Cooking With Herbs

The great thing about cooking with herbs is that they bring ordinarily bland foods to life without adding a lot of extra fat and calories.

Herbs are the subject of what's "Fit to Eat" in the May issue of Martha Stewart Living. And Martha visits The Early Show Wednesday to demonstrate how to make Toasted Couscous Tabbouleh, Mexican Fiesta Soup With Cilantro Pesto and Herb-Sttuffed Chicken.

Eating healthy doesn't have to mean food that tastes like cardboard. In fact, healthy dishes can really explode with flavor when natural herbs are used for seasoning.

The following is Martha's recipe:


Toasted Couscous Tabbouleh
Serves 4

Toasting cousous in the pan before adding water imparts a nuttiness that complements the distinctive flavors of mint and parsley.

Ingredients

1 medium red onion, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch dice
2 cups water, plus more for soaking
8 ounces Israeli couscous
1 1/2 teaspoons coarse salt
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
1/4 cup roughly chopped fresh mint leaves
2 teaspoons extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Lemon wedges, for garnish
Nonstick cooking spray


Preparation


Place red onion in a small bowl, and cover with water. Let soak 30 minutes; transfer to paper towels, and drain.

Lightly coat a medium saucepan with cooking spray, and place over medium heat. Add couscous; cook, stirring constantly, 1 minute. Add the water, and bring to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon salt; cook until all water has been absorbed and couscous is al dente, about 8 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely.

In a large bowl, combine couscous, reserved red onion, parsley, mint, oil, and lemon juice; toss to combine. Season with remaining 1/2 teaspoon of salt. Serve, garnished with lemon wedges.

Per Serving: 253 calories; 3 grams fat, 0 mg cholesterol, 48 grams carbohydrate, 718 mg sodium, 8 grams protein, 4 grams fiber.