Couscous Salad with
Dried Cranberries and Pecans
and Lemon Dressing

Tangy, crimson-colored dried cranberries and toasted pecans are a dynamic combination in this special salad. If you plan to make it more than 2 hours in advance, hold back on adding the cucumbers until serving time so they will retain their special crunch.

• 1 cup shelled pecans

• 1 1/2 cups couscous

• 1 cup dried cranberries

• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric

• 2 cups boiling water

• 1 cup thawed frozen peas

• 3 scallions, very thinly sliced

• 2 medium cucumbers, peeled, seeded, and diced

• 1/4 cup shredded fresh basil

  Lemon Dressing

  • Zest of 1 lemon

  • 1/3 cup lemon juice

  • 3 garlic cloves, minced

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

  • 1/3 cup olive oil

Method

1. Toast the pecans in a shallow pan in a preheated 350-degree oven until very fragrant, about 7 minutes. Set aside to cool.

2. Place the couscous, cranberries, and turmeric in a large bowl. Pour in the boiling water, stir, then cover the bowl with a large plate or foil. Let sit for 10 minutes. Remove the cover, then fluff the couscous with a fork. Cover again and let sit 5 more minutes.

3. Stir in the pecans, peas, scallions, cucumbers, and basil.

4. Combine the dressing ingredients in a jar with a tight-fitting lid and shake vigorously. Pour onto the couscous mixture and stir to blend. Let the salad sit at least 1 hour before serving to allow the flavors to blend. If longer than 1 hour, cover and chill, but then bring the salad to room temperature before serving. (Don't forget -- if you make the salad more than an hour before you intend to serve it, hold back on adding the cucumbers until serving time or thereabouts.)

    Serves 4 as a main course.

This recipe was excerptedfrom Simple Vegetarian Pleasures by Jeanne Lemlin. ©1998. This recipe is reprinted with permission from Quill, an imprint of HarperCollinsPublishers. www.harpercollins.com

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Jeanne Lemlin, the muse of all that is fast and vegetarian, is the author of Vegetarian Pleasures, Main Course: Vegetarian Pleasures, Simple Vegetarian Pleasures, Vegetarian Classics, and Quick Vegetarian Pleasures, for which she won a James Beard Cookbook Award. She is a cooking instructor and has written for Gourmet, Yankee Magazine, and Country Journal.