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Sunday, May 27, 2012

Israeli Couscous Salad with Apples, Cranberries and Herbs

What do you get when you combine whole wheat Israeli couscous, toasted slivered almonds, diced apple, orange scented dried cranberries, fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, fresh parsley and a delicious dressing made of apple cider vinegar, maple syrup and olive oil?


You get one delicious and refreshing salad packed with flavors that remind me of Thanksgiving without the heaviness that you get by eating stuffing and cranberry sauce.


My stepdaughter made this salad first and was nice enough to share some of it with us last weekend.  I always make a Mediterranean flavored couscous salad with tomatoes, cucumbers, black olives and feta cheese so this was a new and fresh way for me to have it.  We loved it.  So much so that I bugged her for the recipe and finally Googled the ingredients to find the recipe when she didn't get it to me fast enough.   The recipe credit belongs to Giada De Laurentiis.  I was not surprised.  She ranks right after Bobby Flay as the TV chef that I most want to cook for me.


This salad was the perfect meal to take to the office for lunch.  My stepdaughter generously shared enough that I was able to take it two days in a row; but, because I enjoyed it so much, I knew that I was going to have to make some more of it.  Not only was the salad delicious, it kept really nicely in a covered container in the fridge.  The flavors just seemed to get even better each day.  I was pleasantly surprised that the apple didn't turn brown and yucky and the almonds did not soften at all.  The only negative...if you can call it that...was the outcome that I received when I ran the ingredients through the points calculator on the Weight Watchers' website tonight.  If you only get 6 servings out of the salad, the points plus values are around 13.  That's a very good reason for me to limit my portions and eat more whole foods the rest of the day.   This is one salad that I'm definitely going to be working into my meal plan this week.

I know that some of you will be shocked that I didn't change anything at all from the original recipe.  So for the ingredient amounts, I'm going to steer you over to the Food Network site  here.
Thanks so much for stopping by! 

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42 comments:

  1. This looks delicious!! Dried cranberries and maple syrup - I'm in!! :-)

    Hope you're having a wonderful weekend!

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  2. That looks delicious. I love the addition of cranberries!

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  3. Looks delicious, I love the flavor of maple with apple and cranberries. Definitely worth the points on occasion!

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  4. That does look wonderful! And I'm glad to hear about the apples and almonds too.. that would be my one big concern!

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  5. This looks delicious! And definitely something that I need to try!

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  6. This salad may be thanksgiving-esque but I also think it would be perfect as a summer bbq side! At least...that's how i'll be eating it!

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  7. Ooh, this looks so good! I love Israeli couscous. It's so... toothsome. That's the word, right? :) Too bad it's so high in points. Pasta salads always seem to be!

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  8. Thanks for sharing this with See Ya In the Gumbo. It's exactly the kind of thing I like for lunch too. I usually make a Greek cous cous salad or a Southwestern Brown rice salad. Delighted to have another option!

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  9. Nutritious and delicious. My type of salad.

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  10. Oh, that salad is SO gorgeous! It would make a perfect lunch, except that I have not one of the ingredients here to make it ... :(

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  11. I would love to have this salad right now that I am at the office Candace! It looks so light and refreshing!

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  12. Looks delicious Candace. And so healthy too! Thanks so much for linking up to Tasty Tuesdays!
    Alissa

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  13. Your salad looks wonderful - so refreshing and delicious with lots of lovely flavours. It's perfect for summer...although I wouldn't say no to it at any time of year :-)

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  14. what a beautiful dish candace! i agree with everyone here - so healthy and refreshing looking! apple is never a bad way to go in salads. it's simple but oh so flavourful.

    take care!

    K.

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  15. This sounds AWESOME! I don't understand why it is so high in points...carbs I guess :( Doesn't matter, I will be making it anyway!

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  16. Hi Candace,
    It is really good to see you here today. Your salad looks amazing and I can't wait to try it.
    Hope you have a great week end and thank you so much for sharing with Full Plate Thursday.
    Come Back Soon!
    Miz Helen

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  17. Oh lovely, Candace! I am so fond of these flavors - especially the crunch of the almond as you know we use so often in Middle Eastern cookery. Delish.

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  18. I've never had this but it certainly does look good!

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  19. The salad does sound like Thanksgiving but has the lightness for summer. It would be perfect with grilled chicken.

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  20. you are the bomb candace! I love this salad. It looks so refreshing and colorful and simply delicious

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  21. Sounds wonderful! I love salads in this hot weather and something different like this is a definite win! Guess I need to remember to limit the quantity too.

    Thanks for sharing!
    xo
    Pat

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