Whole Wheat Couscous Salad with Za’atar Roasted Eggplant

A Reblog | By: kabcphotography | In Tel Aviv, with 85 degree weather, its hard to say that its Fall. As much as I love long summer days filled with the beach and watermelons, I truly miss the feeling of Autumn. I miss apple orchards and pumpkin patches and the scent of warm spices.

While patiently waiting for soup season to kick in, I’ve prepared a light, whole grain salad filled with mediterranean flavors.

Ingredients:

1 C. whole wheat couscous (dry, uncooked)
1 large eggplant (cut into 1 inch cubes)
1 TBS. za’atar spice
1/2 C. oven-dried/sun-dried tomatoes (roughly chopped)
1/4 C. black nicoise olives (pitted)
1 small red onion (thinly sliced)
1/4 C. parsley leaves (finely chopped)
1/4 C. toasted pine nuts
1/4 C. sheep’s milk feta (crumbled)
3 TBS olive oil (plus more for roasting eggplant)
1 TBS. red wine vinegar
1/4 TSP. ground cumin

*S +P

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Toss cubed eggplant with a drizzle of olive oil, pinch of sea salt and za’atar spice. Spread on baking sheet and roast for about 15 minutes.

2. Prepare couscous according to packaging.

3. Once the roasted eggplant, and couscous have cooked (and slightly cooled) you can toss all of the ingredients in a medium sized bowl. Season to taste with S + P. Mix well and serve.