You know those mornings when you:
wake up in a panic because you forgot to send an important email…
and wait! you only slept five hours! where did all of these zits come from!? like… seriously.
and the coffee line is surprisingly short, but you spill coffee on your shoes because you’re an absolute bonehead.
and technology is confusing.
but cookies are totally not confusing so you eat like, thirty of them.
and it would be awesome if you could just stay home and hide from things… but the world keeps on spinning… and you keep spilling things… and emails keep coming… and seriously with the text messages!?
You know those days?
when work feels suffocating. and it’s 4 o’clock in the afternoon, and you’re still trying to pull something out of your day. well… something besides cookies.
I had that day yesterday. I just couldn’t turn things right. It was like slow motion falling, all day long.
It’s ok. It really is. Some days are just funktown.
What turns around these days?
Buying your best friend cupcakes for her birthday. Yes. Buying!!! I already told you it was a rough day! Geez! Sometimes bakers buy cupcakes. That’s real life!
Buy cupcakes. Light candles. Pet a fluffy sweet dog named Willy. Sing Happy Birthday to Miss (dirty 30) Whitney.
Doing nice things for other people totally helps me out of a funky day funk. It feels good. Making other people happy is the best distraction there is! Truly.
Buy cupcakes if you have to. Eat cookies if things get weird. Do good things for other people. Also… try couscous for lunch. It’ll totally counteract all of the cookies you ate for breakfast, and the cupcakes you’re about to eat after pizzadinner. Pizzadinner is totally a word.
Israeli couscous is a toasted pasta shaped like little balls. It’s different from traditional couscous, in that it’s much larger, really holds it’s shape, and doesn’t clump together. Tiny pasta balls. Like tapioca, but more pasta-y.
I love to turn this couscous into a salad.
I had a theme this go-round. I wanted everything to be green.
Snap peas. Raw. Sliced. Crisp. Pretty.
Maybe you want to try asparagus? Go for it!!
Green onions and green parsley. I’m really into parsley.
Maybe you want to try basil and oregano? Heck yes!
Big chunks of cucumber too!
What? You want to use roasted zucchini!? Why didn’t I think of that?
And lemon. Lemon should go into everything.
I toss it all together with lemon juice and olive oil. Salt and coarse pepper for days.
Feta cheese too… because come on! Don’t be dumb.
I thought toasted pistachios were a nice touch too. They’re green. I love a theme.
Feel free to play around with the ingredients.
This is just a simple little ditty for a ditty of a day.
Green Israeli Couscous Salad
four small or two large servings
3 cups water
1 1/2 cups dry Israeli Couscous
generous pinch of salt
1 1/2 cups sliced snap peas
1 English cucumber, cut into chunks
1/3 cup chopped parsley
1/2 cup sliced green onions
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup roasted and salted pistachios
salt and coarsely ground black pepper to taste
about 3 tablespoons olive oil
about 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
In a medium saucepan, bring three cups of water to a boil. Add a generous pinch of salt, followed by Israeli couscous. Stir and reduce heat to a simmer. Simmer until couscous is just tender, with a slight bite, about 10 to 13 minutes.
Drain into a fine mesh strainer and rinse with cold water. Set aside.
Toss cooled couscous with the rest of the ingredients. Taste and add more salt and pepper as necessary.
Yea… it’s that easy! Cook couscous and toss it with veggies, herbs, cheese, lemon and olive oil.
Michele
That sounds so good!
A Plum By Any Other Name
“Eat cookies if things get weird.” Ha! Sorry you had such a rotten day. Great use of couscous … it balances out the cookies and the cupcakes quite nicely. (I’m sure bourbon would help too.) ;)
jenny
“Feta cheese too… because come on! Don’t be dumb.” haha. joy, you always make my day. and yes, I’m totally making this. I love a theme, too–especially when it involves yummy veggies. :)
Sarah
I love this post. I’ve been having this type of day for like two weeks! The only thing that has made me feel like a normal accomplished person has been baking two loaves of fantastic bread- and reading your blog. And perhaps telling my sister how much I appreciate her throwing a bacherolette party for me. Thanks again Joy for the post!!
kitchenvoyage
Somebody knows where i can find israili cous-cous in England (London or East Sussex) Thnaks, Nice looking recipe
Kathryn
I think you can buy it in Waitrose/Ocado from Merchant Gourmet – it’s called Giant Couscous but I think it’s the same thing.
Lauren at Keep It Sweet
So glad I’m not the only one buying from bakeries still:-)
I have had that kind of day way too many times!
sofia
ha, this is great. totally agree that doing something for others AND eating cookies turns around any bad day. and that Israeli couscous is awesome. yum. i want to eat this!
Juan
Limes are green, lemons are not. tsk tsk
:)
Baking Holly
I LOVE this!! So pretty, so yummy, hip hip hooray!
peachkins
yumyumyum!
Kathryn
I have a feeling that today is going to be one of those days. I should do something nice for someone. You can never do enough nice things. This salad could definitely become a lunchtime staple for me. Anything with feta in makes me swoon. Thanks Joy.
Jenny
I’ve never seen Israeli couscous before but it looks delicious. The couscous I’m used to is very small but these look like plump little beads. I can’t wait to go out and buy some now!
Averie @ Love Veggies and Yoga
I did a whole POST on fresh raw sugar snap peas yesterday. I LOVE THEM!
your salad looks splendid!
And boy, do I EVER know those days where not even at 4pm but at 2am, I am still awake, still trying to pull something out of my day…b/c everything that happened was just a series of busywork but not much actually getting accomplished.
That’s when cookies and chocolate come in real handy :)
Maris(In Good Taste)
I could so see myself having this for lunch or dinner or even breakfast. Looks delicious and healthy too. My mom would so have a birthday picnic for her dog!
Maureen
I bought some Israeli couscous this morning and I was wondering how I was going to use it. This looks delicious!