Israeli Couscous with Fresh Corn, Tomatoes, and Feta

Now on our summer menu, something that the kids love and easy to get from the garden....

Israeli Couscous

 This is a  colorful summery dish, which is a cross between a warm salad and a pilaf. Folding the corn and tomato into the couscous while it’s still warm brings out the vegetables’ flavor, softening them slightly and making them even juicier than they started out. It also makes the feta cheese very creamy.

If you do have leftovers, it will make a marvelous light lunch the next day, though you might want to pop the couscous into the microwave for just a few seconds to make everything nice and supple, especially if you’ve stored it in the fridge.

Ingredients

	1	large garlic clove
	¾	tsp. plus 1 pinch kosher salt, or to taste
	2	tsp. freshly squeezed lemon juice
	¼	tsp. freshly ground black pepper
	3	Tbsp. extra-virgin olive oil
	1½	cups Israeli couscous, preferably whole-wheat
	1	cup fresh corn kernels (from 1 large ear)
	1	large ripe tomato, diced
	3	oz. crumbled feta cheese (optional)
	2	Tbsp. chopped fresh basil

Steps

1. Using a mortar and pestle or the flat side of a knife, mash the garlic and a pinch of salt to a paste. In a small bowl, whisk together the garlic paste, lemon juice, remaining ¾ tsp. salt, and pepper. Whisk in the olive oil.
2. Cook the couscous according to package instructions; add the corn for last 5 minutes of cooking. Drain well.
3. In a large bowl, combine the hot couscous-corn mixture, tomato, and vinaigrette. Let the couscous cool for about 10 minutes before gently folding in the feta and basil.

Notes

Just about anything goes with this terrific little dish, and you can vary the vegetables, herbs, and cheese to match your mood and what’s in season. Here are a few ideas:

Chopped spinach will wilt appealingly if you fold some into the hot couscous, sautéed mushrooms make it autumnal, and roasted red peppers are an excellent substitute for the tomato.

Parmesan cheese will give the dish added depth of flavor, and ricotta salata is just tasty anywhere you use it.

Fresh rosemary is very appealing used here in place of the basil for several reasons. It’s less likely to turn black when you toss it with the warm couscous and therefore makes a better presentation. And I love its piney flavor and scent with fresh summer tomatoes and briny feta.

The textural aspect of the juice-bursting nibs of corn really is nice. I would say it might even be worth using good frozen corn if you can’t get good sweet fresh corn. But that depends entirely upon how you feel about frozen corn.

Source: http://www.culinate.com/books/collections/all_books/cook_this_now/israeli_couscous_with_fresh_corn_tomatoes_and_feta

spaghetti carbonara

angel hair spaghetti 4 strips bacon 1 zucchini diced 1 green onion diced homemade alfredo sauce (see bec's recipe) cook bacon and set a side, then saute the onion and zucchini together. after pasta is cooked toss it with the bacon, zucchini, onion, and alfredo.

Smarter Fettuccine Alfredo:

Ingredients:

8 oz fettuccine

1 1/4 cups chicken broth

4 tsp. flour

1/3 cup light cream cheese SPREAD (not the block kind.)

3 Tbsp. Grated Parmesan Cheese

1/8 tsp. ground nutmeg

3 Tbsp. fresh chopped parsley

Directions:

Cook pasta as directed. Drain, and set aside.

MEANWHILE: combine broth and flour in med. saucepan. Stir in cream cheese spread; cook 2 min., stirring constantly (a whisk worked best) until the mixture boils and thickens.

TOSS pasta w/sauce, 2 Tbsp. Parmesan cheese, and nutmeg. Sprinkle w/ remaining 1 T. Parmesan cheese, and parsley. Season to taste w/ black pepper.

Makes 4 servings/1 cup each.

angel chicken pasta

3 boneless chicken breast halves
1/4 c butter
1( .7 oz) package dry italian-style dressing mix
1/2 c white grape juice or apple juice
1 (10.75oz) can condensed golden mushroom soup
4 oz cream cheese with chives
1 lb angel hair pasta
*preheat oven to 325. in a large saucepan, melt butter over low heat. stir in the package of dressing mix, blend in juice and mushroom soup. mix in chream cheese, and stir until smooth. heat through but do not boil. arrange chicken breast in a single layer 9x13 baking dish. pour sauce over. bake for 60 minutes in the preheated oven. 20 minutes before the chicken is done, bring a large pot of lightly salted water to a rolling boil. cook pasta until al dente, drain. serve chicken and sauce over pasta.

cool summer dinner

I'm not sure what Casha called this meal, but it is a delicious and refreshing summer meal.

combine:
2 qts greens (spring mix)
1 head romain or green leaf
1 or 2 english cucumbers
1 or 2 can mandarin oranges
1 pckg craisins
1 cup candied pecans

Cook, drain, and rinse angel hair pasta. Grill seasoned chicken breasts and baste with Yoshida sauce, slice thin.

dressing:
8 Tbsp toasted sesame seeds
4 tsp salt
1 cup salad oil
3/4 c honey
1 cup red wine vinegar
Shake and chill over night.

To eat:
Place mound of greens on plate, add a mound of pasta and several chicken slices. Drizzle dressing over top or you can just mix everything together and mix the dressing with it, either way, it is yummy.

Soba Salad

8 oz Japanese Soba Buckwheat Noodles, salt and pepper to taste,
2 Tbl olive oil, 1 Tsp toasted sesame oil,
2 Tbl fresh lime juice, and lime wedges for after
2 Tbl rice vinegar
2 bell peppers (orange and yellow) 1 cup fresh torn basil leaves
1 english cucumber, length wise and seeds out
1 rotisserie chicken shredded, about 4 cups

cook the noodles according to package, whisk the liquids and the add to the noodles, chicken, peppers, basil, and cucumber until coated.

lasagna

sauce

1 lb. ground beef 1 pkg. lawry's spagetti mix
1 big can crushed or stewed tomatoes
1 can tomato paste 1 onion chopped
1 clove garlic minced

cheese filling

1 can evaporated milk
1 can parmsean

lasange noodles


brown meat, onion and garlic in big pan. add tomatoes, sauce mix and tomato paste. simmer 30 minutes.

mix milk and parmesean cheese.

boil noodles-unless using the oven ready kind

layer-noodles, sauce, cheese 2 times. top with shredded mozerella
bake at 350 for 30 minutes.

use this recipe as a basic guide, but many other ingredients can be used. for sauce you can just use canned spagetti sauce, for cheese filling you can mix cottage cheese with parmesean or use ricotta cheese. you can throw in whatever veggies you want in the suce, chopped spinach, mushrooms, zucchini...are just a couple of ideas.

chicken marsalis

(Macaroni Grill Recipe)
4 chicken breast grilled & chopped
2 C. sliced mushrooms
3 T. Butter
1 C. tomatoes soaked in olive oil with 3 tsp. garlic salt
2 T. Italian Seasoning
Sauté Mushrooms in Butter then add rest of ingredients & simmer while you prepare pasta & sauce.
1 Package of Pasta boiled till soft
Sauce:
1 C. Butter melted
1 1/2 C. parmesan cheese
1 1/2 C. whipping cream
Combine all ingredients & cook on low until cheese is melted.
Combine pasta with mushroom & chicken mixture. Then pour over pasta and toss. Serve immediately.

veggie and chicken pasta surprise

okay so the title sounds a little scary, but this is a good dish, especially when you have a bunch of veggies in the fridge. so the trick to making this is knowing how to make a good white sauce. here is what i do-there isn't really a recipe.
so first i cut and grill up the chicken
next i wash and cut all the veggies i am going to use so good ones are
broccoli corn
zucchini summer squash
mushrooms asparagus
carrots
i put these i a pan with some water and chicken broth and cover (this sort of steams them) cook until just soft. then drain the veggies, but save the liquid.
next step is the sauce
melt about 1/4 cup butter with 1/4 cup flour then add liquid from the veggies. then add milk and parmesan, asiago, mozarella or some other really good cheeses (i like using the italian mix). anyways you add milk and cheese until the sauce has a nice smooth consistency and tastes good, then add salt and pepper to taste.
combine chicken, veggies and sauce with cooked whole grain pasta and you have a good meal!!!

grilled squash pasta salad

16 oz bowtie pasta
1 lb crookneck sqaush cut into 1 inch chunks, 1 lb zucchini cut into 1 inch chunks
1/2 cup olive oil, divided, salt, 2 tbsp vinegar, about 1/2 tsp fresh ground black pepper
2 tbsp chopped fresh oregano, 1/4 to 1/2 cup toasted pine nuts, 1/4 c chopped olives

Cook pasta until tender, rinse until cooled. Prepare grill on medium heat, thread squash and zucchini chunks on metal skewers and place on baking sheet, brush vegetables with 1/4 c olive oil on all sides and sprinkle to taste. Put skewers on grill and cook about 10 minutes, turning occasionally, or until veggies are very tender. Meanwhile, whisk together remaining olive oil, vinegar, and 1/2 tsp pepper in a small bowl. In a large bowl, toss together pasta, vegetables, oregano, pine nuts, and olives. Add dressing and salt and pepper to taste; toss. Serve warm or cold.