot pepper sauce.

Yield: 4 servings (serving size: 1 3/4 cups couscous mixture and 1 tablespoon cheese)

Ingredients

• 1  large zucchini (about 8 ounces)
• 1  large yellow squash (about 6 ounces)
• 1  small green bell pepper, quartered
• 1  small red bell pepper, quartered
• 1  small onion, cut into 1/4-inch-thick slices (about 1/2 cup)
• Cooking spray
• 1  cup  water
• 3/4  cup  uncooked couscous
• 1/2  teaspoon  hot pepper sauce
• 1/4  teaspoon  salt
• 1/4  teaspoon  freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4  teaspoon  ground cumin
• Dash of ground cinnamon
• 3/4  cup  cherry tomatoes, halved
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh cilantro
• 3  tablespoons  fresh lemon juice
• 1  tablespoon  extravirgin olive oil
• 1  (15 1/2-ounce) can chickpeas (garbanzo beans), drained
• 1/4  cup  (1 ounce) crumbled feta cheese

Preparation

Prepare grill.

Cut zucchini and squash lengthwise into 1/4-inch-thick slices. Place zucchini, squash, bell peppers, and onion on a grill rack coated with cooking spray; grill 3 minutes on each side or until well browned. Remove vegetables to a cutting board; cool. Chop vegetables into bite-sized pieces; place in a large bowl.

Bring water to a boil in a medium saucepan. Stir in couscous and the next 5 ingredients (through cinnamon). Cover, remove from heat, and let stand 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork.

Add couscous, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients except cheese to vegetable mixture; toss well. Sprinkle each serving with cheese.

Nutritional Information

Calories:

325 (22% from fat)

Fat:

7.8g (sat 2.2g,mono 3.6g,poly 1.4g)

Protein:

13.2g

Carbohydrate:

53g

Fiber:

8.6g

Cholesterol:

8mg

Iron:

3mg

Sodium:

270mg

Calcium:

113mg