Lentil Vegetable Soup

Ingredients:
2 cups lentils, rinsed and drained
1/2 pound sausage, cooked and drained
1/2 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup chopped celery
1/2 cup chopped carrots
3 tablespoons chopped parsley
1 clove garlic, minced
1 1/2 teaspoons salt
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon oregano
8 cups water
1 (16-ounce) can crushed tomatoes
2 tablespoons red wine vinegar

Directions:
Place all ingredients in soup kettle, except tomatoes and vinegar. Cover and simmer for 1 1/2 hours. Add tomatoes and vinegar. Simmer 30 minutes longer.

Time: 2+ hours
Servings: 8?

Source:
Favorites Cookbook

Couscous Chicken Salad

Ingredients:
6 chicken breast halves
4 cups chicken broth
2 cups couscous
1 tomato, chopped
3 green onions, sliced
1 (15-ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
1 red pepper, diced
1/2 cup dried currants (or yellow raisins)
1/4 cup parsley, minced

Dressing:
1/2 cup lemon juice
6 tablespoons olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon cumin
1/4 teaspoon curry powder
1/4 teaspoon Tabasco
1/2 cup pinenuts, toasted

Directions:
Simmer chicken in broth in large skillet until cooked through, about 15 minutes. Remove chicken from broth. Strain broth and return to skillet. Bring to boil and slowly stir in couscous. Mix with fork and remove from heat with cover on. Let stand 15 minutes. Fluff couscous and trasnfer to large bowl. Cut chicken into bite-size pieces. Add to bowl with couscous and mix in tomato, green onions, garbanzo beans, red pepper, currants and parsley. Blend dressing and add to couscous. Toss well. Refrigerate one hour. Sprinkle with toasted pinenuts before serving.

Notes:
I've never used the currants, always the raisins, though I'd like to try them some day. I often serve this without chilling the hour, and it is always FABULOUS! Healthy, tasty, everything good about it. Also, this makes a very large bowl that lasts me for days, so I like to keep the pinenuts separate and add them to individual servings so they stay crisp.

Source:
Favorites Cookbook