Happy Friday Readers!

It was a long week of working inside a gray cubicle. As hard as I tried, I couldn’t avoid the sporadic daydreams of travel and reminiscing of past vacations. Not long ago, I flew half way around the world to visit my friend, Morlene, in the Holy Land. What started out as a somewhat playful conversation of:

Morlene: Hey Brooke, you should come visit me in Israel.

Me:         That sounds fun, I will look into it.

Turned into a $1,500 dollar plane ticket later.

I suffer from impulse shopping traveling. It’s a blessing and a curse (for the bank account) at the same time.

Reflecting back, my Israel trip couldn’t have went any smoother. Even the 16 hours plane ride was a breeze. Perhaps it was the free wine coupons I scored?

Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, the Dead Sea, Palestine Territories, and random cities in between… I got to see it all! Not to mention, I had some of the best food in my life. Homemade shakshouka, delicious shawarma, and to-die-for falafel. On occasion, I still find myself craving Aroma Coffee. I’m sorry America, you just can’t compare to the coffee in other countries.

As a tribute to my friend Morlene (who I miss on a daily basis), I whipped up an Israeli inspired couscous salad. This salad requires few ingredients which means it is budget and time friendly.

Easy Israeli Couscous Strawberry Salad

Start with sautéing 1 and 1/3 cup of Israeli couscous (you can find this couscous at Trader Joes or Whole Foods) in a little bit of olive oil.

After a few minutes of sautéing, add 1 and 1/3 cup water and let boil for about 5 minutes.  Lower heat and steam until the couscous is fluffed and cooked (no longer has a hard texture). If your couscous looks dry while steaming you may need to add more water.

Transfer to bowl and let chill.

Chop up 1 cup of strawberries, 1/2 cup of goat cheese and toss into bowl of couscous.

Drizzle very lightly with olive oil and fold in the ingredients.

There ya have it- Toda Roba!