A Homesick Hubby!

As soon as I told my hubby that I would give it a try on the Mediterranean diet, he was jumping up and down like a kid. Never saw a man so happy about going on a diet. And them he grabbed all the Middle Eastern cookbooks I have in the house and started to choose the recipes I should do.  The recipes that he chose are endless I will be cooking Israeli food for at least 2 years, he marked almost every single page from at least 6 books. So I had to explain that deep fried falafel wasn’t what I had in mind for a diet. Luckily there are plenty of very good healthy options with lots of veggies. The hummus I’ve used “sabra”  with a drizzle of good olive oil, pine nuts and a sprinkle of paprika.

Couscous and Roasted Vegetables Salad

• 1Box of instant couscous
• 1 eggplant, cut into 1-inch cubs
• 2 zucchinis, sliced
• 2 sweet pepper (red and yellow) seeded and cut in large chunks
• 10 whole cloves garlic, unpeeled
• 3 clove garlic, crushed
• ½ cup of olive oil
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 3-tablespoon pine nuts
• 1 small red onion, sliced
• 1 small bunch of parsley chopped  

1.  Preheat the oven 400f
2. Prepare the instant couscous according to the manufacturer’s instructions.
3.  Arrange the eggplant, zucchinis, peppers and unpeeled garlic cloves in a baking dish lined with baking paper.
4.  Mix the olive oil with salt, pepper, and the crushed garlic and pour over the vegetables. Toss lightly to mix the sauce with the vegetables.
5.  Roast the vegetables in the oven for 20 minutes or until golden. Cool slightly.
6.  Roast the pine nuts in a hot frying pan, without oil, until they are golden brown.
7.  Mix the couscous with the vegetables. Add the pine nuts, the onions and parsley. Sprinkle more olive oil and serve immediately.