Words

Well peeps, I have writer's block. I have found that over the past several blog posts, I have been struggling with things to share, and I feel like my blog is getting a little repetitive. Luckily, the entire point of this challenge was not to create an awesome blog, but to not repeat recipes, and with the exception of my accidental repeat, the spirit of this challenge is still going strong. So, no matter what I write or don't write, do know that the dishes are going to keep on keeping on. And who knows? Tomorrow the block might have lifted and you'll once again have super-extra-awesomely-witty words to read.

Couscous-Stuffed Chicken
Source: Cooking Light, Jan/Feb 2011

Ingredients:

• 1/3 c. chicken broth (used no-salt)
• 1/4 c. uncooked couscous (used whole wheat)
• salt/pepper (skip)
• 3 tbsp chopped plum tomato (used diced)
• 2 tbsp olives, chopped (skipped -blech)
• 2 tbsp crumbled feta cheese
• 2 tbsp EVOO
• 2 tsp chopped oregano
• 2 tsp fresh parsley chopped
• 1 tsp grated lemon rind
• 1 minced garlic clove
• 4 (6oz) boneless chicken breast halves
• cooking spray

Directions:

• Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan, remove from heat. Stir in couscous. Cover and let stand 4 mins. Place couscous in a small bowl, fluff with fork. Cool for 10 mins. Add ingredients to bowl (through garlic), toss.
• Pound chicken to 1/4-inch thickness. Divide couscous mixture evenly among breast halves; roll up jelly-roll fashion. Secure with wooden picks. Sprinkle chicken with salt/pepper (skipped).
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
• Heat a large ovenproof skillet over med-high heat. Coat pan with cooking spray. Add chicken to pan; cook for 6 mins or until browned. Turn chicken over. Bake at 400 degrees until chicken is done.

Yield: 4 servings (1 stuffed breast)
Per serving: 271 cals; 10.7g fat (2.2g sat, 6.5g mono, 1.3g poly); 31.9g protein; 10g carbs; 78mg chol; 546mg sodium

Reviews:
First - a word to the wise. Do not use colored wooden toothpicks to secure chicken rolls unless you like the lovely blue, green and red dye colors in your food. D'oh. Second - this was so-so. It was good and edible and all that, but the only flavor that really came through was the lemon. I didn't get enough of the tomatoes or feta in my serving for it to be worth the mess and kinda hassle.

Ranking:
Two Forks

Fresh from the oven - spot the blue hue!