Vegetable & Shrimp Couscous with Red Pepper Sauce

I made this recipe years ago.

I got it out of my Cooking Light magazine.

Given the popularity of this dish among my family I've made it many a time.

Since I started WW I did have to change it up a bit to make it more plan friendly but it really wasn't hard to do.

That's the beauty of healthy living, it's really not that hard to slim down most recipes.

Here's what I changed~

I substituted 1 lb shrimp for sirloin as it's lower in points.

My cilantro already went to seed so I used 1 Tbsp of dried cilantro.

I used only 1 cup uncooked couscous instead of 2 cups.

I also added in 8 oz of baby portabella mushrooms sliced and 1/2 pint of cherry tomatoes.

When making the red pepper sauce I changed the 1/4 cup(equivalent to 4 Tbsp) of olive oil to 2 Tbsp olive oil plus 2 Tbsp plain Greek yogurt.

With the above changes being made this comes out to 8 pts per serving.  This is based on the whole meal as being 4 servings instead of 6 servings as indicated in the recipe.  

You have less couscous in my version but I think the portions look bigger as I used more veggies.

TIP:  I typically make the red pepper sauce a day ahead of time.  It saves time later and it gives the flavors in the sauce time to blend.  This recipe is a lot to take on in one day if you don't like to cook.

I'm admittedly a novice at grilling so I cooked the veggies in a roasting pan in the oven at 425 degrees for 60 minutes or until done.  I didn't even add any oil because I was using so many naturally wet veggies like the zucchini, yellow squash and mushrooms.

I also used a tri-color couscous I found at the grocery store and substituted that since it was the same points as the regular.

The tri-color couscous has sundried tomato and spinach.  Doesn't that sound good?!  I bought this at Wal-Mart.

This is what the peppers look like before broiling~

And after broiling~

Okay, so really these went a little longer than I had planned.  What is my deal with broiling?

You peel off the skin so it's not a big deal and I did use these but they were a little desiccated, a little thin and dried out.  

Next time I won't let them go that long.  

Here is the red pepper sauce~

Keep in mind that this sauce is really spicy.  If you don't like hot spicy you may want to cut down or cut out the crushed red pepper flakes.

I love some heat so I really like this.  I also really love the unusual and unique flavor this has from the caraway seed.  

My mom and husband said they like it well enough to drink it!!!!!!  Last time I made it they asked me to double the recipe for the sauce.  

My husband was putting that leftover sauce on everything he ate.  It really cracked me up :)

Here is a peak at the veggies after roasting~

Couscous and shrimp

Putting it all together...

PRO's:  This is insanely delicious and really healthy.  There are so many different textures and flavors.  There are gobs of veggies and the portions are huge.  You will feel full after eating this. 

CON's:  This takes time to make and a lot of dirty dishes to clean up after, or during if you're as OCD as I am.  

For me and my family it's worth the time investment.  I only make this a couple times a year or so but my husband always thanks me.  

Tonight his comment was "the really irritating thing about this stuff is that you can't stop eating it". 

I'd encourage you to give this a try.  This is a great way to bulk up the veggies, make them taste amazing and for you to feel full.  

LARGE plate = LARGE portion

Happy Cooking!