Chicken kebabs Over fruited couscous

A bright range of seasonings, including soy sauce, fruit preserves, hot-pepper sauce, garlic and ginger, makes spicy grilled chicken a nice balance for fruited couscous in this appealing kebab recipe.

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It's among 250 dishes detailed in "Family Circle Eat What You Love & Lose" (Regan Books, 2003, $19.95) by magazine food director Peggy Katalinich. The cookbook features what is billed as "quick and easy diet recipes from our test kitchen."

What gives the recipes conviction is that they were developed to help the test-kitchen team lose weight, as a permanent plan for healthy eating. The plan worked — and here's the book with the recipes.

Chicken Kebabs Over Fruited Couscous

(Preparation 20 minutes, refrigerate 2 hours, cook 6 minutes, stand 10 minutes, grill or broil 8 to 12 minutes)

For the Marinade:

1 tablespoon dark Asian sesame oil

1/2 cup rice wine or dry sherry

1/3 cup reduced-sodium soy sauce

3 tablespoons apricot preserves

1 teaspoon liquid hot-pepper sauce

2 cloves garlic, chopped

1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger

2 scallions, finely chopped

1 tablespoon sesame seeds, toasted

1/2 teaspoon Chinese five-spice powder (optional)

For the Chicken:

6 boneless, skinless chicken breast halve (about 1‡ pounds total), cut into 1-inch squares

1 sweet red pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares

1 sweet yellow or green pepper, cored, seeded and cut into 1-inch squares

For Fruited Couscous:

1 medium-size onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 rib celery, finely chopped

6 dried apricots, cut in º-inch dice

1/2 cup dried cherries or dark seedless raisins

10-ounce package couscous

14 1/2-ounce reduced-sodium, fat-free chicken broth

1/4 cup water

1/2 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

To make Marinade: Whisk together oil, rice wine, soy, preserves, hot sauce, garlic, ginger, scallions, 1/2 tablespoon of the sesame seeds, and, if using, five-spice powder, in medium-size bowl.

Add chicken and sweet peppers to marinade. Cover; refrigerate 2 hours or overnight.

Prepare outdoor grill with hot coals, or heat gas grill to hot, or heat oven broiler.

To make Fruited Couscous: Coat large nonstick skillet with cooking spray. Place over medium-high heat. Add onion, garlic and celery; cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, about 4 minutes. Add apricots and cherries; cook 1 minute or until vegetables are light-golden. Stir in couscous; cook 1 minute. Add broth, 1/4 cup water, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Immediately remove skillet from heat. Cover and let stand 10 minutes.

Thread chicken on 6 metal skewers, alternating with peppers.

Grill kebabs, turning once, until chicken is cooked through, about 8 minutes.

Arrange couscous and kebabs on plates. Sprinkle top with remaining sesame seeds.

Makes 8 servings.

Nutrition information per serving: 305 cal., 3 g fat (1 g saturated), 24 g pro., 41 g carbo., 4 g fiber, 387 mg sodium, 47 mg chol.