Couscous

Try this with the Moroccan-Style Roast Chicken .

Editor's note: The recipe and introductory text below are from Bikini Bootcamp: Two Weeks to Your Ultimate Beach Body, by Melissa Perlman and Erica Gragg. This tasty curry goes wonderfully on top of couscous and makes for a filling meal.

This vegetarian showstopper will bowl you over with its layers of flavor — one bite is enough to understand why it's often called one of the world's great dishes. Barley couscous, lighter and more aromatic than the well-known semolina version, serves as a nutty, fluffy base; tender-firm vegetables and a fragrant, golden broth are ladled over; and crunchy fried almonds and sweet onion confit add even more texture and flavor to the beguiling complexity.

Israeli couscous, which is larger and chewier than the more common variety, takes the place of arborio rice in this risotto-style dish.

Treat your taste buds to meals that incorporate all six flavors, like this one from Teresa Long, in-house nutritionist at the Chopra Center for Wellbeing.

This one-skillet meal is an instant classic — and a perfect Hanukkah dish.

This riff on traditional pasta salad gets an added layer of flavor from golden pearls of toasted couscous.

Lean, smoked chicken breast gets a special — and healthy — treatment in this creative mix. The couscous absorbs the citrus juices (or use quinoa for extra protein — it has the highest amount of all the grains) for a tartness that plays well off the sweetness of the grapes. The bed of arugula is more than merely dish dressing: It's high in calcium and magnesium, making it a bone builder.

This spicy stew is no garden-variety meal. Healthy eating is easy when Mother Nature cranks out plenty of nutrient-packed produce. Chef Shawn McClain of Chicago's Spring restaurant created a vegetarian dish using a variety of veggies in a tagine, a flavorful Moroccan stew. We can't think of a tastier way to help get your five-a-day.

To round out the meal: 1 cup lowfat pudding

Veggie perfection This nutrient-stuffed dish won't leave you hungry. What do you get when you give bell peppers center stage on your plate? A veggie-heavy meal that even a meat fiend will find too tempting to resist. Here we stuff antioxidant-rich bell peppers with couscous (a tiny, round pasta) and hardworking nutrient powerhouses like zucchini and yellow squash. The result? A meal low in fat, high in fiber, and loaded with vitamins A and C.

Though not quite as tender, lamb shoulder chops have deeper flavor than rib chops and won't break the bank.

Couscous is one of the fastest side dishes to prepare, but this jazzed-up, garlicky rendition shows that it need not be bland. Serve it with the Moroccan-Spiced Chicken Paillards or with grilled Italian sausages.

A little blanching and sautéing is all it takes to tenderize the collard greens for this easy Moroccan-inspired dish.

Julie Fendrich of Denver, Colorado, writes: "My husband and I love going to Brix in Denver's Cherry Creek neighborhood. We are absolutely crazy about the Moroccan chicken. Any chance the restaurant might share the recipe?" Harissa, a spicy sauce from North Africa, adds heat to the marinade and tastes great drizzled over both the chicken and the couscous. The chicken needs to marinate overnight, so plan accordingly.