Sunday, March 16, 2008

Marinara Poached Eggs & Shrimp Cous Cous



This morning we had another poached egg experiment for breakfast. Whole wheat english muffins, toasted, with some spinach flavored with basil, oregano, parsley, crushed red pepper, garlic & onion powder, poached eggs, marinara sauce, and some parmesan cheese. I would say the experiment was a success, though I failed to salt & pepper the eggs, which would've improved the flavors.



For dinner, we had the Shrimp Cous Cous we planned to have Thursday, but couldn't because we forgot to defrost the shrimp in time. In the end, it worked well as a Sunday night dinner, as the number of veggies that have to be cut takes a bit of time, and makes this a great dinner to prepare together. My fiance and I split the tasks of shredding, cubing, grating, pitting, and slicing, making it go by a little quicker. The 'Spicy' part of the dish theoretically comes from the red chilies in the dressing, but I think we chose milder chiles, so it was pretty unspicy - though still yummy. All the colors and flavors made it feel very healthy - despite the full cup of oil in the dressing.



'Spicy' Shrimp Cous Cous
3/4 cup raisins
2 cups couscous
1 3/4 cup vegetable br'oth
2 cups cooked, peeled shrimp
1/2 large cucumber, peeled, pitted and cubed
1 red bell pepper, pitted and cubed
1 green bell pepper, deseeded and cubed
4 large plum tomatoes, pitted and roughly chopped
4 scallions, finely chopped
1 large carrot, grated
1 fine-skinned zucchini, grated

Dressing:
1/2 cup olive oil
1/2 cup walnut oil
2 small red chiles, pitted and finely chopped
3 large scallions, trimmed and finely sliced
1 garlic clove, chopped
1 inch fresh gingerroot, peeled and grated

Mix all ingredients for the dressing together in a screw top jar and shake to combine.

Put the raisins into freshly boiled water for 1 minute. Drain. Add the raisins to the cous cous and cook according to packet instructions, using broth instead of water. Add the shrimp and raw vegetables while the cous cous is still hot. Pour on the dressing and stir to mix. Serve while still warm, or cover with plastic wrap and leave in fridge. Bring back to room temperature before serving.

(from Quick & Easy Healthy Eating.)

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