::couscous me softly::

With Jonathan working late this evening, I was posed with a dilemma as to what to cook for dinner. Cooking for one is tricky and at times seems unworthy of the effort. With a few kitchen staples and a little creativity, you can create a delicious and healthy meal for one with very little effort. Tonight I happened to have some couscous in the pantry. Couscous is one of the most versatile foods ever. You can add literally anything you want according to your tastes. I had a half an onion, garlic, a few mushrooms, yellow squash, a couple of grape tomatoes, dried cranberries, sliced almonds, lemon juice and fresh parsley. I sauteed all the veggies together in some olive oil, added the couscous, chicken stock and lemon juice (you can just use water if you don't have any stock). Just cook according to the package directions. After it finished cooking (literally 5 minutes), I just stirred in the dried cranberries, almonds and parsley. If you don't have as much on hand, no worries. It can be as simple as couscous, onions and garlic and still be great. Fresh herbs or pepper flakes can be added for extra flavor. You can also add last nights leftover grilled chicken. The possibilities are pretty much endless. You may want to make enough for two so that you can have the rest for lunch tomorrow. That is, if you don't go back for seconds! Remember: A well stocked kitchen is a happy kitchen! Here is a list of a few things I like to always have on hand:

*onions
*garlic
*lemons
*Italian parsley
*fresh tomatoes
*parmesan
*Better Than Bouillon chicken stock base (the beef base is also good)
*olive oil
*chili flakes
*canned diced tomatoes
*dried pastas/couscous
*cornbread mix
*frozen chicken breasts
*frozen fish (tilapia)