Hint of Citrus Couscous Salad

Couscous is easy to cook with and fun to eat!  Couscous is semolina, tiny granules of durum wheat, and it's an integral part of many North African and Middle Eastern food cultures.  I remember it being ubiquitous when I travelled Morocco with my sister a number of years ago - delicious! The traditional way in which couscous is made is quite interesting and labor intensive - wiki (where else? :) has an interesting review of the process.

I have been looking for a tasty, fresh dish to enjoy in the warming weather, and this side fits the bill perfectly!  I suggest using it as your carb for a meal (eg with poached fish or grilled chicken breast).    The recipe comes from skinnytaste , and for once I didn't have to healthify an over oiled recipe with unneccessary calories.  I have, however, simplified the ingredients and directions.    


Ingredients:

• 6 oz dry couscous 
• 3/4 lb thin asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
• 1 1/2 cups small tomatoes, cut into quarters
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1-1/2 lemons, juiced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• salt, to taste
• fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Directions: 

1.  Steam asparagus over boiling water until tender, about 4 minutes. 

2.  Cook the couscous according to package directions.

3.  When cooled, chop the asparagus into 1/2 inch pieces. 

4.  Mix all ingredients into a large bowl and enjoy!


Makes 5 servings.  Per serving (approximate): 

• calories:  166
• protein:  6g
• carbs:  29g
• fat: 3g

Thanks to Deb for the heads' up on the recipe!

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2013

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen

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Grilled Fish Tacos!

Here's a delicious Mexican-inspired recipe, with thanks to Pamela Salzman - I've modified the recipe to keep the calories low but the taste factor high!


INGREDIENTS:

1 pound halibut fillets

8 6-inch corn tortillas, warmed either on grill or heated griddle pan until pliable

1 fresh lime, cut into wedges

White sauce:

• 3 Tablespoons low fat mayonnaise
• 7 Tablespoons plain light unsweetened greek yogurt
• 1 Tablespoon freshly squeezed lime juice
• 1 teaspoon hot sauce or ¼ teaspoon ground chipotle powder (optional) 
• pinch of sea salt

Dry Rub:

• 2 teaspoons paprika
• 1 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 teaspoon chili powder
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt

Veggie filling for tacos: as you wish-

• shredded napa cabbage
• coleslaw
• radishes
• red onion
• salsa

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Whisk together ingredients for white sauce, and refrigerate until ready to use.

2.  Mix dry rub spices together and sprinkle on both sides of the fish.

3.  Preheat grill to medium-hot.  Brush grate grill very lightly with oil, minimum necessary to prevent sticking. Grill fish until fish is just cooked through, about 3-5 minutes per side.

4.  Remove fish from grill and break into pieces.

Makes 8 soft shell tacos!

NUTRITIONAL INFO:    I have calculated the nutritional info here to include the fish, the soft shell taco, the dry rub, and the white sauce.  The number of calories, carbs etc in the veggies and salsa that you decide to include is going to depend on how much and what kinds you choose.  However, the calories in these veggies is almost negligible.  Salsa can vary, and I'd suggest going easy on salsa because it is very high in salt (ever wonder if you eat too much salt in a day - calculate your intake here).

It's also extremely difficult to estimate how much of the oil brushed on the grill absorbs into the fish - one of the limitations of using oil to create a non stick surface.  As it's almost impossible to estimate, I have not included the oil used to brush the grill in my calculations.  If you bake your fish in the oven instead, you can use a bit of non stick cooking spray on tin foil and avoid this problem.

Per taco: (approximate, including fish, dry rub, soft taco, and white sauce)

CALORIES: 163
CARBS:        13 g
PROTEIN:    17.5 g
FAT:             4.6 g

Enjoy!

Dr Sue Pedersen www.drsue.ca © 2013 

Follow me on Twitter for daily tips! @drsuepedersen

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