Salad's an easy, throw-together lunch that you can make in large quantities ahead of time. The word "salad" can mean anything from your traditional garden greens salad to chicken salad covered in mayonnaise. This Israel couscous salad was quick to make and a healthy alternative to the gummy, sauce-laden pasta offered by the school food vendors.
My basic recipe is below, and you can tweak it endlessly until you have a completely different salad. Any pasta or grain-fusilli pasta, quinoa, barley-would work. I like Israeli couscous (a wheat-based pasta) because of its large granule size, which lends more texture and bite than regular couscous. This salad takes about thirty minutes to make and requires minimal stove time.
Next, I'm thinking of easy, portable meals for this busy week. The plan so far is steel cut oats for breakfast, a healthy lasagna for lunch, maybe some quick fish or chicken for dinner. What are you eating? Do you plan your meals in advance?
Spring Salad with Israeli Couscous
Ingredients
1 box Israeli couscous
1-2 purple beets, pre-cooked
Large handful of wild arugula (I like the extra spice of wild)
Several stalks of asparagus
A few small to medium carrots
Half a cucumber (I used a Persian cucumber)
Feta cheese
Olive oil
Balsamic vinegar
Salt and pepper
How To:
- Couscous | Prepare your couscous according to the box instructions. It's more or less like cooking pasta, except the couscous absorbs all the water.
- Vegetables | While your couscous is cooking, prepare your vegetables. Peel and slice the carrots, slice the beets and cucumber, and steam the asparagus for a few minutes until they turn bright green.
- Toss | When the couscous is finished, toss it in a big bowl with all your vegetables. Drizzle a few tablespoons of olive oil and balsamic vinegar over the whole deal, to taste. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Add however much arugula you can handle, and the same for feta cheese. Store in the fridge and eat straight out of the bowl if you're that hungry.
