What a close call.
I almost didn't have a recipe for today. I made this yesterday and packaged it up to take for lunch this week.
I first discovered Israeli (Pearl) Couscous at Trader Joe's in Los Angeles a few years ago. I stuffed my TJ's dry goods into my suitcase and made it once I was back in Alaska. I did this with it back then. Adding the pesto makes it extra rich.
I really just love the texture of the pearl couscous. Sometimes I buy it in the bulk bins (I used to get it at Fred Meyer, now I'll get it at Whole Foods), and this time I just bought a box at Trader Joe's. It's less than $2 and is the great base for a vegetarian dinner. Onion, zucchini, or peppers could all be sauteed and added in. A meatless Monday, perhaps? Also, this is the perfect use for that pesto you made last week. I mean, I made last week. I hope you made it too.
Italian Couscous
serves 4-6 as a side dish
1 box pearl couscous (or 2 cups, dry)
1 3/4 cups water or chicken stock
12-15 cherry or grape tomatoes, halved or quartered
2 cloves garlic, very thinly sliced
Olive oil
1/4 cup prepared pesto
1/2 cup shredded parmesan or mozzarella cheese
Salt and pepper to taste
Fresh herbs for garnish (optional)
Coat the bottom of a large frying pan with oil. Add the sliced garlic and tomatoes. Cook until the garlic just starts to brown. Remove to a plate. Add in the dry couscous. Coat it with olive oil and toast until it's lightly browned. Add in the water or chicken stock. Cook and stir over medium heat until all the water is absorbed. It takes about 10 minutes.
Add the tomatoes and garlic back in and then stir in the pesto. Top with cheese and herbs. Add salt/pepper if needed.
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My weekend passed uneventfully. Honestly, most are uneventful right now. But that's okay. I have a job that requires me to talk and be "on" all day long, so I welcome the break to just be.
I got a haircut. This is a whole long story thing. I'll probably explain later in the week because this was indeed the only exciting part of my weekend.
Except for the hailstorm. Scout, in the aftermath.
The cloud that dropped the hail, moving onto Colorado Springs.
I'm reading Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin. It is fantastic and I'm moving slowly through it because I'm marking pages and highlighting passages. Highly recommend.
Things I didn't do include grade papers or clean the bathrooms.
