earth week: meatless monday

round 2 of the bauer meatless monday adventure included "chicken" pitas and moroccan couscous.
there's a restaurant in athens that i'm obsessed with - salaam - and they have the best couscous ever (and their food is pretty awesome, too). but, since beau isn't as adventurous with his food choices as i am (although he's gotten a lot better over the past six years), he had no idea what couscous was. this recipe turned out pretty delish. it reminded me of salaam's version...just not as good. [warning: this couscous recipe makes a TON].
to go with the couscous, i made "chicken" pitas with homemade tzatziki sauce. but, since it was meatless monday, i clearly didn't use chicken. instead, i used smart tenders - savory chick'n. it's a meat substitute (veggie protein tenders is what is on the front of the box) that, if seasoned right, tastes very similar to the real thing. in fact, i bet if it wasn't meatless monday beau wouldn't have been able to tell the difference ;) i found these amazing wraps to use in place of big, bulky pitas too (and they're only 100 calories!)

so, enjoy:

moroccan couscous

1 tsp cumin
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1/2 tsp ground cardamom
1/4 tsp ground cloves
1/4 tsp allspice
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bell pepper, chopped
2 zucchinis, chopped
salt/pepper, to taste
1 1/2 cup vegetable broth

1/2 cup orange juice

1/2 cup raisins

1 can garbanzo beans, rinsed and drain

1 (10oz) box couscous, cooked (i used instant couscous)
2 (8oz) cans mandarin orange segments (drain syrup)
2 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped
3 tbsp fresh mint, chopped

in a large sauce pan, heat spices over medium-low heat until warmed and fragrant. add the oil, pepper, zucchinis, and salt/pepper and saute for about five minutes. 

add veggie broth, orange juice, raisins and beans and bring to a boil. once boiling, remove from heat and add cooked couscous. mix together and let sit for five minutes. then, fold in orange segments, parsley and mint. 

we ate this warm, but salaam serves theirs cold. it's good either way :)

"chicken" pita with tzatziki sauce

1-2 boxes smart tenders - savory chick'n, cooked

whatever veggie toppings you want - i used red pepper, romaine lettuce and tomatoes

pita shells or flat out wraps

tzatziki sauce (recipe here)

1/4 cup feta cheese crumbles


cook smart tenders according to package directions (skillet method is preferred). remove tenders from skillet and pat dry with a paper towel. spread tzatziki sauce on one side of pita/wrap. lay lettuce, tomatoes, pepper and feta cheese crumbles on the other side. place tenders on top of veggies and cheese and fold together. super easy, right? and super yum :)

happy saturday!

the sun is shining and i'm a happy little lady. temps are supposed to reach the almost 60's! so, to celebrate (not really...i was going to make this regardless)  i made my favorite granola this morning. the recipe was given to me by a friend, but it's from the barefoot contessa, back to basics cookbook. the recipe is for homemade granola bars, but you can make it into granola if you'd prefer that instead. it's so good and perfect for a (somewhat) warm saturday morning :)

here's what you'll need:

ingredients:

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal

1 cup sliced almonds

1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed

1/2 cup toasted wheat germ

3 tbsp unsalted butter

2/3 cup honey

1/4 cup light brown sugar, loosely packed 

1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/4 tsp kosher salt

1/2 cup chopped pitted dates

1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

1/2 cup dried cranberries

(you can use any combination of dried fruit if you don't like dates, apricots or cranberries. just make sure your total dried fruit quantity is 1 1/2 cups. i used all cranberries in this batch)

instructions:

-preheat oven to 350 degrees. butter an 8x12" baking dish & line with parchment paper

-toss oatmeal, almonds & coconut together on a sheet pan & bake for 10-12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. transfer mixture to a large mixing bowl and stir in wheat germ

- reduce oven temperature to 300 degrees

- place butter, honey, brown sugar, vanilla and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. add dried fruit and stir well

- pour mixture into prepared pan (lined with parchment paper)

here's where the recipe differs depending on if you want to make bars or just plain granola:

for bars,

- pour mixture into prepared pan. wet your fingers and lightly press the mix evenly into the pan.

- bake for 25-30 minutes until lightly browned

- cool for at least 2-3 hours before cutting into squares. 

for granola,

- pour mixture into prepared pan. evenly distribute mixture on pan - do not press down.

- bake for 25-30 minutes, until lightly browned.

- separate mixture once you take it out of the oven and scrape off of parchment paper (using a spatula). leave on pan to cool for a few hours.

- instead of cutting into squares, the granola should be somewhat broken apart already. continue to crumble into pieces, if needed.

- let the granola cool and place in an airtight container

both recipes are great with your favorite yogurt or as an afternoon snack. MUCH better than the store bought kind! they make great holiday gifts too - last year i gave little mason jars full of the granola to co-workers for christmas. tied a little ribbon around the top...granola was gone by the end of the day. yum-mie! (oh, and ps...beau has already eaten half the granola i made this morning. my money is on it being gone by tomorrow afternoon).

cheers!