Grilled Veggie Couscous Salad
Tired of the same old mayo-mess of pasta salad spoiling in the summer sun? Ditch that cream colored bullshit and get with this fiber rich son of a bitch. Between all these ripe summer veggies, the fresh basil, and the grill marks, you’ve got a new prized picnic dish without all the fat in that pile of pale pasta. Fuck mayo, EAT SOME SUNSHINE.
Mix all the dressing ingredients together in a small saucepan over a medium low heat. Get that shit to simmer for about 10-15 minutes until it’s starting to reduce and look a little saucier and less watery. Don’t let this bastard boil because the sugars in there will get burnt the fuck up and taste awful. Turn off the heat when it’s good to go.
While the dressing is reducing you should chop up the veggies, cook the fucking pasta, and tear up the basil. We like to tear the basil here 1. Because it looks artistic or whatever and 2. Because the big ass chunks taste dope with the dish.
Now you wanna grill the corn and zucchini. Lightly spray them both with a little oil and kinda stir them around so they get coated. Get your grill to a medium-high heat then toss those fuckers on. You can baste the zucchini in the a little dressing with a brush while they cook. Flip the zucchini every couple 2-3 minutes until you’ve got a decent grill mark on each side. Flip your corn until every side looks a little flame-kissed, you’ll see kernels turn black and might even hear them pop- that’s the shit you want. But grill them however the fuck you like. These veggies are fine raw so don’t stress whether or not they’re cooked through, it’s fine. You’re just trying to achieve some grill marks and that smoky taste.
When the corn and zucchini have cooled, cut the corn off the cob and cut the zucchini into bite-sized chunks. No bigger than a dime if you need a goddamn reference. Grab a large bowl and toss together the couscous, zucchini, corn kernels, tomatoes, basil, and dressing. Stir that shit around and then taste. Add more vinegar, salt, or some pepper to get it where you like it.
You can serve this right away or let it chill in the fridge for a bit, this fucker is great warm or cold. Want some extra protein in there? Replace 1 ½ cups of the cooked couscous with one drained can of white or garbanzo beans. BOOM. Now you’ve got an lunch worth stealing from the office fridge.
* If you’re thinking, SWEET SHIT that’s a lot of sodium, look at the serving size and calm the fuck down.
**If you can’t find this, relax. Just use another small pasta shape like orzo or tiny ass shells. Whatever. Just cook that shit however the box says and you’re good.