Goat Cheese Salad with Couscous

Are you at wit’s end, wondering how to wean your kids off video games for a couple of hours on the weekend? And all you can think of as a hobby, is to bake sugar and butter-laden cookies with them? Are you worried that the very act of baking cookies with them, while creating those wonderful memories of togetherness, also sets them on the path to become “cookie monsters”?

Well, I have a panacea for you.

This recipe that I am about to share with you is healthy, filled with the goodness of fresh vegetables, brimming with taste and textures, so quick and easy to make that even someone with no prior experience in cooking can put it to together in just 10 minutes flat.

So try this recipe out with your children and you can have a proud little ones who made an entire meal by themselves. Depending on their age, set them to help you peeling the cucumbers, crumbling the soft goat cheese, measuring the olives and helping you make the couscous. You will have the benefit of a fun time with your youngsters while teaching them to cook and enjoy eating healthy meals.

I serve this with Whole grain Couscous and it makes a complete meal.

Here is what you need:

2 large Cucumbers (rinsed, peeled and chopped)
2 Green Peppers (rinsed and chopped)
1 bunch Cilantro (rinsed and snipped)
1 pint Cherry Tomatoes (rinsed)
1 bunch Basil (rinsed and snipped coarsely)
1 cup Kalamata Olives (in a jar, buy the pitted variety or pit them)
1 tube Goat cheese

For the Dressing:
1/2 cup Olive Oil
3 tbsp Red wine vinegar
Pepper: to taste

Here is how you put this together:
Combine the ingredients for the dressing. Toss into salad. Crumble and add the goat cheese right at the end, just before serving because it is very soft and has a tendency to melt. I buy the french variety of Goat Cheese, pictured above. You do not need to add any salt to this salad, because both the Goat Cheese and the Kalamata olives will provide a slightly salty taste.

For the Cosucous, follow instructions on the package. It takes just 10 minutes to make. In order to make this even more sumptuous, healthy, and satisfying, I use whole grain couscous, pictured here. You can also try the Parmesan Cheese Whole Wheat Couscous with milled Flax seed and Soy with this recipe. It tastes fantastic with this salad.

Enjoy!

Seeing Red!

I love vegetables and so have never had a doctor advising me to eat more veggies. One of my favorite vegetables is the ubiquitous cabbage, so hated by many. I can guess why so many people hate the cabbage;  I can even empathize with them; I think it comes back to my pet peeve – overcooking. Overcooking cabbage brings out its horrible smell and makes the texture unpalatable and unappetizing. In addition, it loses its nutrients. It is a lose-lose proposition all round.

I have read a lot about the benefits of eating colored vegetables, the deeper the color, the more the nutrients. Red cabbage in particular is known for its phytonutrient content and is also particularly beneficial for women’s health – especially in the prevention of breast cancer. It has an inordinate amount of Vitamin K, C, Folate, B6 and dietary fiber, promotes gastro-intestinal health and has cardio-vascular benefits.

Seems to me that eating what I love to eat anyway, is real winning solution! So when I go vegetable shopping, my shopping cart always has a head of green cabbage and a head of red cabbage. I made a red cabbage dish the other day. This is one the easiest dishes to make, especially when you are in rush and want to have something healthy at hand for your family’s meal.

Here’s how:

You will need:
6 cups finely shredded red cabbage
1/2 cup walnuts
1/4 cup cranberries (you can substitute with raisins)
3 tsp Extra Virgin Olive oil
1 tsp salt
1 tsp red chili powder

Pre-heat oven to 450 degrees.

Wash and drain the shredded red cabbage thoroughly. Take care to air dry it until most of the water is gone. Toss it with Olive oil, salt and chili powder. Now add the walnuts and cranberries. Bake for 10 minutes (no more than 10 minutes so that it doesnt get overcooked).

Serve with whole grain bread, or with whole wheat rotis, or as a salad. Simply yummy and very healthy!