Dr. Miggy's Healthy Blog for Busy Folks on Tight Budgets » mint http://www.drmiggy.com Tue, 28 Sep 2010 01:32:51 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Quick and Cheap Dinner: No-Cook Couscous and Heirloom Tomato Salad http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/08/08/quick-and-cheap-dinner-no-cook-couscous-and-heirloom-tomato-salad/ http://www.drmiggy.com/2009/08/08/quick-and-cheap-dinner-no-cook-couscous-and-heirloom-tomato-salad/#comments Sat, 08 Aug 2009 18:19:30 +0000 drmiggy http://www.drmiggy.com/?p=725 Real Simple and adapted it below.]]>
I got fancy with the garnish

I got fancy with the garnish

I’m all about no-cook recipes right now. It’s been brutally hot and humid here and the last thing I want is to apply more heat by cranking up the stove. I found this recipe on Real Simple and adapted it below. Heirloom tomatoes are everywhere at the moment so they seemed like a great swap for beefsteak. I added some bulgur because I wanted more fiber and heft to the salad, and I cut the amount of olive oil in half. I also swapped out the orange for a lemon because I think lemon goes much better with the flavors in this dish. Finally, I added parmesan cheese to the mix for extra protein and calcium. I eat this as a main dish salad, but if it seems a bit light to you just add some cooked chicken.

Real Simple is a great place to troll for recipes. The name says what it does, the recipes are simple and usually healthy. I like that they put the nutrition information at the bottom, too.090808_tomatoes

No-Cook Couscous and Heirloom Tomato Salad

Serves 4 as a main dish
Total time: 20 minutes
Cost per serving $3-4
090808_lemonzest1/2 cup whole wheat couscous
1/2 cup bulgur
1 medium lemon
2 large Heirloom (or beefsteak) tomatoes
2-3 green onions
1/4 cup fresh mint
1/4 cup (2 ounces) roasted almonds, roughly chopped
1 – 15.5-ounce can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/4 cup grated or shredded parmesan cheese
1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

  1. Microwave 1 1/2 cups water until almost boiling, about 2 minutes. Place the couscous and bulgur in a large bowl, pour the hot water over the top, cover, and let sit for 10 minutes. The bulgur should be tender, and there is no need to drain. Fluff the mixture with a fork.
  2. While the grains are soaking, grate the zest from the lemon and set aside. Chop the tomatoes into large chunks, slice the green onions, and chop the mint and almonds.
  3. Dump everything into the grains. Slice the lemon in half and squeeze the juice into the bowl. Stir to combine.

Oh, did I mention it’s also a one bowl recipe? See how easy I make things for you? :-)

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