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Green Israeli Couscous Salad

July 8, 2011 by Joy the Baker 137 Comments

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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.

whitney and willy

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.

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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.

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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!!

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Green onions and green parsley.  I’m really into parsley.

Maybe you want to try basil and oregano?  Heck yes!

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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.

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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.

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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

Print this Recipe!

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.

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Filed Under: Recipes, Savory, Snacks, Vegan

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Reader Interactions

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Questions
  1. Ayset

    April 25, 2012 at 12:50 am

    It seems like Turkish couscous that our relatives lived in countryside prepared ( ? mean dried couscous) at home for winter and they used to send us .It was more delicious than commercialised ones.

    Reply
  2. Shannon

    January 16, 2012 at 2:07 pm

    Made this on Saturday night – paired nicely with moose dip sandwiches. Yes, that’s like a French (beef) dip but made with moose. Northern BC local eatin’. My guests loved the pistachios – very exotic! Thanks :)

    Reply
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Trackbacks

  1. Biscuits, Lunch, and Dinner | bediva says:
    September 6, 2015 at 5:29 am

    […] Green Goddess Israeli Couscous Salad. […]

    Reply
  2. Pistachio Feta Couscous Salad with Lemon Vinaigrette | Cook AZ I Do says:
    May 22, 2014 at 2:02 pm

    […] Recipe slightly adapted from Joy the Baker […]

    Reply
  3. Buttered Crouton Salad with avocado and smoked salmon — Joy the Baker says:
    April 24, 2012 at 6:17 pm

    […] Green Israeli Couscous Salad […]

    Reply

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