Deconstructed pesto couscous salad

Pesto Italian cuisine

It seems Taylor and I are getting pickier as we get older (I joke that it's glad we found each other in high school because we might not meet each other's ever-elevating standards today). But especially when it comes to food. Or maybe it's just Taylor who seems to be getting pickier, since he used to be the guy who would eat anything. Now he doesn't like polenta. Or crispy rice. Or beets. Or pesto. I'd often whip up a batch of my favorite homemade pesto and toss it with pasta or couscous for a quick weeknight dinner. Sure, he'd eat it, but more than once he commented that it wasn't his favorite thing. He liked all the ingredients separately, but for some reason, when mixed and processed together they suddenly became unappetizing. I don't quite get it (since I love me some pesto) but it did get me thinking... Why do you have to mix up the pesto anyway? And thus we arrive at this, what I am calling 'deconstructed' pesto. Basically, it's got everything you love about pesto, without the