A few weeks ago, hubby and I decided to do a 15-day detox diet to help get our weight and unhealthy eating habits under control. We were both pleased with the results and are working to incorporate more fruits and veggies into our diets and eat less meat.

I’m not a big breakfast eater but I’ve always been a fan of muffins. Unfortunately, a lot of muffins are less healthy than eating a slice of cake.

When I stumbled across a recipe for low-calorie zucchini (courgette) muffins, I decided to tweak it a bit and this is what I came up with.

If you bake these muffins, I’d love to know what you think! Leave your comments below. 

Tracy

www.happywifey.net

The post Zucchini, Sun-dried Tomato, and Halloumi Cheese Muffin Recipe appeared first on Happy Wifey.

Puy lentils, lentille du Puy, (or French green lentils) come from the Le Puy region of south-central France. These small, green, peppery lentils are often called ‘poor man’s caviar’ in France. I hadn’t really eaten lentils, outside of the occasional curry, before our trip to France a few years ago. But Puy lentils have since become of favourite. They do taste better than regular green lentils and the texture is much better for salads like this one. If you can’t find them at your local grocery, these ones from Amazon are good.

If, like me, you’ve never cooked puy lentils before, don’t be intimidated. Rinse the lentils in a colander until the water runs clear.  You can cook them in stock or water with a bit of salt. Boil them for about 25-30 minutes. They should be slightly al dente. Drain off any excess water and you’re done!

Halloumi (or haloumi) was something completely new for me and I am now in love. This salty cheese is a mixture of sheep and goat milk and comes originally from Cyprus. It can be found in Greece and Middle Eastern cooking as well. The interesting thing about this cheese is that you can fry or grill it and it doesn’t lose its shape.

I have been wanting to experiment with this cheese for some time now, so when I found this recipe for puy lentils with grilled halloumi I had to give it a go.

Here’s the recipe as I cooked it (because you know I had to tweak a bit):

It’s easy and delicious and I will definitely be making this again soon! Have you cooked Puy lentils or Halloumi? Share your comments or recipes below.

Tracy

www.happywifey.net

The post Puy Lentil, Cherry Tomato, and Halloumi Salad appeared first on Happy Wifey.

In some places, pearl couscous is a bit hard to find but check your international and pasta sections. Of course, you can always find it on Amazon. Here are a few options:

• I’m a big fan of Red Mill’s products and they have a variety of pearl couscous options in natural, whole wheat, and tri-color.
• Another good choice is WildRoots Organic Pearl Couscous
• Or if you want to buy in bulk, try Roland Israeli Couscous

You can do so many things with pearl couscous. It’s great in soups. You can cook it a bit like risotto. It also works either hot or cold meaning it’s a great alternative to pasta salad.

I’ve made a couple of variations of this summer salad and I’m in love.  It’s so versatile you can use whatever you have on hand. You can add or switch ingredients as you see fit but here is my starting recipe.

Have fun! If you make it let me know what you put in it.

Tracy

www.happywifey.net

The post Pearl Couscous Salad Recipe appeared first on Happy Wifey.