Israeli Couscous Salad - a la Whole Foods (at least the one in Glendale).

[geezopeez]

So the Glendale (Calif.) Whole Foods has a wonderful Israeli couscous salad that features cranberries and various other ingredients I can't put my finger on. Can anyone direct me to a recipe for such a dish!?

[ach77]

I love this salad too, so the last time I went to Whole Foods I made a note of all the ingredients and decided to try and replicate it myself. My experiment succeeded beyond my wildest expectations - I managed to make a near-exact replica of their salad. Below is the recipe that I devised. Enjoy!

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

Serves: 4-6

Time: 30-40 mins

Ingredients:

Salad:
2c Israeli couscous, uncooked
1c dried cranberries
1c toasted pecans, quartered
2 scallions, minced

Dressing:
3T canola oil
1.5T champagne vinegar
Zest of 1 orange
Juice of 1⁄2 the orange you just zested
1⁄2 t turmeric
1⁄2 t dried thyme
1⁄2 t dried tarragon
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!

[DMW]

I know this post is really old.... But I made this recipe today and it was great! Thanks ach77.

[foodworthy]

Ach77,

Many thanks! Your recipe is wonderful and spot-on!

[pamd]

usually Whole Foods lists all of their ingredients on each label- that's how I've figured out some goood tasting mysteries.

[geezopeez]

They do, but I'm always at a loss about the quantities used in any given recipe.

[Nancy Berry]

There's a nice Israeli Couscous Salad on the web. It contains these ingredients:

1 cup Israeli couscous (you cannot substitute with Moroccan couscous)
2 cups vegetable or chicken broth
4 T olive oil, divided
2 cups dried cranberries (craisins)
1 cup pine nuts
1/2 cup spring onions, white parts only, chopped
1/2 medium sized red onion, finely chopped
1 oz cilantro, chopped
1 teaspoon lemon zest
1 shallot, minced
1/2 lemon
sea salt to taste

The whole recipe is here:

http://www.ablithepalate.com/2005/09/...

[PBSF]

Israeli couscous and regular couscous (Moroccan) are not cooked the same way. The instruction in the recipe for cooking Israeli couscous is correct. It can either cook in a big pot of salted boiling water like pasta or boil in some hot broth until done. Regular couscous is either steamed or for the instant variety, just mix with boiling water until it puffed and all the water absorbed.

[Nancy Berry]

I don't understand your comment. In my note it said the same thing that you're saying, i.e. "you CANNOT substitute with Moroccan couscous."

[PBSF]

Sorry for the misunderstand. I did state that the instruction in your recipe for cooking Israeli couscous is correct. I was referring to a previous post that imply the cooking of Israeli couscous and the more familiar couscous is the same.

[paulj]

I found that pomegranate molasses works very well in this type of salad.
paulj

[Dorothy]

You won't believe how easy couscous salads are to make. They are very versatile and so tasty. I usually buy Near East brand couscous but I'm thinking you can use Israeli-style couscous just the same way.

Basically you cook the couscous as you normally would, cool it a bit, and add your dressing ingredients and extras.

The Near East site is at www.neareast.com
Check out their recipe finder (search on salads and couscous) for lots of ideas.