Sometimes it is pure torture to be a dietitian. Something I would like to get straight from the start here is that I do not sit around craving celery, tofu, and skinless chicken. When I had a patient confess to me that she went to Olive Garden and ate fried calamari, whooooo, hello. Now my brain is all wanting fried crispy-chewy-salty-fatty goodness. UGH.
It’s not all bad though- when I take the time to cook a healthy dinner and pack leftovers to work, cravings die pretty quickly. Last night I whipped up something new- Greek style couscous. Not exactly an ocean treat, but really tasty and satisfying.
Greek style couscous (vegetarian)
-1 box whole wheat couscous
-Low sodium vegetable broth- the same amount of water that the box calls for (mine was 1 ¾ cups)
-1 can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
-1 cucumber, sliced and diced
-1 pint cherry tomatoes (I used yellow), cut into halves or quarters
-1 small red onion, diced
-1 can black olives (I left mine whole- I hate them, and this way they’re easier to pick out)
-Juice from two lemons
-1/4 cup olive oil
-1 teaspoon ground oregano
-1/2 teaspoon salt
-1/2 teaspoon pepper
-4 oz crumbled feta cheese
1. Prepare couscous according to package directions, subbing veggie broth for the water. I think this adds a lot more flavor. Cover with foil and set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, cucumbers, onions, chickpeas, and olives.
3. In a small bowl (or Pyrex measuring cup), whisk together lemon juice, olive oil, and seasonings. Pour over veggies. Let marinate for a few minutes.
4. Combine couscous with marinated veggie mix and stir in feta.
5. Serve either slightly warm or at room temperature. I say that while I’m eating it cold out of the fridge as leftovers- still good.
Both Baby Guy and Baby Daddy ate this up. As is, the recipe yields 4 servings. Per serving: 480 calories, 60 g carbs, 21 g fat (most of it is heart healthy due to the olive oil), 17 g protein, and 10 g fiber. That is a LOT of gut filling, satisfied belly, keep ya regular fiber.
Who needs fried calamari anyway, right?
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