Cherry Tomato Couscous Salad

So fresh and perfect for lunch or as a side with your favorite meal.

Ingredients

• 4 cups cherry tomatoes (half for roasting, half raw)

• Extra-virgin olive oil, for drizzling

• 1 cup dry Israeli couscous

• 1 tablespoon lemon juice, more if desired

• 1 garlic clove, minced

• Leaves from 6 sprigs fresh thyme, more for garnish

• 1½ cups roasted chickpeas, tossed with 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika before roasting

• ¼ cup fresh basil, more for garnish

• 2 Persian cucumbers, thinly sliced

• ⅓ cup crumbled feta cheese

• Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper

Instructions

1. Roast 2 cups of cherry tomatoes according to this recipe. These can be made in advance and stored in the fridge for a few days.

2. Cook the couscous according to the package directions until al dente, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool.

3. In the bottom of a large bowl, combine 1 tablespoon of olive oil, lemon juice, garlic, thyme, ¼ teaspoon salt, and several grinds of black pepper. Add the cooled couscous and toss. Slice the remaining raw cherry tomatoes in half and add them to the bowl with the roasted tomatoes, chickpeas, basil, cucumbers, and feta. Top with more fresh herbs and a generous drizzle of olive oil. Season to taste.

Thank you to Love and Lemons for this gem of a recipe. There are so many fabulous recipes on the love and Lemons site, so make sure to check it out.

Simple Tips For A Quick Meal

Photo: Unsplash

The need for speed isn’t reserved only for Tom Cruise. A true talent is the ability to throw together a dinner (that’s not cereal) that people will actually want to eat.

Here are some of our favorite tips to make your life easier:

• Use frozen fish sticks for fish tacos vs. breading and baking/frying the fish yourself. 

• Double a recipe and freeze the leftovers. The night before, put the frozen portion in the refrigerator so it’s ready to go when you get home after work. You can even order an extra pizza on takeout night, put it in the freezer and then reheat it in your oven later. 

• Use what you have for a “kitchen sink” dinner like stir fry or this thai curry. 

• Wash and prep your veggies, etc when you get home from the store to save prep time on weeknights. 

• Your broiler is your BFF. From English muffin pizzas to quick quesadillas to fast-cooking fish, a thin cut will cook quickly without burning. 

• Keep your pantry stocked with the essentials like beans, rice, pasta and canned tomatoes for quick dinners. (Full list here).  

• Invest in a pressure cooker that can have dinner ready in under 30 minutes or a slow cooker where you can toss everything in before work and it’ll be ready when you get home.

Skillet Mexican Street Corn Recipe

Photo: BigStock

This week’s recipe is in honor of today’s Field of Dreams game amongst the corn fields in Iowa. We love an easy-to-throw-together side dish and this one is great because you can use steam fresh, frozen, canned or fresh corn.

Ingredients

• 10- ounce bag steam fresh whole kernel corn*

• 1 and ½ tablespoon real butter softened (see below for reduced fat version)

• 1 and ½ tablespoon mayonnaise

• 1/2 teaspoon paprika

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper

• juice and zest of 1 lime

• 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder

• 3 green onions sliced

• 1/2 cup crumbled feta or cotija cheese

• 2 tablespoons cilantro chopped fresh

Instructions

1. Heat corn in the microwave according to package instructions.

2. Meanwhile, mix butter and mayonnaise until smooth.

3. Add paprika, salt, pepper, zest and juice of 1 lime, and garlic powder to the butter/mayo mixture and mix until well combined.

4. Place corn in a serving dish and drop spoonfuls of the butter mixture on top of the corn.

5. Sprinkle cheese, cilantro, and green onions over butter.

6. Serve hot.

Thank you Call Me PMC for this recipe. Make sure you go check out the original recipe which includes ways to make a lightened version of this recipe as well as so many stellar other dishes to try.