Greek Couscous Salad from Our Best Bites

2 cups chicken broth
1/2 tsp oregano
1 tsp basil
1 1/2 cups whole wheat couscous
2 cups diced tomatoes
1 medium cucumber, seeded and diced
1/2 cup diced red onion
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and halved
1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese
1/2 cup chopped fresh Italian parsley

Vinaigrette:

1/2 cup evoo
1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
1 tsp lemon zest
1 tbsp red wine vinegar
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
1/2 tsp kosher salt
1/4 tsp black pepper

1.  Place broth, oregano, and basil in a small pot on the stove top.  Bring to a boil.  Add the couscous, cover the pot, and remove from heat.  Let sit for at least 5 minutes and then fluff with a fork.  Cool.

2.  Combine cooled couscous, tomatoes, cucumber, onion, olives, feta, and parsley.  Set aside.

3.  In a small jar, combine vinaigrette ingredients and shake until combined.  Pour over salad, stir, and then refrigerate 2 hours before serving.  Season with additional salt and pepper to taste.

4.  If desisred, garnish with fresh parsley, extra feta cheese, and lemon slices for squeezing on top.

NOTES:

The recipe called for plain couscous; I used whole wheat.  I didn't have any fresh parsley, so I put in about 1 1/2 T dried into the boiling liquid.  I didn't have any feta, so I used a smaller amount of blue cheese (I liked it a lot, but I'm sure the feta is good, too).  I was in a hurry, so I used 1/2 tsp granulated garlic and thought the dressing turned out just fine.  But generally fresh is best.  I didn't add any more salt and pepper before serving.

Sweet Spinach Salad

Spinach
Granny Smith apple - sliced thinly
Craisins - handful
Almonds (sliced or slivered) - toasted
Bacon - chopped
Cheese (swiss or whatever sounds good) - grated or chopped
Red onion - 1/2 medium, sliced into thin half-moons
Poppy Seed Dressing

Poppy Seed Dressing:
1/3 c white sugar
1/2 c distilled white vinegar
1 tsp dry ground mustard
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp poppy seeds
1/2 c canola oil

Mix sugar, vinegar, mustard, salt, and poppy seeds in a blender. (I use a mason jar and immersion blender.) With the blender running, slowly drizzle in the oil to emulsify.

Note: The actual dressing recipe calls for 1 tsp grated onion. I left it out because I had onions in the salad. But if you don't want chunks of onion in the salad, I recommend you put it in the dressing for a little kick.

Refrigerator Bran Muffins

1 1/2 C sugar
1/2 C oil
2 1/2 C flour
2 1/2 tsp soda
1/2 tsp salt
2 C buttermilk
2 C 100% All-Bran cereal
1 C bran buds
1 c boiling water
2 eggs, beaten

Pour boiling water over All-Bran, then add buds and mix all ingredients.  Cover and refrigerate until baking.  Fill muffin cups 2/3 full.  Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.  Batter keeps 6 weeks in fridge.  Freezes well.