An Eye for Detail

Noticing

Describing a Thing: Couscous, Cukes & Tomatoes (My Lunch)

Colorful and lightly the couscous lays upon my plate like tiny bubbles, soft, easy-to-squish, and flavorful. The vinegar and oil pull flavors together and the cukes offer up crunchiness and freshness unique to all green things. Tomatoes, not to be outdone, scatter bright red pops of color here and there while scallions prefer to lurk in the background while adding unmistakable warmth…my fork in sweet anticipation descends.

Describing an Abstract: Foolishness

What would this world be and where would we all be without the efforts and blunders of fools? How did that first human feel when labeled ‘fool’ by the tribe as she tried to capture lightening from the sky and place it near the cave-home? How many times has the word ‘fool’ been used by those who could not see the genius, the courage, the warrior-poet soul residing in one deemed ‘foolish’? Would that I be so lucky to count myself among them: they who seem to straggle behind marching a bit out of time, they that sing off key and write new rhyme. Then, I might stop to smile at discovering a new step, new path, new song, new way forward.

Recipe: Just in case you’re interested, here is the recipe for the delicious couscous salad (slightly modified from EveryPlate)!

2 med. cukes
2 tomatoes
2 cloves garlic
2 TBL butter
1TBL chicken stock concentrate
1 cup couscous
2 scallions
Vinaigrette (store or homemade)
Salt and pepper 

Melt 2 TBL butter in medium pan over medium-high heat. Add finely chopped garlic, stir for about 30 sec till fragrant. Add couscous, and 1/1/2 C of water, generous pinch of salt and pepper. Bring to a boil, then cover and reduce to a low simmer. Cook till tender, about 6-8 min., drain any excess water and let cool for at least 5 min.

Dice tomatoes into ¼” pieces, trim and dice cucumbers into same. Chop scallions. Combine tomatoes, scallions and cukes with 1 TBL vinaigrette, season to taste with salt and pepper. Fluff cooled couscous with a fore and stir into bowl with cuke/tomato mixture.