A Versatile Pasta Grain

"So long as I remain alive and well I shall continue to feel strongly about prose style, 

to love the surface of the earth, and to take a pleasure in solid objects and scraps of useless information."

And, "Never use a long word where a short one will do."

George Orwell, author of Animal Farm  

With that being said the short word of the day is Couscous

This pasta is made of tiny grains of dough that are steamed. It originated from Morocco and it a staple in North Africa. Couscous can be served as a breakfast cereal, a  salad and even in desserts.

Chicken and Couscous Waldorf Salad

Cook's notes: This featured salad with healthy ingredients serves 4. Omit the chicken and it can be a vegetarian meal. Since couscous is quite absorbent make it the day you will be serving it. Don't skip the step of using a fork to fluff  this grain so it doesn't become lumpy. 

Adding lemon juice to the dressing prevented the apples from browning. Adding dried cherries or cranberries would be another option for the salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 box (5.8 oz.) Couscous (I used a product called Near East Couscous Mix Roasted Garlic and Olive Oil) 
• 2 cooked grilled chicken breasts
• 3/4 cup toasted walnuts
• 1/4 cup onions
• 1 medium apple unpeeled and chopped in chunks (about 1 cup) 
• 1/2 cup celery (can substitute cucumbers) 
• 1/2 cup dressing ( I used Ken's Steak House Sweet Vidalia Onion but Honey-Dijon Mustard or Poppyseed would also work ) 
• 1 tsp. lemon juice

Directions:

• Cook chicken and set aside
• Make couscous according to box directions
• Toast walnuts in a heavy skillet over medium heat for 5 minutes stirring frequently
• Mix walnuts, chicken, onions, apple, celery or cucumbers
• Add lemon juice to dressing and then mix all together

Two other options for using couscous will be posted this week. One salad is a southwestern dish and the other a Greek.