"Herbed Lamb Chops with Greek Couscous Salad" is in a book I've had for a couple of years . I gave a talk and did a cooking demonstration for an employee wellness programs a while ago and the organizers asked me for ideas for a giveaway for the employees. I was looking for something that would help motivate everyone but more importantly I wanted something that would be useful and not just sit on a shelf somewhere. "The Eating Well Healthy in a Hurry: 150 delicious recipes for simple, everyday suppers in 45 minutes or less" is compiled by one of my favorite cooking magazines, "Eating Well". Healthy, delicious and simple all in 45 minutes or less - that's a lot to promise! But, knowing the magazine, I figured they'd be right on target and they are with this book. Most of the recipes are really easy and things you could easily pull together after a long day at the office or hectic day running kids around. The recipes all incorporate lots of vegetables, healthy grains and are pretty low in fat. The use of fresh herbs, lemon juice and olive oil add flavor so you don't miss the fat. The nutritional analysis is next to every recipe which is a nice feature and one I'd expect with a book like this.
I actually have made a few things from this book but as with other books I have my one or two favorites and never tried anything else. For this blog post I decided to try the recipe for Lamb Chops. My husband and I both like lamb but I shy away from preparing it at home. I thought this recipe looked really easy and the Greek flavored couscous sounded fresh and spring like. After this long dreary winter I was in the mood for something light and fresh - not that I've ever thought of lamb as light, but this really sounded like it would be - and it was!
So the Lamb was really easy to make. Here's an adaptation of the recipe:
In a small bowl, combine 1 Tbsp. minced garlic, 1 Tbsp chopped parsley and a little salt. (I typically don't use much salt, but it does help bring out the flavors of the meat so you need just a little) Rub 8 lamb chops with the garlic mixture on both sides. I let them sit that way for about a half hour to get the flavors into the meat - the recipe doesn't tell you to do that but I thought marinating for a little while would only help bring out the flavors)
Heat 2 teaspoons of Extra-virgin Olive Oil in a large skillet over medium high heat. Add the lamb chops and cook for about 5 - 6 minutes per side. Keep warm while you prepare the salad.
For the salad: Bring 1 cup of water to boil in a small saucepan. Add 1/2 cup whole wheat couscous and simmer over low heat, covered for 2 minutes. (you could certainly use regular couscous if you can't find whole wheat but you'll miss out on a little fiber and flavor) Remove from the heat and let stand, covered for 5 minutes; fluff with a fork.
Place couscous in a bowl and add 2 chopped tomatoes, 1 peeled and chopped cucumber 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese, 3 Tbsp. lemon juice and 2 Tbsp. finally chopped fresh dill. (you could use dried dill if you don't have fresh, just decrease the amount to 1 Tbsp.) Stir to combine and then serve on the side of the lamb chops.
The nutritional analysis shows up for all the recipes and this one is really pretty good. For the lamb chops and the salad it's about:
330 calories
14 g fat
6 g saturated fat (about 30% of what you should have in a day - so a little high, but not terrible for dinner)
5 g monounsaturated fat (the good kind)
121 mg of cholesterol
18 g of carbohydrates
36 g protein
3 g of fiber
386 mg of sodium (this will depend on how much salt you add!)
It also has over 40% of your daily requirements for Vitamin C and 17% Iron.
This was a really simple recipe to make - a little chopping of vegetables but I did that while the lamb was marinating. In all, I probably had this dinner ready in less than 30 minutes. Not bad for a nice dinner!
