Many people are not familiar with cous cous and although it’s not really new…. it is to me in the last year or so. Having grown up in a Filipino household, rice was a staple with every meal, we’re talking rice for breakfast, lunch & dinner. Since leaving the nest, I’ve had to cook for myself and have discovered so many different foods such as cous cous. What is cous cous some may ask? Let’s ask Wikipedia! (Love Wiki)

Couscous or kuskus as it is known in Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya and Egypt (pronounced /?k?sk?s/ or /?ku?sku?s/ in the United Kingdom and only the latter in the United States; Arabic: ?????, Berber Seksu, called maftoul in Lebanon and Palestine and Hebrew: ??????? in Hebrew) is a dish consisting of spherical granules made by rolling and shaping moistened semolina wheat (sweet corn in Brazil) and then coating them with finely ground wheat flour. The finished granules are about one millimetre in diameter before cooking. The Levantine variant, popular also in Israel, is about twice the diameter and made of hard wheat instead of semolina.^[2] Traditional couscous requires considerable preparation time and is usually steamed. In many places, a more-processed, quick-cook couscous is available and is particularly valued for its short preparation time.

The dish is a primary staple throughout the Maghreb;^[3] in much of Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia and Libya it is also known as ?a`aam ????, “food”.^{[citation needed]} It is also popular in the West African Sahel, in France, Spain, Madeira, in western Sicily’s Province of Trapani, as well as in Greece, Cyprus and parts of the Middle East. It is particularly popular among Jews of North African descent such as the Berber Jews,^[4] and is eaten in many other parts of the world as well.

Couscous is traditionally served under a meat or vegetable stew. It can also be eaten alone, flavoured or plain, warm or cold, as a dessert or a side dish.

Yes, cous cous is a carbohydrate but because it is made from wheat, it breaks down slower than rice or white bread and is on the lower end of the glycemic index. The great thing about cous cous is that you can season and add things to it such as chicken broth, pine nuts, dried cranberries, lemon zest and even veggies like spinach. Easy to prepare cous cous can be found in your local grocery stores and can be microwaved and ready in under 10 minutes! Cous cous is the new rice for me cause now I no longer eat as much white rice as I did growing up. This is the healthier alternative for me which is not much of a sacrifice cause it not only tastes good but is also better for you. Cous cous…. it’s the good carb!

What are your favourite alternatives to ‘not so healthy’ foods? I use a lot of olive oil in dishes that call for butter. Instead of adding butter to the rice or cous cous, I usually substiture olive oil instead.

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