Chile-Spiced Red Snapper and Couscous Stew

1 serving cooking spray (5 one-second sprays per serving)
1 small onions, chopped
1/4 cup sweet red peppers, chopped
1 average jalapeno peppers, red, or other hot chile, cored, seeded and minced (do not touch seeds with bare hands)
1 pound snapper fillets, or cod fillet, skinned, cut into bite-size pieces
2 medium tomatoes, cored and chopped
1/4 tsp dried thyme, crushed
1/2 tsp table salt
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 cup fat-free chicken broth
1/2 cup cooked couscous, pearl-variety
1 Tbsp chives, fresh, minced
1 tsp fresh lemon juice

Directions
Coat a medium nonstick pot with cooking spray. Add onion, red pepper and chile; sauté, stirring frequently, for 3 minutes. Add fish and cook 1 minute.

Add tomatoes, thyme, salt, pepper and broth. Simmer until fish is cooked through, about 5 minutes.

Stir in couscous, chives and lemon juice; heat through. Yields about 1 1/4 cup per serving.

Freezing and thawing instructions: Prepare stew recipe and place cooled product in a freezer-safe container, cover tightly and freeze. When ready to eat, thaw in the refrigerator and then reheat in covered saucepan over medium heat, about 5 minutes, or in microwave on medium power until hot. Or, remove frozen stew from container and place in a saucepan. Cover and heat over medium heat, breaking up stew with a spoon as it softens, about 15 minutes.

Barley Mushroom Salad

1/2 cup uncooked barley
2 cup water
1/2 pound mushrooms, white, sliced
15 1/2 oz canned yellow corn
4 medium scallions, sliced
2 1/2 tsp lemon zest, finely grated (zested)
2 1/2 Tbsp fresh lemon juice
2 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
1 tsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp table salt
1/2 tsp black pepper

Recipe Directions
In a medium pan, bring barley and water to a boil. Cover, reduce heat to simmer and cook until tender, about 20 minutes; drain and rinse. Combine barley with remaining ingredients.

Makes about 6 cups

Lentils and Brown Rice

6 3/4 oz dry lentils, about 1 cup, rinsed
1/2 cup uncooked brown rice
2 cup carrots, shredded
3 cup water
1 packet onion soup mix, reduced-sodium preferred
1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp olive oil

Directions
Rinse lentils. Place all ingredients in a large pot. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat, cover and cook until rice is done, about 20 minutes. Makes 4 cups.