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Couscous with Corn and Vidalia Onion
Couscous is a key ingredient in my pantry. I always have it handy for a last minute side dish. I buy the whole wheat version from Trader Joes- it is a lot healthier and tastes the same as the regular one. I always cook couscous with chicken broth- it gives the dish a lot more depth of flavor than using salted water. Couscous is very versatile- it goes with all sorts of cuisines. I have served it with Italian meatballs, Indian chicken, fish or lentils– sky is the limit. To start the dish, I always add an aromatic- like an onion or garlic; herbs like thyme, rosemary or oregano; vegetables like corn, spinach or peas. I sometimes like to add raisins or dried apricots and nuts like pine nuts or almonds. In this case I kept it simple- I had a vidalia onion and thought roasted corn will go really well with the jerk chicken I was making. The cinnamon in the couscous compliments the chicken really well also. I finished the dish off with fresh cilantro. The left overs are delicious on top of a green salad and a protein.
1 medium Vidalia onion, chopped
2 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup chicken broth
1 cup whole wheat couscous
½ cup frozen roasted corn
¼ cup cilantro, chopped
In a medium bowl, heat the olive oil and add the onion. Saute on medium heat for 4-5 minutes, till the onions are soft. Add the corn, cinnamon, salt and the chicken broth. Bring to a boil, add the couscous and place the lid and turn the heat off. Let it sit for 10 minutes. Take the lid off, fluff the cooked couscous with a fork and add the cilantro.
Tomato and Apple Salad with Dill
We ordered pizza and pasta for dinner on the weekend. We had enough of the food left over to have it again the next day- so I told my husband I will make a big salad with the left over pizza. The next day, before going grocery shopping, I checked the fridge to make sure I have greens for the salad- I had a bag of arugula. I had strawberries in the house and decided to buy some glazed sweet walnuts for the salad. I came home and put the balsamic vinaigrette together and put it aside. When it was time to make the salad, I got the arugula out of the fridge and discovered it was all wilted and brown!! It was 6:30 in the evening, raining outside and a school night- I wasn’t going to the grocery store now… I decided to go without the salad but felt bad for my husband- what should I give him? I decided to get creative and look in my kitchen for inspiration. I had tomatoes on the counter, apples and dill in the fridge. I called my husband and asked if he was ready to be a guinea pig in my salad experiment! I cut up the tomatoes with the apples and added chopped dill. I then topped it with the balsamic vinaigrette. It all smelled really good and what do you know- the salad tasted really well too. Perfect I thought, this salad is going to be great in the summer with any grilled meat or even hamburgers. I think next time I may even add some feta cheese to the salad and have it for lunch! Not having the greens worked out in the end- great dishes are created when I get desperate!!!
- 2 vine ripe tomatoes, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 2 pink lady apples, cut into 1 inch pieces
- 1 tablespoon fresh dill, chopped
- Balsamic vinaigrette to taste
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mix the tomatoes, apples, dill and the vinaigrette. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Balsamic Vinaigrette
- ½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
- 1 teaspoon honey
- 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- Salt and pepper to taste
Mix the mustard, honey, balsamic vinegar with the salt and pepper. Drizzle the oil in while whisking the mixture. Keep aside.