Yummy Couscous with Chicken

I've been trying to eat healthier and come up with alternatives to white rice, pasta and potatoes as my traditional staples in dinner. I made these recipes found at allrecipes.com, and after some adjustments to meet my family's tastes, I have a new favorite, easy dinner recipe. Seriously, the chicken smelled and tasted so delicious I could not believe it! Sure, it was sauteed in butter and EVOO, so not the healthiest option in the world, but SO worth it! I ate my chicken (after sampling several bites to make sure it tasted okay) mixed in with the couscous salad. Yummy!!

Black Bean and Couscous Salad

• 1 cup uncooked couscous  (I used the tricolor couscous, and loved the color!)
• 1 1/4 cups chicken broth
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice
• 1 teaspoon red wine vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 8 green onions, chopped  (oops, left these out. totally forgot about them.)
• 1 red bell pepper, seeded and chopped   (used a green bell)
• 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro  (mine was unusable, but I had some dried that I used)
• 1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed   (used a can)
• 2 (15 ounce) cans black beans, drained  (only used one can)
• salt and pepper to taste
• **not in the original recipe, but I added diced tomatoes, and other readers suggested adding cucumbers and olives

Directions

1. Bring chicken broth to a boil in a 2 quart or larger sauce pan and stir in the couscous. Cover the pot and remove from heat. Let stand for 5 minutes. (one comment warns about not letting it get too mushy by overcooking, so I took the lid off after 4 1/2 minutes and fluffed it then--just right)
2. In a large bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime juice, vinegar and cumin. Add green onions, red pepper, cilantro, corn and beans and toss to coat.
3. Fluff the couscous well, breaking up any chunks. Add to the bowl with the vegetables and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste and serve at once or refrigerate until ready to serve.  

Spicy Garlic Lime Chicken

Ingredients

• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper   (I left this out in an attempt to get my children to eat)
• 1/8 teaspoon paprika
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1/8 teaspoon onion powder
• 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme   (left out)
• 1/4 teaspoon dried parsley
• 4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves
•  
• 2 tablespoons butter
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 2 teaspoons garlic powder (left this out because I didn't want it to be "too garlicy" for the kids)
• 3 tablespoons lime juice

Directions

1. In a small bowl, mix together salt, black pepper, cayenne, paprika, 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, onion powder, thyme and parsley. Sprinkle spice mixture generously on both sides of chicken breasts.
2. Heat butter and olive oil in a large heavy skillet over medium heat. Saute chicken until golden brown, about 6 minutes on each side. Sprinkle with 2 teaspoons garlic powder and lime juice. Cook 5 minutes, stirring frequently to coat evenly with sauce.