Hold the Potatoes

As I mentioned in yesterday's post I spent the last week on the road away from home. I love to travel, and along with all that travel comes several nights of dining out.  Don't get me wrong I absolutely love a night off from cooking and cleaning! Even better than that I love the opportunity to peruse a restaurant menu and linger over all the wonderful choices. 

This past week I indulged in steak served with rich béarnaise sauce more than once! I consumed roast chicken, pork wrapped in bacon, cheeses, rich soups, hearty brown bread and butter, and of course potatoes! All of this washed down with pints of smooth, creamy Guinness and/or wine.

Needless to say I put on a few pounds! So when I returned to my own kitchen this week I decided to make an effort to hold the heavy sauces and potatoes and fill our plates with low fat, high protein, dishes filled with veggies! Last night I threw together this Mediterranean style salad.

Easy, tasty, and healthy!

Mediterranean Inspired Salad

1 large zucchini (courgette) 1/4" chunks

1/3 cup sun-dried tomatoes coarsely chopped

2 cloves garlic minced

1 can chickpeas drained and rinsed

1 cup couscous

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

1 bag pre-washed arugula (rocket)

crumbled feta cheese

sliced grilled chicken (I served mine cold leftover from the night before)

olive oil

lemon

salt and pepper 

Saute zucchini in a small amount of olive oil over med-high heat until soft

salt and pepper to taste

(you can also add a small amount of cumin if you wish)

add garlic and saute for 60 sec.

add tomatoes and chickpeas and stir until well incorporated.

set aside and allow to cool slightly

Heat chicken broth to boiling, add to couscous in heat proof dish and cover.

Allow 5 min for couscous to absorb broth.

Plate arugula with a squeeze of lemon and drizzle of olive oil

top with warm or room temperature couscous, and zucchini chickpea mixture.

Add sliced, grilled chicken and crumbled feta. 

Enjoy!