Sunday, May 17, 2009

Colorful Confetti Couscous

I will be the first to admit that I LOVE all things bread - especially the doughy, chewy kind. While shopping for our groceries for the week, I came across some Whole Grain Naan Bread that is only 3 WWP/150 Calories for 1/2! It felt so soft in the package that I knew I had to try it.

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It's really BIG - like bigger than a piece of paper - yeah for low cal chunks of bread. The ingredients are pretty clean too!

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Do you all have any ideas for how to use it other than to just eat it straight up?

I resisted the temptation to open up that Naan bread because I knew I'd ruin my dinner. Instead, The Husband and I opted for snack on some more PopChips while dinner was cooking. Tonight's flavor was Parmesan Garlic.

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I had 4 chips while cooking and let him have the rest. I LOVE the parmesan flavor in this version but it is pretty garlicky too. If you are a garlic lover, you will love this. If not, I think you still will like it because honestly I haven't met a PopChip yet that I don't like :) Just carry some mints and you will be fine.

Dinner tonight was a modified Jump Start dinner cooked all on the grill ~ no heating up the house on our 100+ degree day. I chose to BBQ up some chicken instead of pork loin since TJ's had their all natural chicken on sale for $1.29 a lb! You can't beat buying an entire pack of chicken for $2.36.

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For our veggies, I trimmed up some fresh asparagus, seasoned it with some garlic salt & pepper and placed in on the grill in foiled sprayed with olive oil nonstick spray.

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I tried out a new recipe for Confetti Couscous in the Jump Start book and I have to say I was pleasantly surprised. Super easy to make and really delish. I have to post the recipe for you all because it was THAT good.

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Oh, wait before I forget, The Husband wanted me to share his dish with you too! He doesn't do couscous, so we made up some Annie's Mac n Cheese for him.

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Confetti Couscous
Source: BL 30 Day Jump Start

Couscous:

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1 tsp olive oil
1/4 c chopped yellow onion
1 1/2 c fat free, low sodium vegetable or chicken broth
1 c dry, whole wheat couscous

Dressing:

1 Tbsp orange juice
1 1/2 tsp lemon juice
1 1/2 tsp dijon mustard (I used Annie's Naturals!)
2 Tbsp olive oil

Confetti Salad:

1/2 c chopped prunes or dried berries (I used TJ's Berry Blend)
2 Tbsp coarsely chopped pistacios
2 Tbsp chopped fresh basil
2 Tbsp chopped fresh mint (I omitted this)
1 Tbsp grated orange peel
Salt & Pepper to taste

To make couscous: In a 1-quart saucepan, heat 1 tsp olive oil over medium high heat. Add the onion and cook for about 3 minutes, or until softened. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Add the couscous, stir, cover, and remove from teh heat. Let the couscous stand, covered for about 5 minutes. Transfer to a mixing bowl and set aside.

To make the dressing: In a small bowl, whisk the orange juice, lemon juice, and mustard. Whisk in 2 Tbsp olive oil. Set aside.

To make the salad: Add the dressing, prunes, pistachios, basil, mint (if using), orange peel, salt and pepper to taste to the couscous. Mix well.

NI: Makes 6 servings. Per serving: 177 calories, 4 g protein, 26 g carbs, 4 g sugar, 7 g fat, 1 g saturated fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 5 g iber, 130 mg sodium

See ~ doesn't that sound delish? It's so easy to make too.

For dessert, I had 1/2 c double chocolate frozen froyo with 1 Tbsp pistacios - salty, sweet, crunchy, yum!

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8 comments:

  1. Yum!! I think I have almost all of the ingredients on hand to make that couscous! Thanks for sharing the recipe.

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  2. that couscous is BEAUTIFUL.. and whole grain garlic naan sounds incredle - i'll have to keep my eyes peeled for it!

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  3. Wow that couscous looks so pretty! It sounds so good--I'll have to make it for dinner sometime soon!
    That Naan bread looks so good, and it has great nutritional stats! I'll be on the lookout for it. I've never bought Naan before, so I don't really know any good recipes. I'd be really interested to know if you find something. I'm sure it's awesome straight-up though, haha!

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  4. mmmm i love naan, my favorite way to eat it is smothered in fattening creamy indian tikka masala!! haha.. yum. no but really TJ's masala simmer sauce is pretty good stat wise (for an indian sauce...) and i like to chop up chicken, sweet potatoes, broccoli, carrots, bell peppers, mushrooms, etc etc and simmer it and then eat with the naan. ugh naan is so dang good!

    love the couscous, i need to try the recipe you listed here.. it is a nice switchup from other carbs for sure! thanks girl.

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  5. Beadie ~ I can't wait to hear what you think - it's so easy and I bet the leftovers taste even better.


    Jenny ~ Thanks, I liked all the colors too.

    Anne ~ I am with you - I eat all bready stuff just as is, but, thought I have 4 servings so I need to do more than just eat it :) Do tell if you try the couscous - it's yummie and easy to make.


    Janetha ~ I am surprsingly not a huge fan of indian food. I've tried it a few times but it does nothing for me. Funny since I eat everything else in site :) Your recipe sounds awesome, I might have to try that just so I don't just eat it all by itself.

    You should try the couscous - so easy to cook and it has great nutritional stats.

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  6. Looks delicious~! What kind of BBQ sauce do you use?

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  7. Chickpea ~ Ohhhhhh, that just might be the best idea yet! I am soooo doing that! Thanks for the idea.

    Jess ~ I LOVE Annie's Naturals BBQ sauces and usually use those. Occassionally I buy The Husband's favorite Kraft Honey BBQ, but, it has High Frustose Corn Syrup and the Light has Splenda so it's not always the best choice. If you coat your chicken in layers, it gets thick like that. Coat it, cook 1-2 minutes, flip, coat it and keep going back and forth on a low heat.

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