This recipe below is courtesy of Cooking Light Magazine June 2009.

The vitamin C from lemon juice aids iron absorption. Round out the meal with grilled chicken, lemony hummus, and toasted 100 percent whole-wheat pita wedges. Substitute fresh shelled fava beans for edamame, if you like. Fava beans also supply protein, fiber, and B vitamins.

Ingredients:
1 cup uncooked bulgur
1 cup boiling water
1 cup frozen shelled edamame (green soybeans)
1 pound yellow and red cherry tomatoes, halved
1 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/3 cup finely chopped fresh mint
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
1 cup chopped green onions
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

Preparation:
1. Combine bulgur and 1 cup boiling water in a large bowl. Cover and let stand 1 hour or until bulgur is tender.

2. Cook edamame in boiling water 3 minutes or until crisp-tender. Drain. Add edamame, tomatoes, and remaining ingredients to bulgur; toss well. Let stand at room temperature 1 hour before serving.

Nutritional Information:
Calories: 208 Fat: 10.5g (sat 1.3g,mono 6.7g,poly 1.2g) Protein: 6.3g Carbohydrate: 25.4g Fiber: 7.1g Cholesterol: 0.0mg Iron: 2.2mg Sodium: 332mg
Calcium: 59mg

Yield
6 servings (serving size: 1 1/4 cups)

As with any pasta salad, you can serve it as a refreshing summer side dish, or you can make it your main dish by just adding a protein, such as chicken or shrimp.  Pasta salads can tend to be heavy and fatty.  The following recipe tickles your taste buds and leaves you feeling happy without weighing you down. 

The Dressing:

6 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained

3 tablespoons red wine vinegar

6 tablespoons olive oil

1 garlic clove, minced

1 tablespoon capers, drained

2 teaspoons kosher salt

1 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

The Pasta:

1/2 pound gemelli (thin spirals) pasta

Salt

Olive oil

1 pint ripe cherry or grape tomatoes, halved

3/4 cup kalamata olives, pitted and diced

1 pound fresh mozzarella, bite size dice

8 sun-dried tomatoes in oil, drained and chopped

The Garnish:

1-cup fresh Parmesan cheese

1/2 cup packed basil leaves, julienne

Cook the pasta salted, boiling water. Boil for 12 minutes, or until al    dente. Drain and allow to cool. Place the pasta in a bowl and add the tomatoes, olives, mozzarella, and chopped sun-dried tomatoes.

For the dressing, combine all of the above “dressing” ingredients in a food processor and blend until almost smooth.

Pour the dressing over the pasta, add the Parmesan and basil, and toss well.  Serve chilled.  Add grilled chicken or grilled shrimp to make this a main dish or other wish just serve as is.  You are guaranteed to impress someone!

Couscous is a coarsely ground semolina pasta. The grain is a staple in many North African countries. Recently, it’s popped up on American menus and dinner tables like wild fire. Easy prep couscous is available in any grocery store. It’s a great alternative to rice, which can get pretty boring.

I prefer to cook my couscous in chicken stock.  It gives it a greater depth of flavor.  Below is a recipe for couscous as a main dish:

1 box of plain couscous.  (Make desired amount of couscous.  Follow recipe on box, be sure to use chicken stock or vegetable stock instead of water)

½-cup balsamic vinegar
1 teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 cloves garlic, coarsely chopped
1 cup olive oil

In a small bowl, whisk together the vinegar, mustard and garlic, slowly add the olive oil and whisk until combined. Season with salt and pepper.

1 green zucchini, quartered lengthwise
1 yellow zucchini, quartered lengthwise
6 spears asparagus, trimmed
10 cherry tomatoes
1 red bell pepper, quartered and seeded
1 yellow bell pepper, quartered and seeded

10 white button mushrooms, halved

You can substitute any of the above vegetables with any other vegetable you like.  You are going to take half of your marinade and cover the vegetable with it.  Let sit for about 10 minutes, then grill or George Foreman them. 

¼-cup basil chiffonade (stack leaves, roll in a cigar shape and cut crosswise into thin strips)
¼- cup coarsely chopped flat-leaf parsley

Toss these herbs into the couscous and place into large bowl.  Stack grilled vegetable on top of couscous, drizzle a small amount of olive oil over vegetables, along with salt and pepper.  Use the remainder of the marinade to drizzle on top of the complete dish.  This can be served warm or at room temperature.

You can add grilled shrimp, scallops, chicken or tofu to this and make it a manlier dish!