Spiced Couscous and Carrot Salad

After dropping my oldest son off at Middle school the other day, I noticed the houses that once showcased tired, brown lawns during our three year drought, miraculously had green lawns! 
Last I heard, we were still on water rationing here in SoCal, but these lawns were gorgeous! Green and landscaped to perfection. When did this happen? At first I thought it was because I was in a better neighborhood with much bigger lawns to notice, but as I turned down my very own block...I saw green lawns everywhere? I couldn't believe my eyes.
Unfortunately, I also noticed as I pulled into my driveway, that our house had the only brown lawn or shall I say, grass made of dirt...on the entire block! Hmmm...I don't believe I got the memo that said we can have nice lawns again. 
I'm embarrassed and determined to not have a yucky lawn anymore. But what do I do? There are those extremely dedicated folks doing their part to conserve, who opted for drought tolerant desert motif and even those who coughed up the mighty sum to get the new Astro-turf lawns, but I not going to do those things. No, I'm simply going to water my dirt again and hope something grows! :)

This recipe is a quick and delicious side dish that can be served warm or cold. As a salad, I wanted the carrots to be a little crunchy, so I steamed the carrots briefly, when I added them to the couscous while making the dressing. However, the next time I make it as a warm side dish, I'll coat the carrots with a little of the dressing and roast them in a 400 degree oven for a few minutes to caramelize them a bit for added sweetness. Either way this salad is delicious and decidedly fall-inspired! Enjoy!

Spiced Couscous and Carrot Salad

(recipe inspired by Happy Hearted Kitchen)
Serves 4-6

1 1/4 cups Trader Joe's® Harvest Grains Blend (substitute with Israeli Couscous)
1 3/4 cups chicken broth
1/2 t. cumin
1/2 t. coriander
1/4 t. ginger
1/8 t. cinnamon
1/2 t. kosher salt
1/4 t. red pepper flakes
1 bay leaf
3 carrots, peeled into ribbons
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup pumpkin seeds, shelled
cilantro, garnish

Dressing
3 T canola oil
1 T Honey
juice and zest of one orange

In a large skillet, add chicken broth and spices and bring to a boil. Add couscous and cook according to package directions. Prepare carrot ribbons and add carrots to the skillet, placing the carrots on top of the cooked couscous. Replace lid and let carrots steam for 5-8 minutes. Prepare dressing. Add pumpkin seeds and cranberries to the couscous and carrots. Toss with dressing, add additional cranberries, pumpkin seeds to taste and garnish with cilantro and enjoy!

Other recipes to try:

Balsamic Mushroom Quinoa

Indian Spiced Lentils

Spider Caviar

I have a real fear of spiders. Spiders creep me out. I squeal like a little girl when surprised by them. My nightmares are usually about spiders. When I was younger, in my 30's, I used to have a recurring nightmare about tons of spiders coming down all around me while I slept at night. I'd sit up in bed, yelling and swatting the spiders away...I seemed awake, but I was still very much asleep. This came much to the surprise of my husband when we first started dating. The first time it happened, he leap up out of bed, flipped on the light, ready to kill the spiders I was pointing at. As I woke up from my nightmare looking at my 'then' boyfriend in attack-ready sleepy confusion with a flashlight and a flat-soled shoe in hand. I was relieved as I realized it was a dream. I rolled over and said, "Sorry, I was just dreaming."  
He was so not happy to be standing and not sleeping. The good news is that he eventually got used to being startled awake by his arachnophobic girlfriend and he still married me. And luckily for me, I don't have that recurring spider dream anymore.

Knowing I hate spiders, I'm a little surprised that the three things I've purchased this year for Halloween are all spiders. I got this cute little dish pictured above from Ross Dress For Less. Then, I bought three wrought-iron spiders and a pair of spider earrings from Roger's Gardens Halloween Boutique. I like to think of it as therapy really. I'm desensitizing myself through retail therapy. Yeah, that's it. 

Anyway, my husband called this dish, Spider Caviar after he saw how I plated it and it stuck!  He said, "It looks like spider eggs...what's that fancy fish eggs stuff called?"  
It's super easy to make and super delicious with a garlicky olive flavor. It can be made any time of year not just for Halloween. Enjoy!

Spider Caviar (Mixed Olive Tapenade)

Makes ~1 cup

2 cups olives (I used a mix of black and green olives)
2 T capers
2 T sun dried tomatoes
2 cloves of garlic
1/4 cup basil, fresh
1 t oregano, dried
1 t lemon juice
fresh ground pepper
1/4 cup olive oil

Sliced Bread Points

Add all ingredients to a food processor and puree. Refrigerate until ready to use.
Serve with fresh baguette slices.

I made this tapenade originally to roll it into some fun Halloween inspired tortilla roll-ups or pinwheels using extra large orange tortillas. My idea was to add the black (tapenade) and some orange colored veggies and roll it up for a really cool looking Halloween colored appetizer. The roll ups I ended up making were so delicious with the tapenade, prosciutto, cream cheese, roasted red peppers, basil and crunchy red cabbage that they ended up looking more like a rainbow than my original idea of a black and orange pinwheels. And the photos turned out so gorgeous that I wasn't sure if the pinwheels were Halloween-ish enough...So instead of making these roll-ups it's own blog, I've included them below as a bonus recipe to the tapenade. Enjoy!

Halloween Roll-ups

Makes 14-16 slices

2 extra large orange tortillas
1 package cream cheese
8 slices of prosciutto
12-14 fresh basil leaves
2 T Roasted Red Peppers, thinly sliced
Red Cabbage, thinly sliced
1 T Spider Caviar (Mixed Olive Tapenade)  
  
Using a butter knife, spread about 1/8" layer of cream cheese to the tortilla, make sure to cover the whole tortilla up to the edges. Starting on one side of the tortilla, place a thin row of red cabbage. Leave about a half an inch of space between each ingredient. Next place 6-7 leaves of basil in a line next to the cabbage. Then add 4 slices of prosciutto followed by the bell peppers and then add a narrow line of the tapenade. Now you're ready to roll...Starting at the tapenade side, begin rolling tortilla until tightly rolled. Use additional cream cheese to secure the end of the tortilla to the roll as needed. Cut into 8 slices and serve. Repeat with the other tortilla. Enjoy!

Other Halloween dishes to try: click here

Auntie Dianne's Pea Salad

As summer winds down and the kids head back to school, I can't help but feel a little sad that the long hot days of summer are a thing of the past. Another summer is in the books, so to speak. Our fun memories were made and forever imprinted in our minds. So why do I feel sad? I should feel great, because the kids are back in school and they love it so far! I should feel great because we're right on the cusp of my favorite season, FALL! 
Maybe sad isn't the right word, but more like regretful because it's an ending. When summer comes to an end, I always feel a little regretful because I think, maybe I didn't do enough with my kids this summer. Maybe I didn't enjoy it as much as I should have. Maybe I was too preoccupied with other things to really live in the moment...to feel grateful and at peace. I certainly didn't do all that I had planned to do this summer, but as I'm turning 47 next week, I know all too well that, time waits for no one. Anyway, I need to let go of all this regretful thinking and realize I did all I could this summer and that is enough and that is okay.
I decided to end my summer recipes with my Auntie Dianne's Pea Salad. It is simple and super delicious and can be made a day ahead for your Labor Day weekend BBQ. My aunt usually serves this in a large glass salad bowl, but I thought it would be fun to layer them and serve in individual mason jars. Mix well before serving and enjoy! 
 

Auntie Dianne's Pea Salad

Serves 4
 
2 cups frozen baby peas,
3 stalks celery, chopped
4 green onions, chopped
salt/pepper (to taste)
1/4 t celery seeds
4 cups of iceberg lettuce (I used Romaine)
4 T lite mayonnaise, divided
1 cup cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese, shredded
8 slices bacon, cooked and crumbled 

In a medium bowl, combine peas, celery, green onions, salt and pepper and mix together. 
Layer in mason jars or in a glass salad bowl.

1. Add about 1/2 cup of the pea mixture to the bottom of a mason jar. Sprinkle some celery seeds over top. 

2. Layer about 1 cup Romaine lettuce on top of pea mixture.
3. Spoon about 1 T of mayonnaise on top of lettuce layer.
4. Using the back of a small spoon, carefully spread mayonnaise on top of lettuce as if icing a cake.
5. Sprinkle and cover mayonnaise with 1/4 cup cheddar or cheddar/jack cheese.
6. Sprinkle top with crumbled bacon.
 
Place lids on Mason Jars and chill until ready to eat. Toss when ready to eat. 

Other Salads to try:
        

Summer Fruit Salad with Ginger and Lime

Zucchini Ribbon Summer Salad