MEDITERRANEAN CHICKEN AND COUSCOUS

• 1 cup reduced-sodium chicken broth
• 1 1/4 cups uncooked couscous
• 1 large sweet red pepper cut into 1 inch pieces (I cut strips)
• 1/2 cup sliced green onions (approximately 2 large)
• 1 /2 tsp garlic powder
• 12 oz cooked chicken breast, cut into 1 inch pieces
• ½ cup red wine vinegar
• 1 1/2 tsp dried basil or oregano

Bring broth to a boil in a small saucepan. Add the couscous. Cover and remove from the heat. Let stand 5 minutes.

While couscous cooks, combine red pepper and green onions in a bow. Cover loosely with plastic wrap and microwave on High for 4 minutes until vegetables are crisp-tender. Drain and sprinkle with garlic powder.

Fluff couscous with a fork. Add couscous, chicken, vinegar and basil to the cooked vegetables. Toss well. Cover with the plastic wrap and microwave on High for 1 - 2 minutes or until heated. Toss again and serve immediately.

5 servings, 5 POINTS each

The vinegar sounds strange, but it gives a nice Middle Eastern tang to the dish. Otherwise it would be pretty bland.

If you aren't familiar with couscous, it's a tiny pasta from the Middle East that cooks up very quickly like instant rice. Be sure to add enough liquid to cause it to swell up to its full size.