The C salad (a)

it was one of those days. when you dont want to get out of bed. when you move and every part of your body feels like lead. i didnt want to do anything. i didnt want to see anyone. i wanted to crawl into bed and cry. noone had messaged me all day and i was feeling unloved. i wanted my mum. and a cuddle. instead, i got simone.

simone is...my running buddy, my festival friend, my drinking mate, my coffee loving big hearted smiles aplenty crazy ideas no holds barred one of my best friends (oh WOW i can change colours??!!) oh, and shes also my guinea pig that tries most of the meals i post on here :) and to my disgust, on this crap day, she was coming round for a walk and dinner. i didnt want to see anyone and i definitely didnt want to run. i messaged and she said too bad. she was almost at my house. so...i did it. put my shoes on, got dressed (yes i had been wearing pjs all day) and pulled some chicken out of the freezer to marinate. i had no idea what to make, but, by the end of a walk to the river where we watched the sun set, i had a pretty basic idea of....the C salad.

now, i've called this the C salad because most of the main ingredients start with C. and because you dont need an A+ in home ec to make it. in fact, i think it would be a great staple meal. oh and the photo is not particularly crash hot. i was hungry and couldnt hold the camera still. trust me, it tastes waaaay better than it looks.



The C salad (feeds two very hungry girls or three not so hungry girls)

1 thigh fillet chicken
4 tbspns oil
1 tspn lemon zest
pinch salt
sprinkle cracked black pepper
1/4 tspn cumin, coriander
1/2 tspn chilli
juice of 1/4 lemon (ok it doesnt start with C but its part of the CITRUS family)
2 cups cooked cous cous (see tips for easiest way to do this)
1 baby zucchini (aka Courgette)
1/8 of a butternut pumpkin
10 string beans
1/4 block feta (Cheese haha)
handful pine nuts
splash (about 4 tbspns) balsamic vinegar
fresh coriander

Before going for exercise, cut chicken into bite sized pieces. place oil, lemon zest/juice, salt, pepper, cumin, coriander and chilli into bowl. place chicken in bowl and mix around so chicken is coated. cover and store in fridge until ready to use.
Cook cous cous and place in large bowl. Heat frypan and chuck pine nuts in. lightly cook (about 2 minutes). chuck chicken into pan (it will spit so be careful) and cook. while chicken is cooking, slice zucchini and pumpkin thinly and chop beans into 1/4s. Place in container, cover, and cook for 2 minutes in the microwave. dont forget to keep an eye on the chicken. Mix pinenuts into cous cous. add cooked vegetables and mix into cous cous. crumble feta into cous cous mix and stir well. splash balsamic vinegar overtop. chicken should be done by now.
serve cous cous salad with chicken ontop. add fresh coriander to decorate

Tips
Quickest way to cook about 1 cup cous cous: boil kettle. measure 2/3 cup cous cous into a bowl. pour 2/3 cup boiling water over cous cous. add pinch salt, mix with fork and cover. leave to stand for 5 minutes. stir with fork to separate grains. if its still too 'wet' or clumpy, chuck it into the microwave for about 2 minutes!! no pots/pans needed!!! YAY
use asparagus instead of beans. use same cooking method
add about 10 halved cherry tomatoes to the salad for a splash of colour
dont have time to cook chicken? pick up a cooked chook from the shops and tear meat into bite sized pieces to mix through the salad

p.s im feeling waay better now. maybe due to exercise, mostly due to simone (xoxo love) and definitely due to the bowl of icecream i consumed for dessert :)