Lemon Aspargus CousCous Salad- from Skinny Taste

As I posted my last menu I came across this recipe from Skinny Taste.  Although designed as a cold salad I am thinking of serving immediately after cooking for a side and then as my lunch cold the next day.

 (reposted from skinnytaste.com including pictures)

Lemon Asparagus Couscous Salad with Tomatoes

Pearl couscous (otherwise known as Isreali couscous) tossed with asparagus, tomatoes and lemon juice make a vibrant Spring pasta salad.

This salad can be eaten room temperature or chilled.

Pearl Couscous Salad with Lemon Asparagus and Tomato
Skinnytaste.com
Servings: 5 • Size: little over 1 cup • Old Points: 3 • Weight Watcher Points+: 4 pt
Calories: 170 • Fat: 4 g • Carb: 30 g • Fiber: 5 g • Protein: 6.3 g • Sugar: 0.0 g
Sodium: 10 mg (without the salt) • Cholest: 0 mg

• 6 oz whole wheat pearl couscous
• 3/4 lb thin asparagus spears, tough ends trimmed
• 1 1/2 cups grape tomatoes, quartered
• 1/4 cup red onion, minced
• 1-1/2 lemons, juiced
• 1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tbsp fresh parsley, minced
• Kosher salt, to taste
• fresh cracked pepper, to taste

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil, add asparagus and cook until tender, about 3 minutes. Remove with a large slotted spoon and rinse in a colander in the sink under cold water to stop it from cooking. Add the couscous to the boiling water and cook according to package directions.

Chop it into small 1/2 inch pieces. Drain the couscous and rinse under cold water, place in a large bowl.

Add the chopped asparagus, tomatoes, red onion, lemon juice, olive oil, parsley, salt and pepper to the bowl.  Taste for salt and pepper and serve room temperature or chilled.

Makes 5 1/2 cups.

October 20-26 Meals

This weeks Box contains 1 Large and 2 tiny Eggplants, 2 Bell Peppers, 3 Squash, 1lb. of Unshelled Striped Beans, 3 lbs. of Purple Sweet Potatoes, 3 Cucumbers and a variety of 10 Apples.

The White Bean and Sausage Cassoulet was a wonderful hearty meal. I am glad I threw it on the menu again last week! The Apple Stuffed Chicken was heavy on the thyme for my liking but the side dish of Butternut Squash Apple Bake was superb!

I had some zucchini left from 2 weeks ago and will make some more Zucchini Bread this week. I never made the apple muffins, most of the apples had been snacked on before the weekend! So maybe with this weeks apples I will try an apple cinnamon muffin recipe.

Wednesday, October 20- It's Mexican inspired dinner tonight. I will season ground beef with cumin and cayenne pepper, saute chopped pepper from my Box, add drained & rinsed black beans and diced tomatoes. The mixture will be served on flour tortillas and garnished with shredded cheese and sour cream.

Thursday, October 21- Thursdays are my busy hectic evenings. Therefore, my girls will dine on one of their favorites, Mac N Cheese with fresh fruit. My husband and I will eat later that evening, most likely cheeseburgers and a simple side.

Friday, October 22- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast served with potatoes and peas will be Friday's meal.
Slow Cooker Turkey Breast

• Layer the bottom of your crockpot with one chopped sweet yellow onion, 1/4 cup chicken broth, and 1/2 tbsp. minced garilc.
  
• Rub the turkey inside and out with one packet of onion soup mix, also rub some oregano, thyme, and 1/2 tbsp minced garlic on the breast.
  
• Drizzle the breast with 1 tbsp. melted butter or olive oil. Place breast on top of onions and cook on high 1 hour.
  
• Reduce to low setting and continue cooking for 7 hours.
• During the last 3 hours, add quartered potatoes and/or sweet potatoes.
  
• While breast rests before craving, turn setting to high and in a small bowl or cup, mix together 2 tablespoons flour with 1/4 cup of liquid (chicken broth or water). Stir into crockpot, and cook uncovered for 15 minutes, or until thickened.

Saturday, October 23- I will be entertaining company over the weekend and after late day soccer games we will be dining out, most likely at Tyler's Taproom in Apex!

Sunday, October 24- My husband will be getting some marinated beef from the Meat House in Cary to grill for dinner tonight. I will serve purple sweet potato fries, caramelized onions and peppers and a fresh salad with the beef.

Monday, October 25- I never made the Lemony Roasted Veggies and Couscous last week. So I will prepare it tonight using some of the potatoes from last week's Box and I will add some pepper and eggplant to the veggie mix. I will also add some minced garlic and serve it with shrimp.

Roasted Lemony Veggies & Couscous

1/4 cup lemon juice
2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound) peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups)
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound red-skin potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup couscous

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together lemon juice, basil, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, squash, potatoes and carrots. Sprinkle mixture with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle with prepared lemon dressing and stir well to combine.
3. Pour vegetable mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake another 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. When there is 10 minutes bake time remaining, prepare couscous according to package directions. Remove vegetable mixture from oven and carefully stir in couscous. Serve immediately.

Tuesday, October 26- I think I'll use the yellow squash from my box to make my Squash and Zucchini Burritos. I'll look for some zucchini at the farmer's market over the weekend.

October 13- October 19 Menu

This week's Box contains a variety of 8 Apples, 2 lbs. Irish Potatoes, 3 small Eggplant, Tomatoes, 3 lbs. Purple Sweet Potatoes and 1 Butternut Squash. Also in my Box was a pleasant surprise sample of air-dried sausage, Old Folks Country Sausage.

From last week's menu, I made Pumpkin Zucchini Bread much to my daughters' delight. However, I never made the White Bean and Sausage Cassoulet Recipe (I'll give it another chance this week). I think I will make some fresh Apple Cinnamon Muffins over the weekend with some of the apples from my Box. I'm not sure how I want to cook up the Butternut Squash. The Butternut Squash bread came out delicious, maybe turn them into muffins or make into a creamy soup? Such decisions, let the inspiration flow!

Wednesday, October 13- Since I didn't get around to cooking the cassoulet up last week, I plan on cooking it tonight. I'm not crazy about breadcrumb toppings and will most likely skip that part of the recipe.

White Bean and Sausage Cassoulet Recipe

2 tsp oil

3 links (10 oz) Italian sausage

2 medium carrots, thinly sliced

2 stalks celery, sliced

1 large onion, chopped

2 tsp minced garlic

3 cans (15.5 oz each) Great Northern beans, rinsed

2 cans (14.5 oz each) fire-roasted diced tomatoes

1⁄2 cup water

1 tsp dried thyme leaves

Seasoned Crumb Topping

2 tsp oil

1 tsp minced garlic

2 cups coarse fresh bread crumbs from a baguette

2 Tbsp each grated Parmesan and chopped parsley

Recipe Preparation

1. Heat oven to 375ºF. You’ll need a rimmed baking sheet lined with foil.

2. Heat oil in a 5-qt pot over medium heat. Brown sausages on all sides until cooked through, about 6 minutes. Remove to plate.

3. In fat remaining in saucepan, sauté carrots, celery, onion and garlic until golden, about 5 minutes.

4. Cut sausages into 1⁄4-in.-thick slices. Add sausages, beans, tomatoes and their juices, water and thyme to saucepan. Simmer, covered, 30 minutes or until heated through and flavors are blended.

5. Topping: Toss oil and garlic with bread crumbs; spread on prepared baking sheet. Bake 15 to 20 minutes, tossing once, until toasted. Cool slightly; stir in Parmesan and parsley. Serve Topping with cassoulet.

Thursday, October 14- With a busy schedule and one less family member at the table for dinner, tonight will be simple and easy. Perhaps mac n' cheese or soup and sandwiches.

Friday, October 15- With the fresh butternut squash, sweet potatoes and Irish potatoes from my box, I will make Roasted Lemony Veggies & Couscous, a recipe I found in Family Circle. I think I may add some garlic and shrimp to this dish.

Roasted Lemony Veggies & Couscous

1/4 cup lemon juice

2 tablespoons chopped basil
1/4 cup chopped parsley
1-1/2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon black pepper
1/4 cup olive oil
2 large tomatoes, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 small butternut squash (about 1 pound) peeled, seeded and cut into 1-inch chunks (about 4 cups)
1 pound sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 pound red-skin potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch chunks
1 cup baby carrots, halved
1 cup couscous

Directions
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees F. In a small bowl, stir together lemon juice, basil, parsley, 1/2 teaspoon of the salt and 1/2 teaspoon of the pepper. Slowly whisk in olive oil; set aside.
2. In a large bowl, combine tomatoes, squash, potatoes and carrots. Sprinkle mixture with remaining 1 teaspoon salt and 1/2 teaspoon pepper. Drizzle with prepared lemon dressing and stir well to combine.
3. Pour vegetable mixture into a 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish and cover with foil. Bake at 375 degrees F for 35 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake another 15 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. When there is 10 minutes bake time remaining, prepare couscous according to package directions. Remove vegetable mixture from oven and carefully stir in couscous. Serve immediately.

Saturday, October 16- My girls will be camping with my husband this weekend. So I am either on my own for dinner or I will drive out to the campsite and have dinner al fresco with them.

Sunday, October 17- Using one of the apples from my box, I will be serving Apple-Stuffed Chicken with peas and rice for dinner tonight.

Monday, October 18- From Ikea, I will be preparing their Swedish Meatballs with sauce served over egg noodles. Yummy!

**Photographs reproduced for illustration purposes only from Family Circle and Woman's Day- no infringement of any copyrights intended**