If you’ve been checking out my Diary of an Overweight Mom lately, you might know that I’m trying to eat healthier. I’ve been coming up with recipes to prove that you don’t have to sacrifice fullness or great flavor to shed some pounds or to maintain a healthy weight.
This recipe is good for your heart, your stomach, and your taste buds. It can be a complete meal by itself or may be served as a side dish. For me, this is the perfect lunch. And because you can prepare it and keep it in the fridge all week, it becomes doubly appealing during weeks when there’s just no time to cook.
For this recipe you’ll need:
2 cups couscous
2 cups boiling water
2 tsp. salt
1 tsp. dried mint
1 (14oz) can artichoke hearts in water, roughly chopped
¾ cup jarred roasted red peppers, diced
¾ cup diced red onion
2 ½ cups (25-ounce can) garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2 tomatoes, seeds removed—diced
8 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese (may substitute feta)
½ cup fresh parsley, chopped
Juice of 1 lemon
¼ cup olive oil
To make:
In a medium bowl, pour couscous. Add salt and dried mint. Bring 2 cups water to a boil and pour over the couscous. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or foil and let it sit for 10 minutes (no peeking).
In the meantime, in a VERY large bowl, add the artichokes, red pepper, onion, garbanzo beans, tomatoes, mozzarella, and parsley. Remove the foil from the couscous and fluff with a fork. Add the couscous to the remaining ingredients and stir gently to combine. Add the juice of 1 lemon and ¼ cup olive oil and stir again. This may be eaten at room temperature or may be refrigerated and eaten cold all week long!