#light entrees

Ingredients - yields about 4 servings

1 cup dry couscous

1 cup water

1/4 tsp salt, or to taste

1 tbsp butter or margarine (can substitute olive oil to make it vegan)

1 large bell pepper, any colour (I chose yellow)

1 medium tomato

1 tbsp olive oil

1/2 tbsp chopped fresh parsley (or 1/2 tsp dried parsley)

salt and black pepper to taste

Directions - 15 minutes or less total cook time

Combine water, salt, and butter or margarine in a medium saucepan. Bring to a boil. (You can begin Step 3 while waiting for water to boil.)

Add dry couscous and stir. Remove from heat. Cover and let sit for 5 minutes. Fluff with fork.

Wash bell pepper and tomato and dice into 1/4" or smaller chunks.

In a small skillet, combine olive oil and diced veggies over medium-low heat. Cover and let sit for 5-10 minutes, or until vegetable chunks are tender. Uncover and remove from heat.

You can either mix together couscous and veggies in a serving dish, or dish out individual portions of couscous and top with pepper-tomato medley.

Add salt and black pepper to taste. Sprinkle with parsley for garnish. Serve immediately.

Couscous is a great grain: quick to cook, versatile, and super healthy. According to The Food Network:

"One cup of cooked couscous contains 176 calories, 36 grams of carbohydrates, 2 grams of fiber, and 6 grams of protein with no sugar or fat. It also contains two-third your daily recommended selenium. Looking for more fiber? Choose whole-wheat couscous; it has about five to six grams of fiber per serving and is available in many markets."

(http://blog.foodnetwork.com/healthyeats/2009/10/14/meet-this-grain-couscous/)

To make this recipe your own, try adding sautéed onions, feta cheese crumbles, or a faux-chicken-style soy meat cooked in vegetable broth. Not a fan of parsley? Basil or cilantro also make great additions to this mix. I'm not much of a sweet-and-savory blend gal, but if that floats your boat, try replacing the veggies with raisins, walnuts, cinnamon, and/or apricots for a traditional Israeli recipe.

As for expenses, the couscous is the most costly part of this meal. I spent about $7 at Kroger for a 32 oz. container, which makes up to 20 servings. Green bell peppers usually cost less than $1 and work fine for this recipe. For a bit of a sweeter vegetable medley, you can splurge on the dollar-and-some-change red, orange, or yellow varietals. Finally, the on-the-vine kind of tomatoes I buy at the supermarket run about $1.30 per pound. Assuming you have butter/margarine, oil, and spices at home, that's $2.50 a serving or less, tax included, and leaves you tons of leftover dry couscous for future recipes.

For a complete meal, pair your quick and simple couscous with sides of lemon-herb chickpeas or hummus, soup or stew, or fruit salad. Carnivores might find that this dish goes well with salmon or chicken. Just remember to follow nutritionalists' advice and keep your meal colourful!