Grilled Shrimp and Vegetables with Pearl Couscous

I made this dish a long time ago and then forgot to tell you about it.  Forgive me.

It has been one of my favorite summer meals for a long time because it’s got so much going for it.  It’s healthy, it’s quick, and it’s a self-contained complete meal and, let’s be honest, it photographs well. It’s also smart because often grilling recipes will ask you to marinate things forever in the vain hope of imparting flavor, but the reality is that once they hit the fire most of the flavor drips or burns off.  Here they use the genius idea of tossing the cooked shrimp with some of the vinaigrette after it’s grilled.  It’s life-changing when you think about it. Add to all of this the fact that I happen to be somewhat obsessed with pearl couscous due to its pasta-like chew and adorable appearance.

If you’re lucky enough to live in a place like Chicago, where the weather is not necessarily conducive to grilling all year (although some do. It’s not conducive to swimming in the lake all year but people do that too when they have a good reason) I’m sure you could adapt this for indoor cooking.  Perhaps treating it as a stir fry — cooking the veggies first and then a very quick sear in the hot pan for the shrimp?  Or, do all of it in a grill pan?

You go try and let me know how it turns out.