Butternut Squash and Couscous Salad

When your [appreciative] vegan friends come into town, you're forced to make new recipes or go out for all meals. So cooking one meal out of six isn't bad, right? After asking my coworker for a recipe, we came up with an almost vegan dish: Couscous Salad with Butternut Squash and Cranberries. Technically the recipe isn't vegan since it has goat cheese in it, but vegan cheese could be substituted, so I thought it was a winner. I bought the recipe home to show H, who made the best horrified face I've ever seen! I realized quickly that the recipe was too sweet for the guy. After thinking about it, I decided to alter it a little to make it a little more savory sounding. Here's what I came up with:

Butternut Squash and Couscous Salad

1 medium (2 1/2 - 3 lb) butternut squash, peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 onion, diced
1/4 cup diced fresh tomatoes

1/4 cup diced sun-dried tomatoes

1 cup water

1 cup uncooked couscous

3 tablespoons white wine vinegar

2 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon chili-infused olive oil

1 teaspoon chipotle tabasco hot sauce

Zest of one orange

1/2 teaspoon coriander

1 teaspoon Albanian-rubbed sage

1/2 teaspoon rosemary

1 teaspoon cumin

2-4 teaspoons salt

1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

1 can garbanzo beans, drained

3 oz goat cheese (or vegan cheese)

Pre-heat oven to 425° F. Toss the squash and onion with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Spread them out on a baking sheet and roast, stirring occasionally, until the squash is tender and the onions are starting to crisp at the tips, about 30 minutes. 

Meanwhile, bring 1 teaspoon salt, the water, and 1 teaspoon olive oil to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous and remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes until the couscous has absorbed all the water. Fluff the couscous with a fork and set aside.

In a small bowl, whisk together vinegar, olive oil, hot sauce, orange zest, spices, and 1 teaspoon of salt.

Combine squash, onions, couscous, garbanzo beans, and tomatoes in a large bowl. Pour the dressing over the salad and stir to combine. Gently fold the cheese into the salad. Add salt and pepper to taste. 

The original recipe says to serve the salad cold or at room temperature. Personally, I think this version is better served warm (so I heated mine up in the microwave for 20-30 seconds).