Instructions: HAVE COUSCOUS ON THE SIDE, BY LINDA GASSENHEIMER, Knight Ridder

This quick dinner will keep you in a holiday mood and help you through these busy days.

If you already have cranberries on hand, use a few for this simple, tangy red berry sauce. Its thickened by pureeing the cranberries in a blender or food processor. If you have neither piece of equipment, thicken the sauce with cornstarch instead of pureeing it. Mix 1 teaspoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons cranberry-raspberry juice. Add it to the sauce and bring to a boil. Stir until the sauce thickens. This will take only a minute.

Authentic Moroccan couscous takes about an hour to make. Fortunately, precooked couscous, the kind found in supermarkets, takes only 5 minutes. It makes a great side dish for this easy holiday dinner for two.

Sauteed chicken with red berry sauce
Serves 2

3/4 pound boneless skinless chicken breast 1 teaspoon olive oil
1/4 cup raspberry or sherry wine vinegar 1/2 cup cranberry-raspberry juice
1 tablespoon honey
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1/2 cup fresh cranberries
Salt and freshly ground black pepper

Remove as much fat as possible from chicken breasts. Flatten with a meat mallet or back of a skillet to even thickness. Heat oil in non-stick skillet until smoking. Brown chicken for 1 minute. Turn and brown other side for 1 minute. Remove from pan. Lower heat and add vinegar. Let simmer about 30 seconds, scraping up all of the brown bits while liquid reduces. Add cranberry-raspberry juice, honey and mustard. Thoroughly combine. Add cranberries. Return chicken to pan and gently simmer for 5 minutes. Turn chicken and simmer another 5 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. Remove chicken to individual plates. Pour sauce into blender or food processor and blend a few seconds until smooth. Spoon some sauce over chicken and serve the rest on the side.

Parsley couscous
Serves 2

2/3 cup water
1/2 cup couscous
1 tablespoon raspberry or sherry wine vinegar 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 tablespoons fat-free, low-salt chicken broth 1 teaspoon olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
3/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

Bring water to a boil in a small saucepan. Remove from heat, add couscous and cover. Let sit 5 minutes. Whisk vinegar and mustard together. Whisk in chicken broth and oil. Add salt and pepper to taste. Fluff up couscous with a fork and stir in dressing. Add parsley and mix well. Correct seasoning if needed.

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