Couscous Salad

Well, it's been a while since I posted recipes. Either I didn't have the time to do so, or I got my post ready and the computer decided to sabotage me. But now I'm hopefully back on track to give you some tasty recipes.

My husband and I love couscous. We like it just cooked and with some olive oil as a side, but I wanted to try something new. So I searched recipes and found the following recipe for a salad on www.foodnetwork.com. I hope you're gonna enjoy it as much as we did.

Curried Couscous Salad with Dried Sweet Cranberries (Recipe courtesy Dave Lieberman)

1 (5.8-ounce) box instant couscous
3/4 cup sweetened dried cranberries
1 tablespoon curry powder
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 orange, juiced
2 to 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
3 to 4 scallions, trimmed and thinly sliced on an angle
2 tablespoons chopped fresh Italian parsley leaves
1/2 lemon, juiced
3/4 cup chopped walnuts, toasted (I used almonds)
Freshly ground pepper

Directions
Stir the couscous, cranberries, curry powder, salt, and sugar together in a heatproof bowl. Bring water (amount will be listed on package directions) to a boil and pour it over the couscous. Add the orange juice. Give it a big stir, cover the bowl tightly and let it stand, giving it a big stir once or twice, until the water is absorbed and the couscous is tender, about 5 minutes.

Fluff up the couscous with a fork. Add the olive oil, scallions, parsley, lemon juice, and walnuts. Stir around until everything is distributed evenly throughout the couscous. Make up to 2 hours ahead of time and keep at room temperature until you're ready to serve. Check the seasonings just before you serve the salad and add salt and pepper, to taste.

Note: To toast the walnuts, spread them out on a baking sheet and bake in a 400 degree F oven until they turn a shade darker, about 8 minutes.