Curried Couscous Salad

I have one more week left at my current (non-teaching) job before I get a nearly a month of pure freedom until the next semester starts. That's five days. Are you just a teensy bit jealous?  I'm not sure what I'm going to do with my spare time when I'm not visiting family, prepping for my fall classes, and trying to find the husband a job, but I'm hoping it will involve a lot of cooking, reading, and sitting in the sun, preferably at the beach. We'll see what happens. Until the end of the week, however, I'll be eating leftovers of this salad for lunch and dinner, which doesn't bother me one whit.

This recipe makes a lot- you might want to cut it in half if you're cooking for a small family. And the flavor will be significantly improved if you have some good curry powder (the $.99 kind from the sale section of the grocery store won't cut it. Wish I'd mentioned that to T-rav before he went to the store so I didn't have to go back). Since curry powders often vary in strength and heat, I recommend waiting to add all the curry to the couscous until you've tasted it. If you need to add more, mix the curry powder with a teaspoon or so of olive oil before drizzling over the couscous. 

Curried Couscous Salad
Recipe by Kelly
Picture by Kelly

1 medium head cauliflower, trimmed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 small onion, sliced
3 tablespoons olive oil
1/2 teaspoon curry powder
salt and pepper

3 cups couscous
3 cups water
1 teaspoon salt
3-4 teaspoons curry powder
4 tablespoons butter

1 bunch spinach, washed and roughly chopped*
2 cans chick peas, drained and rinsed
1 cup golden raisins

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees F. Spread cauliflower and onion on a large baking sheet. Drizzle olive oil over the top and sprinkle liberally with salt, pepper, and curry powder. Roast 20-25 minutes, or until cauliflower is golden and tender.
2. Meanwhile, bring water, salt, and 3-4 teaspoons curry powder to a boil. Remove from heat and pour in couscous. Cover and let stand 2-5 minutes until water is absorbed. Add butter and stir until well combined.
3. Place spinach in a large bowl. Add hot cauliflower and couscous over the top and let stand about 10 minutes to slightly wilt spinach. Stir in couscous and raisins; add salt and pepper, to taste. Serve warm or cold. 

*Arugula would be an excellent substitute for spinach in this salad.