Eat Like a Rabbit

The first time Paul bought couscous and served it to me, I was so underwhelmed. I even threw most of the remainder of the container away. (Yes! And I believe in no waste!) But I learned it was just because I didn't know how to cook it. Now, granted, I only know three ways to use it now--this one, tabouleh, and Mexican-style. But I know that I'm broadening my horizons, and each time we eat it we are doing our bodies good.

I've made this recipe before, but with "white" couscous. The recipe in Mollie Katzen's Eat, Drink, and Weigh Less called for whole wheat. Because this is an effort to lose baby-weight, I'm all for sticking to the more healthy option. surprisingly, I couldn't tell a difference in the taste--unlike when we tried whole wheat pasta. I'm all for switching to whole wheat couscous permanently, even in my tabouleh.

I have passed this photo a few times on flickr.com and finally remembered the stories that went with this photograph.

The recipe for the main course came from The Occasional Vegetarian, a cookbook that is out of print. My mother-in-law acquired it for me used because she new how valuable it would be in my kitchen. The recipe originally called for rice, but I had couscous; so I used couscous. My mother and I both have been having indigestion (only one of us has a more positive excuse and will eventually have something to show for it) and actually appreciated the basic, but bland, flavors: sweet pine nuts, slightly bitter spinach, salty Parmesan. Next time, I would try it with rice and add some additional flavor to the rice itself--maybe some onion and garlic powder. Will have to think on it. Luckily, I have plenty of spinach and rice on hand for the coming week. Maybe I'll find the time to try it again.

Paul's folks had a major issue with their kitchen earlier this year. Their upstairs water heater flooded their kitchen and ruined--among other things--years of collected recipes. You can see all the marked pages in the cookbooks that the insurance company replaced. I also benefited because we learned one of the cookbooks The Occasional Vegetarian was out of print. Kathleen graciously sent me a used copy when she found a source. I'm happy my stomach is more settled because I've already read it cover-to-cover. (Yes, I do find enjoyment just reading cookbooks.) I've already used two recipes and will be going back to it later in the week.

I purchased a 1 pound package of spinach at Costco on Thursday and am determined to finish it off before the end of this week. One pound doesn't sound like much, but it looks like a lot, probably because I'm not running to the kitchen when I get home from work like I once did. I hope that excitement will return. Anyway, below are some ideas I have for getting that extra iron into my tummy because the vitamins still aren't staying down all the time.

The following are my favorite vegetarian coupons of the week.

Rice Select printed out a total of FIVE $2 coupons for me. I think there would have been more, but I quit printing. They don't expire until the end of the year, so I'm sure I'll use them. Rice Select has whole wheat couscous, original couscous, risotto, and brown rice. There are many other products. These are just my favorite. With the coupon, the large containers will cost me around $5.30 at Publix, which is the best price I can find because Walmart doesn't carry large quantities of couscous and Target is too far away.

Recipe for Mexican-Style Couscous

Inspired by a genius cook in Paris.

• 1/2 cup water
• 1 cup Couscous (uncooked)
• 1/2 cup tomato juice (from can of diced tomatoes) and 3/4 of the can of tomatoes
• 1/4 large onion, diced
• 1 jalapeno pepper, diced
• 1 tablespoon seasoned salt (ours is homemade)

Although we didn't participate in what looks like a fun job of delivering pizzas in Paris, I am now in a position to need to start planning dinner menus again before we end up ordering out not because we don't have the food, but because I haven't been well organized. This week I only have ideas for meals, but don't have a set schedule on which days I plan on serving them. Perhaps this may be a bad idea, but I don't always know what my next week's schedule is going to look like.

I would like to thank my father for his talented photography, and I congratulate him on his first appearance as a guest photographer for ELAR.

Our friends, Frank and Emily had seen the movie, Ratatouille, enough that they wanted to see what ratatouille<

This week, I will feature a series of posts, the inspirations of which came from the fascinating cookbook, The Splendid Table's How to Eat Supper. It is more than just a list of recipes. The book also highlights little known facts, dispels myths, and makes specific grocery list recommendations. Perhaps after I highlight some fabulous experiences with the book, you will want to acquire one of your own.

I really had a hard time finding a simple and appealing recipe for tabouleh. I finally found an excellent one. I served this as a series of "dips" for a buffet meal to a group of 20. People asked for the recipe when it was over and I overheard one educated individual say "That green stuff is good, too." Tabouleh and a hommus side went well with warm un-pocketed pita bread. I noticed a good number of people making sandwiches out of it.