Israeli Couscous Salad

Ingredients:

• 2 cups of Original Pearl Couscous
• 6 oz. of fat free feta cheese
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (sliced in half)
• 1 1/2 cups of roasted asparagus (cut into 1 inch pieces)
• 1/3 cup of spinach (chopped into small pieces)
• 3 Tbsp. of fresh basil (chopped into small pieces)
• 2 tsp. of shallots (diced)
• 1/2 lemon, use juice only
• 3 Tbsp. of olive oil
• Dash of salt
• 2 tsp of pepper
• 1 Tbsp. of Drew's Rosemary Balsamic Dressing or and kind of Balsalmic vinegarette

Directions:

Make couscous according to the directions and place it in a large bowl to cool (about 30 minutes). In the mean time, chop asparagus into small pieces (about 1 inch in length) and place on a baking sheet. Add 2 Tbsp. of olive oil, salt, and pepper and toss to coat all of the pieces. Bake at 400 degrees for about 15-20 minutes or until lightly brown and crispy.

Place the feta, sliced tomatoes, chopped spinach and basil, and shallots into a large serving bowl. Once the couscous and asparagus are finished cooking and cooled, add them into the serving bowl with the rest of the vegetables. Mix all of these ingredients together. To dress the salad, add the juice of half of a lemon, 1 Tbsp. of olive oil, and balsalmic dressing. Toss all of the ingredients together until well incorporated. You can serve this salad hot or cold, either way it is very yummy!! Enjoy!!

**This recipe was inspired by Chef Kent Rathbun who taught the Central Market cooking class we went to called Make the Most of the Grill**

Jerk Chicken Pizza

Ingredients:

• 2-3 skinless, boneless chicken breast, cut into small cubes ($4.50)
• 1/2-3/4 cup of mild jerk sauce (enough to coat the chicken) ($2.99-3.99)
• Dash of salt
• 1 tsp. of black pepper
• 1/4 cup of chopped fresh cilantro ($0.48)
• 1/4 cup of red onion, cut into thin slices ($1.35)
• 1 1/2 cups of shredded or sliced Gouda cheese ($2.68) 

Dough ingredients: *Makes 2 dough balls*

• 3 3/4 cups of all purpose flour
• 1 package of quick-rise yeast
• 1 Tbsp. of Splenda
• 2 teaspoons of salt
• 1 1/4 cups of warm water
• 2 Tbsp. of olive oil

To Make the Dough: In a food processor or KitchenAid (using the dough hook), combine the flour, yeast, Splenda, and salt. Mix until the ingredients are combined at a slow speed. While these are mixing, pour the olive oil and warm water in a steady stream and mix until the dough comes together into a ball (if it is too sticky, add a little bit more flour until it is no longer sticky) (if it is too dry, add a little bit more warm water or olive oil) - this process may take a few minutes. Once the dough forms into a ball, take the dough out of the mixer or food processor and place on a lightly floured surface. Knead the dough for 3-5 minutes until it is smooth and elastic. Place the dough into a lightly greased medium sized bowl and cover with a kitchen towel and let it rise for 2-3 hours. Once it has risen, punch the dough down and form it into a ball again and let it rest for about 10 more minutes. Cut the dough into 2 pieces. On a greased pizza pan, roll 1 piece of the dough out with a rolling pin until it is a thin and round.

To Make the Pizza: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Saute the chicken cubes with the jerk sauce in a greased saute pan. Saute until the chicken is cooked through. Season the pizza dough with salt and pepper and spread the cooked jerk chicken over the dough evenly. Place the thin red onion slices, chopped cilantro, and Gouda cheese over the top of the chicken. Bake for 15-20 minutes or until the cheese and crust are lightly browned. Enjoy!!

Total Price:

$12.00

*I had the ingredients to make the dough at home, but this is typically a cheap item to make**

Whole Wheat Spaghetti with Turkey Meatballs

Ingredients:

• 1 package of lean (93/7) ground turkey ($2.99)
• 1 small yellow onion, chopped into very small pieces ($0.61)
• 2 tsp. of minced garlic
• 1 egg
• 1/4 cup of Italian bread crumbs ($1.99)
• 2 Tbsp. of ketchup
• 1 tsp. of dried parsley
• 1 tsp. of dried oregano
• 1tsp. of dried basil
• 1/3 cup of shredded parmesan cheese ($1.99)
• 1 tsp. of black pepper
• Pinch of salt
• 1 package of whole wheat spaghetti noodles ($1.00)
• 1 can of Hunt's Heart Healthy diced tomatoes (1.08)
• 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce  ($1.99)

Directions:
Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a large bowl, mix together ground turkey, chopped onion, minced garlic, egg, bread crumbs, ketchup, parsley, oregano, basil, parmesan cheese, pepper, and salt. Stir until well incorporated (sometimes this works best with your hands). Form into 2 1/2 inch balls (I used an ice cream scoop) and place on a greased baking sheet. Bake in the oven for about 15 minutes until the tops of the meatballs are lightly brown (you can cut through one to make sure it is no longer pink in the middle).

While the meatballs are baking, boil spaghetti noodles in a large pot of boiling water for about 8-10 minutes (until al dente - has a slight crunch). Drain the noodles and place them back into the pot. Add the can of tomatoes and 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce and stir. If you would like, you can add the meatballs to the pasta or just place them on top of an individual plate of pasta. Enjoy!!

Total Price:

$11.65

*Recipe inspired by Giada De Laurentiis**

Sesame Chicken with Brown Rice

Ingredients:

• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast, cubed into pieces ($4.50)
• 2 Tbsp. of low-sodium soy sauce
• 1 tsp. of Splenda
• 1 Tbsp. of sherry cooking wine
• 1 Tbsp. of rice vinegar
• 1/2 tsp. of ground ginger
• 1/2 tsp. of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 cup of flour
• 2-3 Tbsp. of sesame seeds ($2.99)
• Drizzle of olive oil or canola oil
• 2-3 cups of brown rice ($1.68)

Directions:
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Place the cubed chicken breast in a medium bowl and add the soy sauce, splenda, sherry cooking wine, rice vinegar, ground ginger, and crushed red pepper flakes. Toss all of the ingredients together, cover, and marinate in the refrigerator for 5-10 minutes. Meanwhile, pour the 1/2 cup of flour and 2-3 tablespoons of sesame seeds into a large plastic freezer bag. Once the chicken is finished marinating, drain the chicken in a colander and dab it with a paper towel to get some of the excess liquid off of the chicken (it is okay that the chicken is a little wet, you just don't want it to be dripping). Place the chicken into the freezer bag, seal the bag, and shake it to coat the chicken pieces. Once the chicken is coated, spread the chicken onto a greased baking sheet and drizzle a small amount of cooking oil over the top so that the chicken will get crispy. Bake in the oven for 10 minutes and then with a spatula turn the chicken cubes over and bake for another 10 minutes or until chicken is lightly crisp. Serve on top of a bed of brown rice. Optional: drizzle a tad bit of honey over the top! Enjoy!!

Total Price:

$9.17 (Items not marked are items that we already had at home)

**Recipe inspired by Melissa de Arabian**

Mexican Turkey Burgers

Ingredients:

• 20 oz. Jennie O Lean Ground Turkey Meat ($2.99 - on sale)
• 1/2 medium yellow onion chopped into small pieces ($0.92)
• 1 small green pepper chopped into small pieces ($1.24)
• 1 tsp. of cumin
• 1 tsp. of black pepper
• 1 tsp. of garlic powder
• 1 tsp. of paprika
• Dash of salt
• 1/2 can of black beans (rinsed & drained) ($0.62)
• 1/2 can of corn (rinsed & drained) ($0.65)
• 1/4 cup of crushed tortilla chips (bread crumb consistency)  ($1.22)
• Whole wheat buns ($1.98)
• 1 avocado sliced or pre-made guacamole ($1.75)

Directions:

Add chopped onion and green pepper to a non-stick skillet and saute on medium-high heat. Add cumin, pepper, garlic powder, paprika, and salt to vegetables and stir until mixture is lightly browned and softened. Place the uncooked ground turkey meat in a large bowl and add pepper & onion mixture along with drained black beans and corn and crushed tortilla chips. Using your hands, combine all of the ingredients until well incorporated. Score the meat into 4 larger patties or 6 smaller patties. Place meat either on a greased grill pan or skillet and cook for about 10 minutes on medium heat until meat is no longer pink in the middle. Toast wheat buns in the toaster oven until lightly browned and spread avocado or guacamole on one side of the bun. Place one turkey burger on each bun. Enjoy!

Total Price:

$11.37