Chicken-Broccoli Couscous

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 pound skinless, boneless chicken breasts
Salt and pepper
3 cups chicken broth
One 10-ounce box couscous
1 onion, finely chopped
1 head broccoli, broken into small florets
1/2 cup raisins
1/4 cup chopped flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:
1. In a large skillet, heat 2 tablespoons olive oil over medium heat. Season the chicken with salt and pepper, add to the pan and cook, turning once, until cooked through, about 10 minutes. Transfer to a work surface, let cool, then shred; reserve the skillet.

2. Meanwhile, in a large saucepan, bring 2 cups chicken broth and 1 tablespoon olive oil to a boil; season with salt and pepper. Add the couscous, cover and remove from the heat; let stand for 5 minutes, then fluff with a fork.

3. In the reserved skillet, heat the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. Add the broccoli and the remaining 1 cup chicken broth and simmer for 5 minutes. Stir in the chicken, raisins, parsley and couscous; season with salt and pepper. Toss with the almonds before serving.

Comments:
I cooked the chicken on my George Foreman because I forgot to take it out of the freezer the night before. Whoops. Other than that I followed the recipe. It was pretty good - I even ate the raisins. I did use golden raisins though so maybe that's why they didn't gross me out.

Ginger Chicken with Bok Choy and Couscous

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/2 cup soy sauce
6 tablespoons brown sugar
1 1/2 tablespoons sesame oil
One 1 1/2-inch piece ginger,peeled and grated
1 bunch scallions, 1/2 thinly sliced and 1/2 cut into 2-inch pieces
3 star anise (optional)
6 skinless, boneless chicken thighs, trimmed and halved
Salt
One 10-ounce box plain couscous
1 1/4 pounds baby bok choy, halved lengthwise and rinsed

Directions:
1. In a shallow baking dish, whisk together the soy sauce, brown sugar, sesame oil and ginger; stir in the 2-inch scallion pieces and the star anise, if using. Season the chicken with salt and add to the marinade, turning to coat. Let marinate at room temperature for 30 minutes.

2. Line a footed metal colander with 2 layers of damp cheesecloth, allowing 2 inches of overhang. Place in a pot and add enough water to just reach the colander bottom. Bring to a simmer; have a small pot of boiling water on the side.

3. Pour the couscous into the colander. Place the chicken thighs on top in a single layer, pressing up the sides of the colander, if necessary; reserve the marinade. Cover and steam, adding more hot water as needed, until the chicken is cooked through, 25 to 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, simmer the reserved marinade until thickened, about 4 minutes; strain.

5. When the chicken is almost done, scatter the bok choy on top, season with salt and steam for 3 minutes. Transfer the bok choy and chicken to a platter, drizzle with the marinade and top with half of the sliced scallions. Stir the remaining scallions into the couscous, season with salt and serve with the chicken.

Comments:
This recipe caught my eye because of the bok choy. Adam recently announced that we needed to eat more red meat because a recent blood test indicated his iron was low.

(I'll pause for a moment for the preposterousness of that statement to sink in.)

Low and behold, when I googled "foods high in iron", bok choy was on the list. Angels in heaven were singing that I would not be forced to eat burgers and steak every night. Bwahaha.

So. Anyway. The recipe. The instuctions are kind of odd and the whole "one pot" thing is a little strange too. I ditched the colander idea and used my steamer basket in my big old soup pot. It worked ok, but the couscous didn't really cook through. The flavor and food combination was good, but I might make it differently next time.

Tilapia Baked in Couscous

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
One 10-ounce box couscous
1/2 cup slivered almonds
1/4 cup sun-dried tomatoes, finely chopped
1 tablespoon ground cumin
Salt and pepper
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice plus 1 lemon, thinly sliced
Four 8-ounce tilapia fillets
3 tablespoons chopped flat-leaf parsley

Directions:
1. Preheat the oven to 375°. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, almonds, sun-dried tomatoes and cumin and season to taste with salt and pepper. Stir in the 1/4 cup olive oil and the lemon juice.

2. Drizzle 1 tablespoon olive oil over the bottom of a 9-by-13-inch baking dish. Arrange the tilapia fillets in a single layer in the dish, season with salt and pepper and drizzle with the remaining 1 tablespoon olive oil. Cover the fish with the couscous mixture and arrange the lemon slices on top. Pour 2 1/2 cups water around the fish, cover with foil and bake until tender, about 25 minutes. Top with the parsley.

Comments:
This was totally easy and although I left out the tomatoes (we don't like them), it still tasted good. Adam didn't like the lemon flavor - it was too strong for him - but I was ok with it. I took the couscous and combined it with leftover beans from the tostadas and chicken from the crepes. Yummy dinner. And used leftovers. Rockin'.

Chicken, Plum and Red Onion Kebabs

From Everyday with Rachael Ray



Ingredients:
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/3 cup apricot jam
2 tablespoons rice wine vinegar
1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
1 1/2 pounds skinless, boneless chicken thighs, quartered
8 plums (about 2 pounds), quartered lengthwise
1 red onion, quartered lengthwise and halved crosswise
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
One 10-ounce box plain instant couscous
1/3 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Directions:
1. In a medium bowl, whisk together the vegetable oil, jam, vinegar and soy sauce. Add the chicken and toss to coat; refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to 4 hours.

2. Transfer the marinated chicken to a bowl. Pour the marinade into a small saucepan, boil for 2 minutes, then let cool.

3. Preheat a grill or grill pan to medium. Thread the chicken, plums and onion onto 8 skewers. Grill the kebabs, turning occasionally and basting frequently with the marinade during the first 6 minutes, until the chicken is cooked through, 12 to 15 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, in a medium saucepan, bring 2 cups water to a boil. Stir in the olive oil and then the couscous, cover, remove from the heat and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff the couscous with a fork, add the almonds and toss. Serve the couscous alongside the kebabs.

Comments:
This was very good. I even followed the recipe (well, except for using breasts rather than thighs.) Adam manned the grill so that was good too. The chicken was fabulous and next time I might just make that and forget the kebabs. I always stab myself...

Lemon Poppy Chicken with Mint and Green Pea Cousous

From Rachael Ray's cookbook Just in Time



Ingredients:
EVOO
chicken breasts
flour
salt & pepper
lemon zest (left out)
poppy seeds (left out)
chicken stock
lemon juice
butter
couscous
peas
basil (left out)
mint (left out)

Comments:
Ok, so I did some tampering with this one. I don't remember what it was, but I made someone with lemon once and it got the thumbs down from Adam so I left the majority of the lemon out of this one. See, I learn! Anyway, Generally simple meal - it's in the 15-Minute category. Not outstanding, but better than a sandwich or something...