North African-Style Grilled Vegetable Salad

North African-Style Grilled Vegetable Salad

Ingredients :

Vinaigrette
- 1 shallot -
- 1/2 clove garlic -
- 1/4 teaspoon prepared harissa chile paste, more to taste -
- 1 tablespoon tomato purée -
- Juice and finely grated zest of 1 lemon -
- 2 tablespoons water -
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin -
- 1/2 teaspoon ground coriander -
- Salt and pepper -
- 1 cup loosely packed parsley leaves -
- 1 teaspoon honey -
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil -

Salad
- 1 eggplant, sliced in 1/4-inch-thick rounds -
- 4 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil, divided -
- 1 green bell pepper, seeded and quartered -
- 1 red bell pepper, seeded and quartered -
- 1 red onion, cut into 1/2-inch-thick rings -
- 8 cups mixed greens -
- 2 cups parsley leaves -
- 1 cup chickpeas -
- 1 cup cooked whole wheat couscous -
- 1/2 cup pitted black olives -
- Pinch each of ground cayenne, coriander and cumin -

How to Prepare :
1. To prepare the vinaigrette, add all ingredients except olive oil to a blender. Blend on medium speed for 2 minutes, then slowly drizzle in olive oil with machine running. Taste and adjust seasoning as desired. Transfer to a bowl, cover and chill for at least 1 hour.
2. To prepare the salad, preheat a grill to high heat. Toss eggplant slices with 2 tablespoons of the olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill each slice for about 3 minutes on each side, turning once. Transfer to a bowl large enough to hold all the vegetables. Toss peppers in another tablespoon of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Grill peppers for about 3 minutes on each side and add to bowl with eggplant. Toss onion slices in remaining tablespoon of olive oil, season with salt and pepper and grill for about 3 minutes per side. Add to bowl with peppers and eggplant. Cover and let vegetables sit for about 20 minutes, This will allow them to finish cooking through. Uncover and let cool to room temperature.
3. To assemble salad, toss greens with parsley leaves and arrange in a large salad bowl or on a platter. Arrange the grilled vegetables and chickpeas in sections over the greens. Arrange couscous in the middle and top with black olives. Stir dressing to recombine and serve alongside salad.

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