I thought since I really have not felt like writing lately that I would share one of my favorite culinary delicacies as of late. I'm thinking of making this a regular feature until, me and Kuinileti's online cookbook gets up and goes.

These are my own concoctions, unless otherwise noted. All conform to a low glycemic index way of eating.

Whole Wheat Couscous with Asparagus and Shiitake Mushroom.

Preparation: Total time from "I'm hungry!" to sitting down and eating, about 25 minutes.

� Soak 5 dried shiitake in about 2 cups of water that has been brought to the boil for about 20 minutes.

� Wash and snap one pound of asparagus at it's tender point. [You do this buy holding it firmly at both ends, then bending till it snaps where the fates decide. If you use this method you will always have nice tender portions in your concoctions. Do not discard the tough bottom ends, freeze them for later use in cream of asparagus soup.]

� Slice a garlic clove well ahead of time, this gives the garlic and the air time to react and form the heart pleasing compound alicin.

The ingredients:

� 5 shiitake mushrooms in a rough dice.

� Asparagus cut in 1 inch lengths.

� 1 clove of garlic sliced, as apposed to crushed.

� 1 tsp butter

� 1 tsp extra virgin olive oil

� 1 � tsp chicken bouillon [I prefer bouillon on occasion in concoctions where I'm looking for it to provide depth as well as a nice salty balance.

� 3 tablespoons freshly grated Italian Parmigiana Regiano

� Freshly ground black pepper to taste, I use in the neighborhood of a generous 1/4 tsp.

� 1 � cups water

� 1 cup whole wheat couscous [couscous is a Moroccan grain food, traditionally consisting of cracked bulgur wheat, if I'm not mistaken, which really isn't wheat at all, but a seed from a weedy looking desert plant. I'm not sure what the stuff is that is currently available on the American market, probably a Couscous shaped whole wheat pasta.]

In a heavy 1 � quart saucepan that has been brought to temperature over a medium high flame add the butter and olive oil. When the oils have melted and come to temperature add the asparagus and saute briefly for a couple of minutes, with the garlic pieces added a bit later. Add the Shiitake mushrooms that have been diced and drained of their liquor. Continue to saute briefly. Add the bouillon, Parmesan, black pepper, and water. Turn temperature to high, continuing to stir. Bring to a vigorous boil, remove from heat and add the couscous, stirring only once. Cover and let sit off of the heat for 7 minutes. Fluff with fork and enjoy as a great side dish, with grilled meats or vegetables. I use as an alternative to mashed potatoes as a side dish. While whole wheat is a moderately low glycemic index food, remember if you are trying to follow this method of eating to only eat moderate amounts of it, and don't base your meal around it.