Another recipe from Fitness Food tonight — seems like every recipe we’ve made from this book is a winner. This time, chicken drumsticks are slowly simmered in a tomato and chicken broth-based sauce and served over couscous with chickpeas, green onions, and cilantro. It was a nice departure from the ever-present chicken breasts we usually cook with.

Lisa says:

Yay, we get to be cavemen!

Chris says:

What do you mean?

Lisa says:

The chicken is on the bone.

Chris says:

Ahhh… I get ya. Did you ever go for the giant turkey drumsticks at state fairs?

Lisa says:

Uh, no. The last thing I’d want to do is stand around in public ripping meat off a bone with my teeth.

Chris says:

But this…

Lisa says:

…THIS is different. This is delicious, and I can use a fork. And I can’t get enough of the sauce. Such a good flavor!

Chris says:

Agreed — and the recipe made a TON of couscous. Those four servings are mighty generous.

Lisa says:

I really like the couscous. It would go well with a lot of dishes, especially those that have a bunch of sauce to soak up.

Moroccan Chicken and Couscous
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1 tsp cumin seeds
1 tsp coriander seeds
1 tsp ground ginger
1 tsp ground turmeric
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp chili flakes
8 skinless chicken drumsticks
3 tsp olive oil
1 onion, finely chopped
3 cloves garlic, crushed
1 tsp ginger, grated
14 oz can chopped tomatoes
1 cup chicken stock

1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 clove garlic, crushed
3 green onions
10 oz couscous
14 oz can chickpeas
2 tbsp chopped cilantro

In a small frying pan over medium heat, place the cumin, coriander, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, and chili flakes and dry roast for about a minute until fragrant. Grind using a spice grinder or mortar and pestle.
Sprinkle the chicken drumsticks with the spice blend, rubbing in well. In a large, deep, frying pan, heat 2 tsp of the oil. Add the chicken and cook for 8 minutes, turning to brown evenly. Remove and set aside.
In the same pan, add the remaining oil and over medium heat cook the onion, garlic, and ginger for 3-4 minutes, until softened. Add the tomatoes, chicken stock, and the chicken to the pan, and bring to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes until the chicken is fall-off-the-bone tender and the sauce is reduced. Season to taste.
Meanwhile, to prepare the couscous, boil the chicken broth and garlic in a small saucepan. Put the couscous in a glass bowl, cover with the boiling chicken broth, and cover the bowl with plastic wrap. Let sit for 15 minutes. Chop the green onions, and rinse and drain the chickpeas. Stir the couscous with a fork, and add the green onions, chickpeas, and cilantro.
Serve on a platter topped with the chicken and sauce.

4 Servings

Lisa’s been spending her free time baking lately, and today she made a huge batch of chocolate-chip cookies that also have chopped walnuts and peanut butter. We really enjoyed the light, chewy texture of these “healthy” cookies.

Chris says:

Yum, these are good! They’re light and chewy like the soft-baked kind — I like the buckwheat.

Lisa says:

A lot of the reviews mentioned they were kind of cakey. And I changed the recipe a bit based on the flour we had on hand, the original didn’t have buckwheat.

Chris says:

Where’d you see the recipe?

Lisa says:

Cooking Light… they call them “Good-For-You” cookies… they’re healthy! Plus I added walnuts and peanut butter to it.

Chris says:

So, you made them… less healthy?

Lisa says:

Yeah, but more delicious. And it’s not like I added 13 sticks of butter or anything.

Chris says:

Is it bad that I just ate 5 of them?

Lisa says:

Someone has to eat them… hey, where’d the cat go?

Hailey says:

(Almost…) Good-For-You Chocolate-Chip Cookies
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2 cups unbleached flour
1/2 cup buckwheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup reduced-calorie stick margarine, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1 large egg white
3 tbsp smooth peanut butter
2/3 cup reduced-fat semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Cooking spray

Preheat oven to 350°.

Combine first 4 ingredients in a bowl; stir well. Set aside. Combine margarine and sugars in a large bowl; beat at medium speed of a mixer until light and fluffy. Add applesauce, vanilla, egg, egg white, and peanut butter; beat well. Add dry ingredients; beat at low speed until well-blended. Stir in chips and walnuts.

Drop dough by level teaspoons, 1 inch apart, onto baking sheets coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350° for 12 minutes or until almost set. Remove from oven; let stand 2 to 3 minutes or until firm. Remove cookies from pans; let cool on wire racks.

Makes 5 Dozen

Tonight Lisa made a stew and couscous combo adapted from a recipe found on the Food Network website. Acorn squash, spinach, garbanzo beans, onions, tomatoes, and spices over a bed of couscous.

Chris says:

Apparently we [heart] stews!

Lisa says:

What’s not to [heart]? This one is especially delicious.

Chris says:

…and colorful. Also, I love how the couscous soaks up the sauce.

Lisa says:

It rules, though, you know, I think my dad and brother would hate this dish.

Chris says:

Why?

Lisa says:

They don’t like sweet things in savory dishes.

Chris says:

That’s my favorite part about this one, I’m seeking out those little plump bursts of sweetness! Yum! Thanks Food Network!

Spiced Acorn Squash Stew with Couscous
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For the stew:
1 1/4 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium red onion, chopped
3 cloves garlic, smashed
6 canned plum tomatoes, crushed
1 cinnamon stick
1 tsp ground coriander
1 tsp ground cumin
1/4 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
1 acorn squash (about 2 pounds), peeled and cut into 1-inch pieces
1 16 oz can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
3 cups chicken broth, low-sodium canned
1-inch strip lemon zest
1/2 cup golden raisins
4 cups chopped spinach (about 5 ounces)
Juice of 1/2 lemon
1/4 cup toasted sliced almonds

For the couscous:
1 1/2 cups chicken broth, low-sodium canned
1/2 tsp kosher salt
Freshly ground black pepper
1 cup couscous

Heat the oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and cook, stirring occasionally, until soft and golden, about 10 minutes. Add the garlic, tomatoes, and spices and cook until the cinnamon stick unfurls and the tomatoes are cooked down, about 3 minutes. Add the squash, chickpeas, broth, lemon zest, and raisins and bring to a simmer. Cook, partially covered, until the squash is fork tender, about 25 minutes. Stir in the spinach and cook until wilted, about 3 minutes. Add the lemon juice and season, to taste.

Meanwhile, make the couscous. Bring the broth to a boil with the salt and pepper in a small saucepan. Stir in the couscous, pull the saucepan off the heat, cover, and set aside until the water has been absorbed and the couscous is plump, about 5 minutes.

Fluff the couscous with a fork and mound it in 4 soup bowls. Spoon some butternut squash stew over each portion, top with almonds, and serve.

4 Servings

I’ve been in a meat-mood all week, so last night I made this shredded skirt-steak recipe from one of our favorite cookbooks, Healthy Latin Cooking. The steak is slow-cooked in wine and broth until it’s tender enough to easily shred with a fork. This recipe is made lighter than the traditional by the addition of carrots and potatoes.

Chris says:

So apparently this dish literally translates to “Old Clothes”.

Lisa says:

Wow, if all old clothes were like this I’d spend just as much time at the thrift stores as Abbie.

Chris says:

I love how tender the meat is here.

Lisa says:

Yeah it’s super good. The sauce is really tasty.

Chris says:

The vegetables are also nice and tender without being mushy. Perfect! I like using our CSA box to determine what recipes to make.

Lisa says:

It certainly seems to cut your recipe-browsing time to something manageable!

Ropa Vieja with Vegetables
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1 tbsp olive oil
1 onion, thinly sliced
1 green bell pepper, thinly sliced
1 red bell pepper, thinly sliced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/2 tsp ground cumin
1 large tomato, peeled and chopped
1 lb beef skirt steak
salt and ground black pepper
1/2 cup dry white wine or nonalcoholic white wine
3-3 1/2 cups chicken stock or fat-free reduced-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup tomato puree or tomato sauce
4 carrots, cut into 1″ pieces
2 potatoes, cut into 1″ pieces
2 tsp rinsed and drained capers
1 tbsp finely chopped fresh cilantro (optional)

Heat the oil in a large, wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the onions, bell peppers, garlic and cumin. Cook, stirring often, for 5 minutes, or until the onions are just beginning to brown. Add the tomatoes and cook for 1 minute.
Season the steak with salt and black pepper. Add it to the vegetables and cook for 2 minutes per side. Increase the heat to high, add the wine, and bring to a boil. Add 3 cups of the stock or broth and return to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer for 30-40 minutes, or until the steak is very tender. Skim off any foam that rises to the surface.
Stir in the tomato puree or tomato sauce, carrots, and potatoes. Simmer for 15-20 minutes, or until the vegetables are tender and the sauce is reduced and flavorful. If too much liquid evaporates, add a little more stock or broth. Stir in the capers.
Using 2 forks, tear the meat along the grain into very thin shreds. (You should be able to do this right in the pan.) Simmer for 3 minutes more, or until the meat soaks up the sauce. Season with more salt and black pepper, if desired. Sprinkle with the cilantro.

4 Servings.