Couscous with Mint Pesto

By Jess Ziman

Pasta with pesto has always been one of my staple comfort foods but it can get a little repetitive when it’s your go-to meal.

To change it up, I like to substitute couscous for the pasta. Couscous is also a wheat grain but the texture and flavor are very different from pasta. While bland on its own, couscous absorbs flavors much better than pasta.

Couscous is also quicker cooking and requires no draining. You simply pour boiling water over the couscous, bring it to a simmer, turn off the heat and let it sit for 5 minutes.

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It’s Easy Being Green

By Lori Powell

I‘m definitely on a veggie streak these days! I’m a huge fan and have been since I was a kid – a veggie geek from way back. So excuse me if I don’t understand why people are just discovering them now. Part of the reason, of course, is that we are now more aware than ever of how nutritious and life-extending vegetables are…extending our own lives, that is.

I’m not saying that I am off meat. I still have regular hankerings for a good steak or juicy burger! Growing up, my dad preferred his meat lifeless and overcooked, which resulted in a dry piece of jerky (not that I have anything against jerky) that took monumental effort to chew so that you could actually swallow the nuggets (sorry mom, not your fault).

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Tricky Nicky

By Andrew Hunter

Sometimes Marilyn and I sit at the dinner table and watch in amazement as our two boys eat. Or rather while Benny eats and Nicky twists, turns and falls off his chair; pulls a Lego airplane from his pocket to crash into his otherwise untouched green beans; and pokes his brother in the ribs before proclaiming he’s "all full". Without skipping a beat, Benny reaches over and steals Nicky’s potatoes. How can two children come from the same place and be so different?

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