Apparently I’ve been on a salad kick lately…at least from looking at my last few posts.

This one was another spontaneous creation.  I was trying to throw together something quick to take to the park for lunch…a few moms and our kids were meeting up for an afternoon at the playground, and while the kids were eating their PB&Js, we ate this salad.

If you haven’t tried couscous yet, you must try it soon.  It is so unbelievably quick to cook up, so that in itself is a huge reason why.  Plus, if you are into whole grains, the whole wheat couscous is packed with protein and fiber…all good for you.  I combined the cooked couscous with a bag of pre-shredded coleslaw, some additional shredded carrots, sliced green onion and sliced toasted almonds…then tossed with a homemade tangy vinaigrette made easily with pantry ingredients.  The pictures shown are missing the almonds though…I forgot to add them until after the “photo shoot”!  I probably could have gone back and retaken the pics but then in all reality who knows when this recipe would have actually been posted…

Enjoy!

Asian Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

• 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous
• 1 1/4 cup water
• 3/4 of 16 oz bag of pre-shredded coleslaw mix
• 2 carrots, shredded
• 3-4 green onions, thinly sliced
• 1/2 cup sliced and toasted almonds
• 1/3 cup crunchy chow mein noodles (optional)
• 1/2 cup rice wine vinegar
• 1/2 cup olive oil (or oil of your preference)
• 1 TB hoisin sauce
• 1 TB honey
• 1-2 cloves minced or pressed garlic
• salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In small bowl, whisk together rice wine vinegar, oil, hoisin, honey, garlic, salt and pepper. Set aside.
2. Bring 1 1/4 cups water to boil. Add 1 cup uncooked whole wheat couscous. Take off heat and set aside for 5 minutes. Once couscous has absorbed water, fluff with a fork and let cool.
3. In large bowl combine shredded coleslaw mix, carrots, green onion and almonds (and crunchy noodles if adding). Add cooled couscous to mixture and gently combine. Add dressing to salad and toss. Taste for additional salt and pepper. Can be served immediately at room temperature or refrigerate for 1 hour before serving.

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Before I get into this week’s Craving Ellie in my Belly recipe, I wanted to tell you all that Aggie’s Kitchen was included in RN Central’s Top 100 Healthy Mom Blogs! I was very excited and honored about this since this is my first time ever being included in any type of “list”…go check it out, there are so many mom related blogs listed full of lots of great information!!
Thank you so much RN Central!

Now on to this week’s recipe…Sesame Stir Fried Chinese Greens. This recipe was chosen by Joanne of Apple Crumbles…don’t you just love that name? 😉 Check out the CEimB group page to see how everyone cooked up this recipe!

I used a combination of Napa Cabbage and Bok Choy and served it with Mary Ann’s Zucchini and Chicken Stir Fry. I thought the greens turned out very good, but mine seemed to be a bit watery. I think it might have been my fault, I didn’t really take the time to dry them out after rinsing them so a lot of the leftover water must have landed into the pan. I am curious to see what everyone else in the CEimB group thinks of this recipe, I felt like it might have been missing something…maybe it needed a little kick or something? It still was a great, quick and light side dish…perfect for an Asian inspired meal. I think next time it would go perfect with a nice piece of marinated grilled chicken or fish.

Sesame Stir Fried Chinese Greens

Ingredients:

• 2 teaspoons canola oil
• 2 pounds baby bok choy or Napa cabbage, sliced thin
• 2 tablespoons low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon rice wine vinegar
• 2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
• 1 tablespoon toasted sesame seeds

Directions:

1. In a wok or large frying pan heat the oil over high heat until very hot. Add the bok choy and stir-fry until they begin to soften slightly, 1 to 2 minutes. Add the soy sauce, vinegar and sesame oil and cook until just done, 1 to 2 minutes longer. Sprinkle with sesame seeds and serve.

Recipe by Ellie Krieger

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Check out Food Network for a printable version of this recipe!

The post Thursdays with Ellie Krieger… Sesame Stir Fried Chinese Greens appeared first on Aggie's Kitchen.