I really wanted to eat Mediterranean flavors today and was going to be a vegan recipe, but then I really wanted some sardines with lemon included and I whip this! It is a mixture of couscous with some fresh and crunchy veggies making it a delicious salad and broiled sardines with lemon and some Greek Tzatziki cucumber dressing. Some of these items I had on hand already made and others I did myself, but I will give an option for the vegan style too. The dressing I had done it myself last week and the artichokes hearts marinated in olive oil and the organic sardines in water, I had bought. You can substitute, which I recommend, the sardines for fresh sardines from your local fish and seafood shop. Remember sardines have all the Omegas you need like salmon at a low price and is so good for your hair and skin. I really love this recipe and you can eat it as I made it, which I really loved or you can make some small substitutions, the amounts I make were enough for 2, feel free to double the amounts. There a only good fats here and all goodness!
Ingredients: 1 (14.5 oz) can of low-sodium organic vegetable broth 1 cup uncooked couscous (can substitute quinoa ) 1 mashed garlic 1 tablespoon olive oil 1/2 cup diced tomatoes 2 cups water 1 (6 oz) jar of marinated organic artichoke hearts 1 cup fresh organic spinach leaves, washed well and chopped 2 tablespoons green olives sliced (you can substitute for kalamata or black olives if you prefer) 1/4 cup of yellow,orange and red ombre peppers slices 1 lemon to drizzle the sardines 12 small fresh clean sardines or 1 or 2 organic NON-GMO sardines in water a little flour to dust the sardines before broiled them
Tzatziki cucumber sauce (you can make your own or buy it ready ) Optional: feta cheese, cucumbers, cracked black pepper, chickpeas *To make this recipe vegetarian, just exclude the sardines and add feta cheese and cucumbers and chickpeas. **For the vegan version just omit the cheese!
Method: In a medium pot, heat the olive oil and saute the smashed garlic over a medium heat for a couple mins, then add the vegetable broth and bring to a boil. Stir in couscous and cover. Remove from heat immediately and let sit for 7 minutes. Once broth is absorbed, fluff and set aside. (Check package instructions for any variance in cook time/method)
While the couscous is cooking, diced the tomato and shredded the spinach. In a large bowl, add in couscous and the sliced peppers, diced tomatoes, olives and the marinated artichoke hearts (do not drain!), Add spinach. At this point, you can add cucumber to if you want and the chickpeas for your protein if you are substituting the sardines for a vegan or vegetarian salad. The heat of the couscous will wilt a little the spinach but not much and the rest of the ingredients will be crunchy and fresh except for the marinated artichokes, is a beautiful blend of warm and fresh and crunchy & soft, it taste beautiful! Garnish with crumbled feta cheese if you desired. I didn't want the cheese, I just drizzle it with the Tzatziki sauce. To make the sardines: If you got them fresh and already clean from the fish shop, drizzle olive oil, lemon, and garlic with salt and pepper and let them marinate for at least 30 mins. If they are from the can, omit the marinade...You can buy them already marinate in olive oil, I got mine just with water. Your choice. Now remove the sardines from the marinade and preheat the broiler. Lay the sardines out in a single layer in a baking dish. Sprinkle them with a little flour. Place them under the broiler and broil for 2-3 minutes or until cooked through. squeeze some fresh lemon on them and serve with the couscous salad. 6 small sardines per person.
For the Tzatziki dresing:
Either you can buy a good one in the supermarket in the organic section or you can make your own. I had mine done from some days ago, so I just pull it out. I had always in hand a couple homemade dressings for my veggies and fresh pico de gallo. And this is the recipe.
3 cups Greek yogurt
3 tablespoons lemon juice (or juice of one lemon)
1 garlic clove, minced
1 large English cucumber, diced (the long, skinny ones)
1 tablespoon salt (for salting cucumbers)
1 tablespoon fresh dill (or both, depending on preference) or 1 tablespoon of fresh mint, chopped (or both, depending on preference) salt & freshly ground black pepper
Directions Peel cucumbers and dice. Put them in a colander and sprinkle with the tablespoon of salt (draws water out). Cover with a plate and sit something heavy on top. Let sit for 30 minutes Drain well and wipe dry with a paper towel. In food processor or blender, add cucumbers, garlic, lemon juice, dill and/or mint, and a few grinds of black pepper. Process until well blended, then stir into yogurt. Taste before adding any extra salt, then salt if needed. Place in refrigerator for at least two hours before serving so flavors can blend. This will keep for a few days in the refrigerator, but you will need to drain off any water and stir each time you use it. The homemade version is a little more watery that the bought version unless you can get your hands on a good thicker plain Greek yogurt. But the taste is just the same. Enjoy it!
