Oh hi there, it’s me, Yvonne. Hope you didn’t forget about me. Last week really got away from me and I didn’t post any Taste & Tipple content. My goal is to post twice a week.
Lately, I’ve been traveling for work quite a bit and have found it hard to manage my time effectively – struggling to make time and find the motivation to make a grocery list, let alone dream up creative recipes, make them, photograph them, and write a corresponding blog post. I’m trying not to punish myself for neglecting the blog for a week – life happens, right? Hopefully you can find it in your heart to let it slide too.
Seriously though, they say one of the secrets to a successful blog is consistency, so I do hang my head in shame when I can’t deliver on those two posts a week.
I find, for me, blogging is like going to the gym. Sometimes the mere thought of doing it feels overwhelming and you just want to take refuge in a blanket fort. Other times you hype yourself to go and then when you step onto the treadmill, you realize you forgot your headphones and scrap the whole enterprise. But on those occasions when you muster the energy, remember your headphones, and get it done, you feel 10 times better afterward – centred, calm, and accomplished.
It’s an important outlet for me and when I neglect it, I end up paying the price through increased anxiety, stress, and unspent creative energy. Writing the blog and investing in the process is part and parcel of putting myself first, when I let other people or things take up that mental space, I’m losing focus and compromising my larger goals.
Just like the dream of six pack abs takes consistent work and effort at the gym, my dream of building a food and drink brand, authoring a cookbook, and having a product line, demands commitment and sacrifice.
So, with that in mind, this is my recommitment to you, dear reader, that I’m going to stop letting this little blog slide down my priority list and put it back in its rightful place, near the top.
This recipe for Herbed Israeli Couscous with Corn and Feta is the perfect dish to celebrate fresh starts. It’s an incredible summer salad with fistfuls of fresh herbs, dill, basil, and chives, and nature’s candy, in-season corn. The toasted pine nuts add a pleasant toothsomeness and the feta packs a punch of welcome saltiness.
Stay tuned for the recipe for the sous vide Persian chicken pictured here alongside the couscous salad! Coming to Taste & Tipple soon.
Herbed Israeli Couscous Salad with Corn and Feta
- ⅓ cup plus
- 3 Tbsp. olive oil divided
- 3 yellow onions thinly sliced
- 1 tablespoon kosher salt divided
- 2 cups Israeli couscous
- 2½ cups fresh corn kernels from 4 ears
- 1 cup packed fresh basil leaves torn if large
- ½ cup chopped fresh chives
- ½ cup packed fresh dill chopped
- 3 tablespoons white wine vinegar
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ cup pine nuts toasted
- ½ cup crumbled feta
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Heat 2 tablespoons oil in a large skillet over medium. Add onions and ½ teaspoon salt; cook, stirring occasionally, until golden brown, 12 to 15 minutes. Transfer to a bowl and let cool.
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Meanwhile, heat 1 tablespoon oil in a large pot over medium-high. Add couscous and cook, stirring occasionally, until golden, 3 to 4 minutes. Add 2 cups water and ½ teaspoon salt. Bring to a simmer and cook, covered, until water is absorbed, 5 to 7 minutes. Fluff with a fork and spread out on a baking sheet; let cool for 15 minutes.
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Toss onions, couscous, and corn in a bowl. (Refrigerate, covered, up to 1 day in advance.)
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Just before serving, add basil, chives, dill, feta, pine nuts, vinegar, pepper, and remaining ⅓ cup oil and 2 teaspoons salt and toss to combine.
Recipe adapted from: Eidelstein, Ananda. “Toasted Israeli Couscous with Corn and Herbs.” Real Simple. July 2019.
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