couscous with feta and butternut squash

each week david and i try and sort out packed lunches that we can be guaranteed of something healthy and delicious to eat without having to spend too much cash. neither or us are fond of bread and i don’t have any way to chill/heat mine so whatever we choose has to be quite flexible.

pilaf is a much-loved favourite (use the search function, there are several recipes on here worth trying) but this week i fancied something different and decided to use up a pack of couscous.

i was never keen on couscous until i realised that packing lots of flavour into the “stock” that rehydrates it is key – for 250g couscous i used a vegetable stock (check your couscous pack to see how much it needs as this can vary by brand etc) and then added the juice and zest of two lemons plus a heaped teaspoon of harissa paste (pesto would also be nice). once the couscous was ready i fluffed it up with a fork and mixed in cubes of roasted butternut squash, diced feta cheese, some leftover baby spinach leavea, a chopped preserved lemon plus a handful of both mint and flat leaf parsley. a heavy hand with the freshly ground black pepper was all that was needed to finish it off.

this is quite a stodgy lunch but just what you need when the weather is settling back into a chilly rut.