Pumpkin fans will praise this festive treat with tunes! Smooth and creamy, it is the perfect way to end any meal.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 15 mins |
| Servings: | 8 |
Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cups dry couscous
- 2 cups boiling water
- ⅔ cup sweetened dried cranberries
- ⅔ cup slivered almonds
- ½ cup packed dried apricots, chopped
- 3 medium scallions, thinly sliced with greens
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Place couscous in a bowl and pour boiling water over top. Gently stir, then cover and let sit for 5 minutes.
- Meanwhile, place cranberries in a glass liquid measure and add water to cover. Microwave on high for 1 minute; drain.
- Add cranberries to the couscous, along with almonds, apricots, scallions, cumin, salt, and pepper. Toss well to combine. Serve at room temperature or chilled.
- Copyright 2004 Jean Carper. Printed first in USA WEEKEND. All rights reserved.
Reviews
Liked it. I tweeked it a bit: for more flavor, I used stock (either chicken or vegetable) instead of water also, in a couple tablespoons of ghee, I warmed some curry spice, then added diced onion and cooked until transparent. I then added dried fruit to cook for a minute or two. I added this to the already cooked couscous. I substituted pistachios for the almonds and sprinkled chopped parsley before serving
Cooked the couscous in a combination of the craisin water used to “cook” the craisins and the remaining part OJ. Used pecans instead of almonds, about a 1/4 tsp of cumin, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and skipped the scallions. Almost a dessert!
I used quinoa instead couscous. It was perfect. The contrast from cumin and fruits is great.
Toasted the almonds and cooked the couscous in orange San Pellegrino. Fast and delish!
Wonderful, I used orange juice instead of water and cooked couscous as per directions on container. Make sure you put the water from your raisins or craisins in with all the other ingredients . This should be noted on the directions other wise your finished product is too dry. I used half the cumin and added cinnamon as others suggested. I have made this twice since finding the recipe.
The cumin was too strong. I would add a little cinnamon.
This was the best side dish I have ever made! The only problem I had was I could not stop eating it! I did cook the couscous with the orange juice and used a half a tsp. of cumin and a half a tsp. of cinnamon. When the dish was finished I poured a quarter cup of orange juice over it. Yummy!!!!
A good start, but the cumin did not work with this recipe. I put only half a teaspoon and it overpowered everything else. I left out the apricots and scallions but added two shredded carrots.
Simply delicious! Definitely prepare it using orange juice vs. water for more flavor. Like others, I cut the amount of cumin down to 1/2 tsp. and added 1/2 tsp. of curry powder. Instead of dried apricots I added an 11 oz. can of mandarin oranges. I did find it to be a bit dry so I did add a little more orange juice. What a quick and easy side dish that tastes like you spent hours! Tastes great room temp. or chilled – Thanks for a great recipe!
This was different and I liked it. I used dates instead of apricots because that is what I could find. I served it for 6 adults who had never had couscous. Three like it a lot and three did not care for it. I’ve made this again using 1/2 tsp cummin & 1/2 tsp cincinnamon and I liked it even better.
Easy, fast recipe, made it for a cookout. I actually did a spin on the orange juice idea and used a pink grapefruit tangerine juice cocktail that I had in the fridge, and added a little extra juice after mixing for moisture. Very tasty and well liked by guests and my pretty picky boyfriend!
not too bad. I have had others I enjoy better
Cooked in veg stock, with Craisins, golden raisins, and dried apricots w/the scallions–Mmmmm, good!! My hubby was raving about this one! 🙂
I was so skeptical about this recipe. I am usually all about fresh fruit so I just didn’t see how dried fruit and cumin was going to taste good. I am so glad I tried it, it tastes great! I wasn’t able to find dried apricots so i used dried peaches and I used white grape raisins. The colours weren’t as pretty but I loved it. I also squeezed an orange on top to moisten it. This is quick and easy, perfect!
This is an awesome dish! It’s different – it’s sweet and it’s got that onion, too! I love this in the summer when I need a cold salad that everyone hasn’t had before! Fantastic!
I’ve made this numerous times and it’s always really good. Sometimes I also mix in raisins.
Very delicious and amazingly easy recipe! I love cashews so I used them instead of almonds. Yum!
This was delicious! However, it did require a bit of tweaking. I took the advice of previous reviewers and added OJ. Great tip! I also substituted golden raisins for the craisins, and I used malayta apricots instead of the traditional ones. I added a bit of cinnamon and a can of chick peas as well. LOVED it!
A wonderful, flexible recipe that has been a hit everywhere I’ve taken it!
This was my first time making or eating couscous. I thought it was good, but if I were to make it again I would cut the addition of the cumin and onions in half. They were just a bit too overwhelming for me. Also, it tasted a LOT better the next day after all the flavors got to get friendly in the fridge overnight.
This salad was just OK. I substituted the water with orange juice. It was very dry, and I had to add so much extra orange juice that it overpowered all the other flavors. I probably won’t rush to make it again, but if I do, I would recommend using the recommended amount of water, and THEN adding 1/2 to 1 cup of orange juice beyond the amount of liquid that the recipe calls for to get a good consistency.