Israeli Couscous with Green Beans, Feta and Pistachios

There is something about the word couscous that just makes me happy. I have no idea why. Usually when you think of couscous (which I'm sure you do all the time) you are thinking of the teeny tiny pastina-like version, and I do love that kind. But this recipe calls for Israeli couscous, which is the larger, pearl-sized version. It's a bit more substantial when you are making it with other, chunkier ingredients that tend to overwhelm the regular itsy-bitsy couscous. (Let's see how many times I can say couscous in this post, shall we?)

This 15 minutes or less recipe is terrific as a side dish to grilled chicken or steak, but can also stand perfectly well on its own as a light lunch or supper. And it is healthyhealthyhealthy. And very beautiful too, with the green beans and cucumbers and the golden raisins all mixing up there with the cheese and the couscous.

This is another speedy recipe adapted from EVERYDAY FOOD magazine, which I continue to get so many great ideas from. Make sure you get some nice soft feta for this one -- it's worth going to the cheese or deli counter at your market to get the nicer feta, if you can. And of course, fresh green beans.

Happy couscous, everyone. (That's seven!)

ISRAELI COUSCOUS WITH GREEN BEANS, FETA AND PISTACHIOS

• 1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous
• 1/2 pound green beans, stems removed and cut in half
• 1 English cucumber, quartered lengthwise and sliced
• 1 cup crumbled feta
• 1/2 cup shelled pistachios
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1/4 cup red wine vinegar
• 1 tablespoon olive oil

1. Cook couscous in boiling salted water for 4 minutes. Add beans and cook an additional 2 minutes. Drain and run under cool water until cool.

2. Transfer to large bowl and toss with remaining ingredients. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Click here for printable recipe

Mediterranean Chicken Salad

How many of you out there own the SILVER PALATE COOKBOOK? How many of you have a version that is splattered and dog-eared and slightly falling apart because you have used it so much? If you have this book and it doesn't look like it has been through the wars, well then, you are missing out, because this book (along with its brethren, the SILVER PALATE GOOD TIMES COOKBOOK and SILVER PALATE NEW BASICS) are packed with some of the best, most creative recipes you will find anywhere. There is a reason this book has sold millions of copies -- it is a dang good cookbook. A classic.

I was so sad to hear that one of the authors (and founders of the original Silver Palate store in New York City) just passed away. Sheila Lukins was not only one of the geniuses behind the Silver Palate, but also took over from Julia Child as the food columnist for Parade Magazine. She knew her food, and luckily for all of us, she shared it.

This recipe is a slightly modified version of her delightful Mediterranean Chicken Salad -- modified only in that she gives fool-proof directions for poaching a chicken breast to use in the recipe and I used a grilled chicken breast, so I am giving you my version, with a deep bow and heartfelt thanks to Sheila Lukins. If you don't yet have her cookbooks, run, don't walk, to the nearest bookstore. If you do, go get it off your shelf and browse through those classic pages. It is a treasure trove.

MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN SALAD

Serves 4-6

• 4 chicken breasts, grilled and torn into bite sized pieces
• 1/4 really good olive oil
• 1 1/2 teaspoons oregano
• Juice of one lemon
• 2 tablespoons drained capers
• 20 cherry tomatoes, halved
• 1/2 pound cooked green beans
• Salt and freshly ground pepper

1. Combine chicken in large bowl with oil and oregano. Cover and marinate for one hour.
2. Add remaining ingredients, toss and season to taste with salt and pepper
3. Serve with fresh bread -- I usually also put some goat cheese on the table to have with the bread. Adds to the Mediterranean ambiance!

Click here for Printable Recipe

Roasted String Beans with Walnuts

I think of summer as the season of the side dish. You can throw pretty much anything on the grill -- steak, fish, chicken -- and it will cook and slice up just fine on its own. And so now is the time to get creative with the side dish. Even better, it is the season of Delicious Fresh Produce, and if you are lucky enough to live close to either a farm market or Fairway (I am 10 minutes away from both! Whoo-hoo!) you are in business. Last night my handsome husband, savior of baby deer and Grillmaster Extraordinaire, cooked us up some chicken breasts on the alternate love of his life, his LazyMan grill. I'm going to assume you can hold your own with a grilled chicken breast recipe (ok, Twitter version recipe: pound chicken breasts flat, marinate in olive oil, fresh ground pepper and fresh lemon juice, grill on high heat for 6 minutes on each side) and give you the recipe for the side dish: Roasted String Beans with Walnuts. String beans are just now in season. Look for ones that are slender and bright green and firm -- it's worth the time it takes to pick through them. This recipe originally called for pecans but I am not the biggest pecan fan (don't tell my Southern husband) so I used walnuts. Here goes:

Roasted String Beans with Walnuts

• 3 cups fresh string beans, stems snapped off
• 1/2 cup chopped walnuts (or pecans!)
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• Sea salt
• Fresh ground pepper

Preheat oven to 400. Line a rimmed baking sheet with foil. Toss beans with oil, nuts, salt and pepper. Roast until the beans are tender, about 12 minutes, tossing once halfway through baking. Serve immediately with grilled sliced steak or chicken. Feel ridiculously happy that it is finally summertime.

Note: all pictures can be enlarged by clicking on them.