Wednesday: Israeli Couscous Salad with Tomatoes and Arugula

It's Wednesday and it feels like it's been a full week even though I had Monday off from work! The Labor Day weekend was nice and relaxing. Nothing too exciting but I did have some great quality time with my husband and in-laws. My husband and I had brunch at a SLC favorite of ours, Oasis Cafe. Then checked out Utah's Hogle Zoo since I had never been. With our In-laws, we saw the movie The Debt which is an espionage thriller that was very intense. Then we checked out a new Indian restaurant in South Jordan called Saffron Valley that was quite good. The vibe inside is very urban and hip and the selection of Indian-fusion foods like Chicken Tandoori Pizza and Chocolate Samosa is totally enticing. They also have their own spice blends available for purchase and offer culinary classes! Love it! Check it out if you are in Utah.....


On another note things have been getting busy around the dance studio. We are gearing up for our season opener show Polychromatic which runs September 22-24 at the Rose Wagner Center for the Performing Arts in downtown Salt Lake City. We ran the show through for the first time yesterday in full show order and it felt great. I'll share more about the show later this week and I thought about taking a picture of my feet.....They are a huge mess  beautiful! I've had children a child  tell me while teaching them that my feet look like they've been run over a truck! Well, they are pretty bad....


I have an addiction to food magazines and cookbooks....there I said it. I really do love buying cookbooks. So on a recent trip to Costco looking to buy the Peas and Thank You (which is fantastic since I ordered it off Amazon!) cookbook, I found bought Better Homes and Gardens 365 Vegetarian Meals. Some vegetarian cookbooks are not that great. The recipes are either bland or in my opinion really too easy to have been put in a cookbook. I want recipes that are easy but have good flavor and something interesting about them. Here is one of those recipes:

Israeli Couscous Salad

with Tomatoes and Arugula

(from Better Homes and Gardens 365 Vegetarian Meals)

INGREDIENTS:

2 6.3 ounce boxes Israeli-style couscous (about 2 1/2 cups)

1/4 cup olive oil

4 cups boiling water

1/2 tsp finely shredded lemon peel

3 TBS fresh lemon juice

1 medium shallot, minced

1 TBS snipped fresh basil

2 tsp honey

1/2 tsp salt

1/4 tsp ground black pepper

3 medium tomatoes,  chopped

3 cups baby arugula

4 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese, cut into 1/2-inch cubes

1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted

1. In a large saucepan cook and stir couscous in 1 tablespoon of the hot oil over medium-high heat for 5 minutes or until golden brown.  Carefully add the boiling water and return mixture to boiling; reduce heat.  Simmer, covered, about 12 minutes or until most of the liquid has been absorbed.  Fluff the couscous lightly with a fork.  Spread onto a shallow baking pan and let cool for about 10 minutes.
2. For the dressing, in a screw-top jar combine the remaining  3 tablespoons olive oil, lemon peel, lemon juice, shallot, basil, honey, salt and pepper.  Cover and shake well.  Set aside. (dressing can be made one day in advance.  Refrigerate and then let stand at room temperature for 30 minutes before using)
3. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, tomatoes, arugula, mozzarella and walnuts.  Stir or shake dressing and drizzle over couscous mixture; stir to combine.  Serve immediately or refrigerate for up to 6 hours.

Serves 6

* You may substitute the equivalent amount of cooked orzo or any other very small pasta for the couscous.

If you love Caprese or fresh mozzarella I think you'll love this one! Ciao for now or at least until tomorrow's TILT!



Question of the day: Any great vegetarian cookbooks you recommend or swear by?