Cook - Mediterranean Wraps and Brussels Sprouts

Last night we went a little Mediterranean with Mediterranean Wraps (from Eating Well) and Mediterranean Brussels Sprouts (of my own creation).

Mediterranean Wrap
From EatingWell: May/June 2010 (Picture is theirs)

This wrap is stuffed with chicken tenders and couscous with a hit of lemon and a healthy dose of fresh herbs. Save any leftovers to wrap up for an easy lunch. Serve with: Mixed green salad and a glass of crisp white wine.

4 servings (we got two dinners and probably 2 lunches from this)| Active Time: 40 minutes | Total Time: 40 minutes

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup water
• 1/3 cup couscous, preferably whole-wheat
• 1 cup chopped fresh parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped fresh mint
• 1/4 cup lemon juice
• 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
• 2 teaspoons minced garlic
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, divided
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
• 1 pound chicken tenders (we used chicken breasts that we cut into "tenders")
  
• 1 medium tomato, chopped
• 1 cup chopped cucumber
• 4 10-inch spinach or sun-dried tomato wraps or tortillas (we used whole wheat pitas)
  

Preparation

1. Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Stir in couscous and remove from the heat. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork. Set aside.
2. Meanwhile, combine parsley, mint, lemon juice, oil, garlic, 1/8 teaspoon salt and pepper in a small bowl.
3. Toss chicken tenders in a medium bowl with 1 tablespoon of the parsley mixture and the remaining 1/8 teaspoon salt. Place the tenders in a large nonstick skillet and cook over medium heat until cooked though, 3 to 5 minutes per side. Transfer to a clean cutting board. Cut into bite-size pieces when cool enough to handle.
4. Stir the remaining parsley mixture into the couscous along with tomato and cucumber.
5. To assemble wraps, spread about 3/4 cup of the couscous mixture onto each wrap. Divide the chicken among the wraps. Roll the wraps up like a burrito, tucking in the sides to hold the ingredients in. Serve cut in half. (We just mixed the chicken right into the couscous-parsley mixture)

Nutrition -Per serving : 479 Calories; 17 g Fat; 3 g Sat; 11 g Mono; 67 mg Cholesterol; 49 g Carbohydrates; 34 g Protein; 5 g Fiber; 653 mg Sodium; 382 mg Potassium

I know that brussels sprouts aren't really a Mediterranean staple but we were very excited to see them at Reading Terminal this week and they were so tiny and delicious looking I decided to try.

Mediterranean Brussels Sprouts

I made this up so I have no info regarding nutrition etc. We got sides for us for dinner last night plus a lunch out of it. It takes about 10 minutes to make. I love the way the sprouts turned out, more salad-y than whole but much less work than shredding. All measurements are approximate.

1 lb Brussels sprouts (as small as you can find), cleaned, cut into quarters
water
3/4 c chopped fresh parsley
1/4 c chopped fresh mint
1/4 c lemon juice
2 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, chopped
1/3 c crumbled feta
1/2 c kalamata olives, chopped
sea salt to taste

1) Put quartered Brussels sprouts in a microwave-safe bowl with enough water to cover half of them. Cover and microwave on high 5 minutes. Drain and rinse with cold water. Toss with rest of ingredients.
2) Ta-da!