Wednesday, February 12, 2014

Couscous!

Couscous!
I am happy to report, that during this week of Project Incorporate More Whole Grains into our Diets, that the chicken tabbouleh was a smashing success. And I had some serious doubts about making it because:
1) The flavor profile is distinctly Middle Eastern, and my family is not used to that;
2) It involved couscous, which my spouse complains about every time I make it. I don’t know why – it’s quite flavorful but it’s not the same texture as rice, so he’s not used to it. Perhaps that’s why.
Link to the recipe is here:
Mind you, there were some modifications I made to the recipe as follows:
·         I couldn’t find Bulgur in ShopRite at all, not even in the organic food aisle, so I used couscous instead.
·         I cooked the couscous in chicken broth instead of the water the recipe indicates to give it a flavor boost.
·         I omitted the mint (couldn’t find that either) and the yogurt (cause I know, again, hubby not on board with that).
·         And, instead of making it as a cold salad, I prepped the couscous by itself, cooked the chicken and shredded it separately, and combined the remaining ingredients in a large skillet and brought it to a simmer, adding the tahini right before serving.
We plated family style, so everyone got to put the amounts of couscous, chicken and sauce in a bowl and eat whatever proportion they liked.
It got RAVE reviews – my daughter went back for seconds, which very rarely happens unless there is fish involved. And my husband LICKED HIS PLATE (! … that’s all I have to say… just !) and has been bringing in the leftovers for work lunch. He keeps telling me how surprised he is that couscous can taste so good with the chicken and the sauce.
Best part is, I did the calorie count on my Bodymedia Fit and the meal itself is less than 400 calories.
I have a ton of leftover tahini, so I want to make some homemade hummus – but I need to find my mini chopper, which is – guess where? Storage.
This recipe will be added to my ongoing repertoire for sure – I used canned chopped tomatoes, which gave it a taste I didn’t like much, so next time around I will be sure to use fresh.
Until next time…. Tonight is turkey taco night and I’ll be trying an enchilada recipe later on in the week using whole wheat tortillas – hopefully, no one will notice.

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