Couscous: Try it, you'll like it

If you’re one of the seven people in this country who pay attention to the government’s food pyramid, you know they advocate eating at least 3 ounces of whole grains per day. Besides being good for you, they’re just really delicious.

Prior to joining Weight Watchers, I never really paid any attention to whole grains. We always ate white rice or white pasta. Period. Then I got turned on to couscous. How did I ever live without this fabulous little food item?

Couscous is actually a form of pasta, but you can find it with the rice in the grocery store. It looks like tiny pellets when it’s dry and it cooks in about five minutes. It can be eaten either hot or cold and in both savory or sweet applications. It’s a perfect food, really. And just because Mr. Jelly Belly won’t eat it, doesn’t mean YOU won’t enjoy it.

I normally use it as a replacement for rice and, because it can be a little bland by itself, I cook it in chicken broth instead of water. I also love it cold, mixed with vanilla yogurt and strawberries (but not cooked in chicken broth). It’s fantastic and filling.

Just so you know I’m not lying about how easy it is to prepare, here are the basic cooking directions:

Use equal parts water and couscous. Bring water to a boil in saucepan. Add couscous and stir. Cover and remove from heat. Let stand five minutes. Fluff with fork.

See? Easy.

I have a lot of couscous recipes on my Wiki as well as a ton of ideas for “non-recipe” uses. Be sure to check them out. I really do think you’ll love it.