Health Benefits of Couscous

What is Couscous and what are the benefits of eating Couscous.

Couscous is a side-dish staple in North African cuisines. It's basically tiny balls of pasta made from a kind of flour called semolina.In North America, the couscous you’ll find at the grocery store is pre-cooked and dried, so it’s quick to prepare.

Couscous has a neutral flavor similar to other foods made of wheat like bread. According to webmed.com Couscous has a lot nutritional benefits to the body.

Couscous is a side-dish staple in North African cuisines. It's basically tiny balls of pasta made from a kind of flour called semolina.

In North America, the couscous you’ll find at the grocery store is pre-cooked and dried, so it’s quick to prepare. Couscous has a neutral flavor similar to other foods made of wheat like bread.

You can buy refined or whole-wheat couscous, as well as varieties made with other grains like pearl couscous, is larger than the more common type and takes longer to cook. Couscous is sometimes sold in pre-seasoned and instant packages, but they’re often not whole wheat.

Nutritional Fact.

A 1/4 cup serving of uncooked, refined couscous has about:

150 calories

30 grams of carbohydrates

5 grams of protein

2 grams of fiber

0 grams of fat

20 milligrams of calcium

1 milligram of iron

A 1/4 cup serving of uncooked whole-wheat couscous has about:

160 calories

31 grams of carbohydrates

6 grams of protein

3 grams of fiber

1 gram of fat

20 milligrams of calcium

2 milligrams of iron. 

Here:

We bring to you  variety of couscous recipes to choose from the one that suits you. Preparation is easy and very simple, more even simpler than cooking instant noodle.

There are Three delicious  Couscous Recipes you can try.

1. Moroccan Couscous with Spicy Dried Fruit and Nut Tagine:

Ingredients:

For the Couscous:

- 1 1/2 cups couscous

- 1 1/2 cups vegetable broth

- 1 tsp. ground cumin

- 1 tsp. ground coriander

- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp. smoked paprika

- 1/2 tsp. cayenne pepper

- 1/4 cup chopped parsley

For the Tagine:

- 1 tbsp. olive oil

- 1 onion, chopped

- 4 cloves garlic, minced

- 1/2 tsp. ground ginger

- 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon

- 1/2 tsp. ground cumin

- 1/4 tsp. cayenne pepper

- 1/2 cup chopped dried apricots

- 1/2 cup chopped dates

- 1/2 cup chopped prunes

- 1/2 cup chopped pecans

- Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. In a large bowl, mix together couscous, vegetable broth, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, smoked paprika, cayenne pepper, and parsley. Cover and let sit for 10 minutes.

2. Heat olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic and cook until onion is tender, about 5 minutes.

3. Add ginger, cinnamon, cumin, and cayenne pepper and cook for 1 minute.

4. Add dried fruit and nuts and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper and cook for 2-3 minutes.

5. Fluff the couscous with a fork and serve with the tagine on top.

2. Lemon Rosemary Grilled Chicken and Couscous Salad:

Ingredients:

For the Chicken:

- 4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts

- 2 tbsp. olive oil

- Juice of 1 lemon

- 1 tbsp. chopped rosemary

- Salt and pepper to taste

For the Salad:

- 1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

- 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth

- Juice of 1 lemon

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro

- 1/4 cup chopped scallions

- Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. For the chicken: Whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, chopped rosemary, salt, and pepper in a large bowl. Add chicken breasts and toss to coat. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour.

2. Preheat grill to medium-high heat.

3. Grill chicken for 6-8 minutes per side, or until cooked through.

4. For the salad: Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until couscous is cooked.

5. In a large bowl, whisk together lemon juice, parsley, mint, cilantro, scallions, salt, and pepper. Add cooked couscous and toss to combine.

6. Serve grilled chicken over couscous salad.

3. Mediterranean Couscous Salad with Feta and Tomato

Ingredients:

- 1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

- 2 1/4 cups vegetable broth

- 1/2 cup crumbled feta cheese

- 1/2 cup diced tomato

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh parsley

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh mint

- 1/4 cup chopped fresh basil

- 1/4 cup chopped kalamata olives

- 1/4 cup chopped red onion

- 3 tbsp. olive oil

- 3 tbsp. lemon juice

- Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions:

1. Bring vegetable broth to a boil in a medium saucepan. Add couscous and stir to combine. Reduce heat to low, cover, and simmer for 10-12 minutes, or until couscous is cooked.

2. In a large bowl, whisk together olive oil, lemon juice, salt, and pepper. Add cooked couscous and toss to combine.

3. Add feta cheese, tomato, parsley, mint, basil, kalamata olives, and red onion and toss to combine.

4. Chill in the refrigerator for at least 1 hour before serving.

Enjoy your Couscous.

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