Orange Couscous Salad

The second dish I made for this evenings girls night was a lovely Orange Couscous Salad. I love making grail salads for get togethers because they are affordable, easy to make, can be made the day before and are usually a big heat. I am know as the one who brings the unique and healthy dishes. Not a bad label to have!

Orange Couscous Salad (adapted from My Recipes)

Ingredients

• 1  (10-ounce) box plain couscous
• 1/4  cup  extra-virgin olive oil, plus more to taste
• 1  teaspoon  salt, plus more to taste
• 1/2  teaspoon  freshly ground pepper, plus more to taste
• 1/2  small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/4 cup)
• 2  oranges
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley
• 2  tablespoons  chopped fresh mint
• 1  cucumber, peeled, seeded, and chopped (about 1 cup)
• 1  cup  golden raisins, currants, or chopped dates

Preparation

1. Add couscous to boiling water, stir and remove for heat. Let stand for 5 minutes and fluff with fork.

2. Zest both oranges; juice one. Peel second orange, and chop. Add zest, juice, and chopped orange to couscous mixture. Stir in remaining ingredients. Cover and chill 1 hour or up to 2 days. Add more oil, salt, or pepper if desired before serving.

In my favorite bowl from Crate and Barrel (ours are similar to these but in brighter colors), they come as a set of 6 and I love all the bright fun colors. I could spend hours in that store and A LOT of money. Wouldn’t it be fun to have all those dishes, placemats and serving pieces???