Exotic Recipes and a Down-Home Giveaway!

If you haven't been living under a rock, you know that The Great New Pop'rs Thanksgiving Extravaganza is underway over here at Eat Your Veggies! To get started, Click Here. Then, Click Here, Here and, of course, Here and Here, before, at last, Clicking Here, Here and Here!! Remember--you get one entry for each comment. The Giveaway closes at 11:59 p.m. on Thanksgiving Eve. The more you comment, the better your chances of winning!

We've been having So Much Fun this week with the recipes you're all sending in! You get extra entries for E-Mailing Veggie Mom some of your favorite feasts. And by feasts, we don't mean the whole deal...just one recipe will do! Remember, Turkey Day is Just Around the Corner, and all your Bloggy Friends out there could use some assistance.

Quick, like a bunny, please send some Delish Dishes to veggiemom@poprs.com. For each recipe you send, you'll get another Giveaway entry. Five Lucky Giveaway Participants will win a complete box of Pop'rs, that good-for-you seasoning that encourages One and All to Eat Their Veggies! Pop'rs come in 8 Delicious Flavors, and The. Fun. Factor. Can't. Be. Beat.

We're going exotic today, with three great Mediterranean dishes from Vanessa over at The Yellow Brick Road. So, take it away, Vanessa!

Mediteranean Chicken & Couscous Salad (from Eating Light)

1 box (5.8 oz.) garlic and olive-oil flavored couscous

1 can (19 oz.) chickpeas, rinsed

2 purchased roasted-chicken breast halves (about 5 oz. each), removed from the bone and sliced.

4 cups baby spinach

1/2 cup bottled light olive oil & vinegar dressing

2 Kirby (pickling) cucumbers, quartered and sliced

1 jar (6 oz.) roasted red peppers, cut in thin strips

4 oz. feta cheese, crumbled

1/2 cup each, snipped dill and sliced scallions

Prepare couscous according to package directions. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, chickpeas, chicken, spinach, dressing, and half the cucumbers, roasted peppers, feta, dill and scallions. To serve: spoon mixture on serving plates. Sprinkle with remaining ingredients.

Pork & Apples with Sweet Potatoes (from Eating Light)

1 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/4 Tsp. each, salt and freshly ground pepper

1 pork tenderloin (12 oz., see note)

1 Tbsp. oil

4 scallions, thinly sliced, green and white parts separated

2 sweet potatoes (3/4 lb.), peeled and sliced in 3/4-inch chunks

1/2-cup dried cranberries

1 can (14 oz.) fat-free chicken broth

1 red apple, cored and cut in thin wedges

1 Tbsp. Dijon mustard

2 Tbsp. butter

Mix flour, salt and pepper on wax paper. Cut pork crosswise in 12 slices and coat with flour mixture. Heat oil in large, non-stick skillet over medium heat. Add pork and cook 2 to 3 minutes per side until lightly browned and just barely pink in center. Remove to plate. Add white part of scallions, sweet potatoes, cranberries and broth to drippings in skillet. Cover and simmer over medium-low heat, 7 to 9 minutes, until potatoes are just fork-tender. Add apple, cover and simmer until soft. Add mustard and butter; stir to melt. Return pork and any juices on plate to skillet; heat through. Sprinkle with green part of scallions.

Note: Pork tenderloins are often sold packaged in pairs. If you get two, one can be frozen up to three months.

Moroccan Un-Stuffed Peppers (from Eating Light)

8 oz. dried, whole wheat couscous (about 1 1/3 cups)

1 Tbsp. canola oil

1 1/4 lb. lean ground turkey

3 cups frozen bell pepper strips, or 2 medium red or yellow bell peppers, finely diced (about 2 cups)

1 cup shredded carrots

1/2 cup golden raisins

2 Tsp. ground cumin

1 Tsp. each onion powder and ground cinnamon

3/4 Tsp. salt

1 1/2 cups chicken broth

2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour

1/3 cup slivered almonds

Cook couscous according to package directions and set aside. Heat oil in large non-stick skillet or Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Add turkey, peppers, carrots, raisins, cumin, onion powder, cinnamon and salt and cook, breaking up chunks of turkey until vegetables are tender, and turkey is no longer pink, about 5 to 7 minutes. Whisk broth and flour in a small bowl. Add to turkey mixture and stir until liquid thickens, about 2 minutes. Serve in individual bowls over couscous and top with slivered almonds.