What better to eat on a summer day than spiced Morrocan veg with preserved lemon couscous and a cucumber yogurt dip? Great for a working lunch, dinner and for a picnic too and all ready in just 30 minutes. Suitable as a whole meal, but you could also add some roasted chickpeas, lentils or even falafel for an extra boost of protein.
The veggies are cut up, tossed in a little olive oil and ras el hanout and roasted until tender and juicy. Ras el hanout is a fragrant Moroccan spice blend, it's a little sweet, spicy and peppery too, with the lovely addition of rose petals for some floral notes. The preserved lemons release a wonderful fragrance and seasoning to the couscous, brightened up with a little fresh lemon juice and herbs too.
The cucumber yogurt dip not only adds a wonderful freshness and delicious accompaniment but protein too, helping to keep you fuller for longer. This bowl is packed with vitamin A, C, K, magnesium and potassium, as well as plenty of antioxidants too, it's delicious and super nutritious!
Moroccan Roasted Veg & Lemon Couscous | Serves: 4 | Time: 30 mins
You'll need
- Chopping board
- Knife
- Large mixing bowl
- Large baking tray
- Small bowl
- Colander
Ingredients
Veg
- 1 large courgette
- 1 medium aubergine
- 1 red pepper
- 1 red onion
- 2 tbsp ras el hanout
- Drizzle olive oil
- Generous pinch salt
Couscous
- 1 cup couscous
- 1 preserved lemon
- Juice 1/2 lemon
- 1.5 cups boiling water
- 1 tbsp chopped parsley
- 1 tbsp chopped mint
Yogurt
- 1/2 cucumber
- Salt
- 1 cup vegan yogurt
- 1 tbsp chopped mint
- 1/2 tp garlic powder
Method
- Pre-heat the oven to 200°C.
- Wash the veg, then cut the courgette into 1.5cm chunks, the aubergine into 1cm, the red pepper into 2cm and the red onion into 2cm wedges. Transfer to the baking tray and toss with a drizzle of olive oil, the ras el hanout and a generous pinch of salt until evenly covered. Spread out on the baking tray and roast for 20 minutes, or until tender all the way through.
- Add the couscous to a large bowl with 1 preserved lemon and the juice of half a lemon and cover with 1.5 cups boiling water. Stir together then cover with a plate and leave for 5 minutes to allow it to fluff up.
- Then remove the preserved lemon and fluff up with a fork, dice the lemon up, removing any tough seeds and add back to the couscous with the chopped herbs and stir together.
- To make the dip, slice the cucumber lengthways and then thinly slice half-moons, add to a colander on a draining board and sprinkle with a generous pinch of salt. Allow the cucumber to sit for 5 minutes, then gently squeeze out the remaining water. Mix the cucumber with the yogurt, mint and garlic powder and combine.
- Serve up the veggies with the lemon couscous and cucumber dip and enjoy!
Cassidy xx
