HealthNotes

Couscous with Tomatoes, Basil, and Lentils

Ingredients

• 1 Tbs olive oil

• 3 cloves garlic, minced

• 1 1/2 cups vegetable juice cocktail, (V8 or seasoned tomato juice)

• 1 1/2 cups water

• 1 cup lentils, uncooked, rinsed and drained

• 1 bay leaf, broken in half

• 1/2 tsp salt (sea salt if on a corn-free diet*)

• 1/2 tsp freshly ground pepper

• 1 cup couscous, uncooked

• 1 tomato, chopped

• 1/2 cup fresh basil leaves, chopped

A delicious combination of tastes and textures. Serve as a main dish or side dish.

Directions

• In a medium-sized pot, heat oil until hot and sauté garlic until tender. Stir in vegetable juice, water, lentils, bay leaf, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil and reduce heat to low. Cover and simmer for 30 to 40 minutes, or until lentils are soft but not mushy.
• Remove pot from heat and discard bay leaf. Stir in couscous, tomato and basil. Cover and let stand for 5 minutes or until the couscous is soft. Uncover and fluff with a fork to separate the grains.