Couscous with Pan Seared Chicken

Hello!

Well, my blogging break lasted a lot longer than I expected. Here is what I have been up to over the past few months. In June, I had surgery on my leg that involved the breaking and realignment of some of my bones. I was non-weight bearing for six weeks after that and then I was put into an air cast boot. Today I got permission to start weaning off my boot, but the past few months have been really difficult for me mobility wise. I was not able to get into the kitchen with my crutches, and even the past couple weeks that I haven't needed crutches, I still needed to be off my feet when it was not necessary.

To complicate things, I moved into an apartment a couple weeks ago and started nursing school. All of this resulted in an "overuse injury" of my leg, so standing up to cook was out of the question. Nursing school is also a lot of work, so trying to figure out my schedule with that has been a little difficult.

With all that aside, I hope to get back into the blogging groove now! This first recipe reminds me a lot of my Brown Rice with Chicken and Broccoli  and my Turkey Picadillo. The mix of flavors may seem a bit strange, but trust me, they work.

Couscous with Pan Seared Chicken
Adapted from Kitchen Daily

Makes 6 servings, serving size 1/6th

Ingredients:

1 lb chicken breast, cut into pieces

Juice of 1/2 lemon

Salt and pepper to taste
1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon minced garlic
2 tablespoons chopped onion
3/4 cup water
Salt to taste
3/4 cup plain couscous
3/4 cup garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
1/3 cup grape tomatoes, chopped
6 tablespoons feta cheese
2 tablespoons capers
2 tablespoons almonds
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Juice of 1/2 lemon

Instructions:
1. Season chicken with salt, pepper and lemon juice and set aside.

2. In a small skillet, heat olive oil and add garlic and onion; saute until soft and set aside.

3. In a medium saucepan, add water and salt and heat to a boil; when the water is boiling, stir in the couscous; remove from the heat and let it sit for 10 minutes; fluff with a fork.

4. Meanwhile, add remaining olive oil to pan; when very hot, carefully add chicken and cook until the chicken is no longer pink.

5. In a large bowl, combine all of the ingredients (couscous, cooked chicken, onion, garlic, beans, tomatoes, feta, capers, almonds and parsley); stir to combine.

Nutritional Information
Calories: 278
Fat: 9
Carbohydrates: 26
Fiber: 4
Protein: 24
Sodium: 333 (without added salt)
Points+: 7