Quick and Easy Homemade Couscous Recipes

Summer is arriving soon; and so will the need to get out of the hot kitchen. On a hot summer day no one wants to be in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove with every heat generating appliance in the house running. In times like these it is very easy to buy a bag of salad in the produce department of your local grocery store for the block party. Some people want to impress their neighbors and make a boring potato salad or macaroni salad that four other neighbors have also made.

Summer is also a time for grilling. There are so many wonderful things that you can grill. You can spice up some steaks or chicken or throw on some burgers and hotdogs. You can grill corn right in the husks, stuffed red peppers, red onions, and even make vegetable packets using aluminum. You can grill up salmon steaks, hams, and kabobs. With all that wonderful food you might be asking, "What more does a summer BBQ need?" A summer BBQ is in need of side dishes.

No one wants an array of eighteen macaroni salads, twelve potato salads, and five Jell-o salads. BBQ party goers don't want chips still inside their foil bags and dips from a can or jar.

On the other hand, no one wants to spend the beautiful summer day in the kitchen cooking something creative and fabulous either. This is where I introduce you to couscous.

Couscous is a dietary staple in North Africa and the national dish of Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia. Couscous originated here and then spread to Libya, Mauritania, Egypt, and to sub-Saharan countries. Couscous is also consumed in the Middle East, where it is called mughrabiyya.

It is a very healthy food made from wheat, barley or corn and has a nice long shelf life. Although, once you discover the wonderful variety of delicious recipes you can make with couscous, I don't think you will be too concerned with its shelf life.

Couscous can be mixed with just about anything. You can mix with some greens to make a salad, or mix with different meats for a main dish. It is also very delicious with a little bit of butter and fruit. I could go on like Bubba from Forrest Gump listing all the ways to prepare couscous.