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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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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lorena I.

    July 10, 2011 at 5:39 am

    Love everything about your beautiful blog, I guess it’s the reflection of a beautiful person, in every sense of the word. Love your words (you always make me laugh) and love your recipes!!
    You’re an inspiration and I thank you for that.
    Besos from my little corner of the world :)

    Reply
  2. Lucia

    July 10, 2011 at 5:02 am

    Yesterday it was one of those days for me too. I didn’t have cookies, so I couldn’t eat thirty of them. But I tasted a perfect green apple mojito while it was pouring outside. It was night, and the stars didn’t shine. But mojito was great. P.S. I looove the Israeli couscous. try it with pomegranate grains, it’s gorgeous.

    Reply
  3. michelle

    July 9, 2011 at 7:21 pm

    What a perfect summer salad! I can’t wait for someone to invite me to a bbq so I can bring this.

    Reply
  4. Joel

    July 9, 2011 at 12:34 pm

    Genius and hilarious as always! Looks delicious. I’ll have to make some soon.

    Reply
  5. Cucina Italiana

    July 9, 2011 at 1:36 am

    Ok, so I’m part Italian and part English, living in one of those ‘leafy’ English Shire Counties… There’s my excuse.

    The reason I need an excuse? Well, is Israeli cous-cous the same as Moghrabieh?

    See? Told you I needed an excuse!!!

    Reply
    • Noura

      July 11, 2011 at 6:39 am

      Kind of! Moghrabieh is a yummy stew that has maftoul (which is called Israeli couscous in the US), chicken, humus beans and lots of spices.

      Reply
  6. Orit

    July 9, 2011 at 12:10 am

    Here in Israel we make the couscous (Ptitim) in a slightly different (and faster) way:
    put a little bit of olive oil ad the couscous in a saucepan, mix so the couscous is covered with the oil and add boiling water (2 cups for every 1 cup couscous, just like you did) and spices. Once it boils, lower the heat and cover. Leave for exactly 6 minutes, turn heat off and keep covered for 5 minutes. And that’s it. There should be no liquid left in the saucepan. Works every time.
    And it is such a comfort food perfect for the not-so-great day.
    I will try your recipe today ;)

    Reply
  7. Shauna

    July 8, 2011 at 11:10 pm

    Joy, this post made my birthday a little brighter. Sometimes you just have to buy cupcakes : )

    Reply
  8. Molly

    July 8, 2011 at 10:16 pm

    I know those days. I had cookies for dinner. Funktown is a good word for it!

    Reply
  9. Emily Rose

    July 8, 2011 at 10:04 pm

    I ate chocolate covered pretzels for breakfast. Store bought. One of those days.

    Reply
  10. sheila @ Elements

    July 8, 2011 at 9:35 pm

    Sorry ’bout your day, Joy, but giving those yummy cupcakes to your friend and making this salad certainly are two very bright spots!

    Your salad looks totally scrumptious, and I’ll look for the Israeli couscous at the store when I go on Monday. I adore fresh parsley and snow peas, and I’m hardly waiting to make this! :) Thanks a bunch for sharing the recipe and hope you have a much better tomorrow! :)

    Reply
  11. elana from Israel

    July 8, 2011 at 9:22 pm

    Thank you for that… come to visit us in Israel we have great food!!!

    Reply
  12. One in a Brazilian

    July 8, 2011 at 8:37 pm

    I like the idea of doing something nice for someone else to get out of a funk. I will use that tip next time I need it, Joy the Baker.

    And, by the way, nice touch with the pistachios. Or as my son would say, goo job.

    Reply
  13. Emmy

    July 8, 2011 at 8:31 pm

    let me tell you it is NOT just you, and it’s not just this day either i’m afraid…it seems this entire week is just nuts. i’m glad to see it go. is it a full moon or something? it’s been such a wacked out week i’ve been too busy to notice the moon apparently…

    Reply
  14. Kat @ Cupcake Kat

    July 8, 2011 at 7:29 pm

    I hate days like that! But cookies always help. This dish looks great. I’ve never tried Israeli couscous but now I want to

    Reply
  15. Liat

    July 8, 2011 at 7:13 pm

    Must say that as an Israeli’ it’s the first time I see someone calling this thing “Israeli Couscous”…We just call it “Ptitim”, which means “Flakes” and it is actually pasta, small pasta balls, unlike couscous that is made of Semolina.
    Thanks you for the recipe! it looks great. I leave in Canada now and sure hope I find them here and make it.

    Reply
    • joythebaker

      July 8, 2011 at 8:51 pm

      i know! it’s so strange that it’s called Israeli couscous everywhere but Israel. and yes.. it’s pasta. i dunno…. someone invented a weird name for this.

      Reply
      • Noura

        July 11, 2011 at 6:36 am

        Yeah…it’s funny because it’s not couscous either. Palestinians call it maftoul—my mother-in-law taught me how to make it by hand last time I was in Palestine! It’s really good as a substitute for rice, too. We cook it in a big pot with chicken or meat and veggies like carrots and cauliflower.

        Reply
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