Pasta Salad with Roasted Radishes

I was thinking of making a side dish salad, then noticed that the radishes in my garden were getting exceedingly large.  It was time to roast them up and get creative.

Radishes are almost always sold with the leaves attached.  They are absolutely edible.  They taste kind of like a peppery spinach.  And you paid for them, so you might as well get the benefit.

I really need to stop leaving plants in the garden too long.  Yes, I was waiting for the radishes to get big enough to roast, but one was stupid huge.  I have one green onion that has overstayed its welcome, too.  I'll have to figure out a recipe for that.

*1 bunch radishes with leaves
1 C pearl (Israeli) couscous
*1/4 C sun dried tomatoes
1/4 C olive oil
2 Tb vinegar of choice (I used balsamic)
*1/4 tsp dried thyme
salt and pepper to taste

1.  Preheat oven to 375º.  Cut greens off of radishes and save, trim off any extending taproot, and cut in half into bite-sized pieces.  Toss in a bit of olive oil just to coat and spread in a single layer on a baking sheet or in a roasting dish.  Bake until lightly browned and softened, about 30 minutes.

2.  Start boiling a medium to large pot with 2 C of water while the radishes are roasting.  You can multitask by whisking up the dressing of the rest of the oil, the vinegar, thyme, and salt and pepper.  I also soaked the tomatoes in it.

3.  Cook couscous according to package directions.  Cut the radish leaves off the tough stems and roughly chop.  Add to the pasta in the last two minutes of cooking so they can wilt.

4.  Drain pasta and greens and return to the pot.  Stir in radishes, tomatoes, and dressing and toss until everything is evenly coated.  Can be served anywhere from chilled to hot.  I preferred slightly warmer than room temperature.

Difficulty rating  :)