Healthy Recipe of the Week: Couscous and Shrimp with Yogurt-Hummus Sauce

Our healthy recipe of the week is Couscous and Shrimp with Yogurt-Hummus Sauce. Couscous is a whole grain food that helps in weight loss. One cup of couscous is only equivalent to 176 calories. However, the good news doesn’t stop there. This grain is also packed with vegetarian protein that helps in maintaining healthy skin, strong muscles and body organs. Couscous also provides substantial amount of dietary fibre that is essential in digestion and weight loss.

When it comes to vitamins and minerals, couscous is a good source of B vitamins, particularly niacin, riboflavin, thiamine, folate, B6 and pantothenic acid – all these are vital in metabolizing energy, maintaining healthy red blood cells, and in preventing birth defects. For individuals who are trying to regulate their metabolism and blood glucose levels, this grain provides 61 per cent of the daily recommended intake of selenium, which is essential in reproductive health, protein synthesis and thyroid hormone metabolism. The best part is that couscous can be cooked or prepared as a snack, dessert or a meal.

Ingredients for this healthy recipe:

• 1 Cup of whole wheat couscous
• ¼ cup of dried apricots or golden raisins (chopped)
• 2 tbsp. of olive oil
• ½ cup of plain Greek yogurt
• 1 tbsp. of prepared hummus
• 2 tbsps. of fresh mint or dill (chopped)
• Kosher salt
• 1 ¼ lb. medium shrimp (tails removed, peeled and deveined)
• 1 cup of cherry tomatoes (halve)
• ½ tsp. of hot paprika
• ½ lemon (juiced)

Preparation of this healthy recipe:

1.  Preheat your broiler over high heat.
2. In a large bowl, mix couscous, 1 tbsp. olive oil and apricots. Add 1 ¼ cups of boiling water. Cover the bowl with a plastic wrap and wait for 5 minutes or until the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender.
3. In a separate bowl, mix in hummus, yogurt and mint. Set the mixture aside
4. Toss the tomatoes, shrimp and the remaining 1 tbsp. of olive oil and paprika into the bowl of couscous. On a baking sheet, spread everything and broil until the shrimp is cooked through. Once cooked, drizzle it with lemon juice.
5. Serve the couscous and shrimp with the sauce.