Rest, Relaxation and Recovery

In the last few posts we hinted that we were busy with an adventure or two. Well, we returned home today. We’re well rested, relaxed and in need of a post-vacation recovery. You know how those go…we ate too much, we packed a lot into a span of a few days and well, we traveled with two kids. It was a blast, it was memorable, it was full of laughs and smiles, and it was down-right exhausting.

Not to worry though, we’ll be back soon with that overly caloric, but fantastically delicious birthday/date night recipe we enjoyed a few weeks ago as well as some new Cuban cuisine. Until then, we thought we’d revisit a healthy and seasonal recipe from last year because quite frankly we need some healthy food this week. 😉 So enjoy, and feel free to take a guess where we were (Shhhh…if you already know!). 

This particular dish makes use of the leftover roasted pumpkin we had from our risotto and makes for a great lunch or side salad. If you don’t have any leftover pumpkin on hand, it’s simple to roast up a fresh batch, just allow for an extra hour of cooking time.

So what is this easy, tasty and refreshing pumpkin recipe? The Pumpkin and Couscous Rocket Salad. Yep, it’s healthy and offers some much-needed freshness after all the Halloween sweets and treats. We started by preparing our couscous. We used a whole wheat couscous, chicken stock, dry white wine, fresh sage, lemon zest and lemon juice. 

We boiled the chicken stock and white wine together in a small sauce pan and then combined the couscous, minced sage, lemon zest and lemon juice in a heat proof bowl. 

We added the boiling stock to the couscous mix, covered it and set it aside for five minutes. We then cut up our leftover pumpkin slices into one-inch cubes.

When the couscous was ready, we tossed in the pumpkin.

Then we grabbed our rocket (arugula), feta and red onion slices. We plated the arugula and added a bit of lemon juice over the top.

Next we scooped out some of the pumpkin couscous over the greens, topped that with feta and onion slices. We also threw on a few dried cranberries just for fun. Next we made a homemade lemon vinaigrette and grabbed our homemade croutons from a few days earlier and tossed those over the top as well.

A final splash of balsamic vinegar and that was it. Our meal was ready to go.

This is another dish that just Mike and I enjoyed albeit not together. Thursday was one of those days that we were all running in different directions and grabbing meals when we could. I ate my salad as an early dinner on my way out the door and Mike ate his as a later dinner after work.

The kids, well, with as much cooking as we’ve done this past year, chicken nuggets have become somewhat of a rarity. And since they’re not big on salads, or pumpkin, and they still LOVE chicken nuggets, we figured they were due for a little treat. Needless to say, they were in heaven! Chicken nuggets and a night with their Papa who is full of games, stories and fun. I don’t even think Mike and I were missed.

As for our quick salad dinners, it wasn’t bad as far as salads go. It’s light, quick, refreshing and easy. I gave the salad 3 spoons and Mike gave it 2 spoons. He said it was good, but not memorable. I rarely find a salad really memorable, but I do enjoy them and will make this one again, so I’m still giving it higher marks. The highest marks go out to Papa though – I came home to a clean house and clean children that were sound asleep. Thanks again Papa!

Print this recipe: Pumpkin and Couscous Rocket Salad

29 thoughts on “Rest, Relaxation and Recovery”

  5. Norma Chang says:
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    Looking forward to reading about your trip. I always need a vacation after a vacation. Love your salad, I have a number of winter squash in storage, this salad is going on my to-make list.

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  6. Charles says:
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    I love that mountain photo… I hope you’ll post more… the picture is very dynamic… so many layers all building up to that huge peak – wow! And the snow on top makes it look like a giant waterfall, water crashing over the side… so cool!

    The salad’s a beaut, even if I’m not such a massive fan of sweet potato – still, it’s not bad from time to time, and besides, I’ll eat anything if it’s got feta in it 😀

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  9. Caroline says:
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    Sounds like you had a wonderful vacation with the family. What a gorgeous mountain/photo…curious as to where you went?! Can’t wait to hear all about it. And I love this recipe. Delicious.

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  10. Three Well Beings says:
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    I look forward to hearing more about your wonderful vacation…and you must have had a good time to come home tired and happy! This is my kind of recipe, Kristy! I look forward to making it very soon. All my favorite ingredients. Hope you’ve begun to settle back in now and organizing all the vacation photos! 🙂 More soon? Debra

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  12. Profiteroles & Ponytails says:
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    My lips are sealed! Don’t you just love a win-win scenario like this — you get a night out alone and the kids get a special night with papa? We do exactly the same thing … the girls only get chicken nuggets on nights with the babysitter, so they are a special occasion food. I’m craving this salad now …

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  15. Nami | Just One Cookbook says:
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    Wait a minute… hmmm.. this mountain doesn’t look too familiar with me. I must find out when you post about it and I look forward to your vacation story!

    What a gorgeous salad! I love arugula and pumpkin orange gives very vibrant color to the salad!. Yum!

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  16. Smart Food and Fit (@LisaNutrition) says:
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    Looks beautiful! Can’t wait to hear all about your rest and relaxation. Thanks goodness for papa! Yeah, my dad helps me out in so many ways, can’t imagine my life without him! 🙂
    I remember this recipe, thanks for bringing it back, think I’ll make this for dinner soon. I just bought some sugar pumpkins so no excuses!

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  18. Dawn says:
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    I am pretty sure I know that mountain, but have not experienced it myself yet. It is on the list. You are so lucky that your father is close by, boy would my girls love that!

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  21. Eva Taylor says:
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    I’m gearing up to make the pumpkin soup we made in Lyon for a dinner party this Saturday, I will have to set aside a little pumpkin for this tasty recipe.
    Hmmm, who’s getting into the Halloween candy already???
    That photo of the mountain is spectacular Kristy, I can hardly wait to hear about this adventure.

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  23. Kelly @ Inspired Edibles says:
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    I’d recognize those mountains anywhere 😉 and I dearly remember your gorgeous pumpkin risotto! I can’t wait to hear more about your trips – and maybe see another pic or two… So happy you had a great time on your holidays. Now go get some rest! :).

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