No more pricey Whole Foods for Me

At least for one item!

Whole Foods makes an Israeli CousCous salad with Cranberry and Walnuts that i just out of this world. I love it so much that for a good year I searched high and low for a knock off recipe. Now mind you, this is a salad that is so good I can easily spend a small fortune on it, hence the need for a knock off recipe!

Well the recipe has been found and I am most pleased with the outcome. So much so that I took it to work for my boss to

taste who insists it's a dead ringer. That same day, a board member at work asked my boss why this salad wasn't at the board meeting that night and she told him I had found a knock off. To which came a long back and forth email exchange on my ability to replicate recipes but not money, cars, yachts or houses.

This makes a great lunch for work or a nice salad to take to a party. The flavors are deep and rich and the texture are insanely good - the softness of the couscous with the crunch of the nuts and green onion.

Israeli Couscous with Cranberries and Pecans (a la Whole Foods)

Salad:
1 8-9 oz. package Israeli Coucous. If you can't find this use pastina. Do not use regular couscous, they are not the same thing!
1c dried cranberries
1c toasted pecans, quartered
2-3 scallions, minced

Dressing:
3T canola oil
1.5T white wine vinegar
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of the orange you just zested
1⁄2 t turmeric
1⁄2 t dried thyme
1⁄2 t dried tarragon
1/2 - 1 t curry powder - depending how much curry flavor you like

Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. Bring a pot of salted water to a boil, and add the couscous. When it's done (roughly 8-10 mins, or when it's al dente), drain it but do not rinse. Set aside and let cool while you mince the scallions, toast and chop the pecans, and make the dressing.

2. In a small bowl, whisk together the canola oil, vinegar, orange zest and juice, spices and salt and pepper.

3. In a large bowl, combine the couscous, cranberries, pecans and scallions. Pour the well-whisked dressing over it and toss to combine.

4. Serve immediately, or chill in the fridge for a few hours to blend the flavors. Enjoy!