Rainbow Confetti Couscous with Honey-Lime Vinaigrette Recipe

Golden dried apricots, green pistachios and ruby dried cranberries are mixed into couscous with arugula and honey-lime vinaigrette for a crunchy, chewy, tangy and sweet bite.

Prep Time: 15 minutes
Cooking Time: 8 minutes

Ingredients

¼ teaspoon sea salt, divided
⅔ cup dry couscous
1 teaspoon lime zest
3 tablespoons (45 milliliters) fresh lime juice
½ teaspoon Dijon mustard
2 teaspoons (15 milliliters) honey
⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
2 tablespoons (30 milliliters) grapeseed oil
¼ cup plus 1 teaspoon crushed pistachios, divided
⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon dried apricots, diced into ¼-inch pieces, divided
⅓ cup plus 1 teaspoon dried cranberries, divided
1 cup baby arugula, coarsely chopped

Instructions

Before you begin: Wash your hands.

1. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, boil ⅔ cup water with ⅛ teaspoon sea salt. Stir in couscous, turn off heat and cover for 5 minutes until all water is absorbed. Transfer couscous to a medium bowl, fluff with a fork, then set aside for 15 minutes or until it cools to room temperature.
2. In a small bowl, whisk together lime zest, lime juice, Dijon mustard, honey, garlic powder, grapeseed oil and ⅛ teaspoon salt. To make the “confetti,” combine 1 teaspoon crushed pistachios, 1 teaspoon dried apricot and 1 teaspoon dried cranberries in a separate small bowl.
3. To the bowl of fluffed couscous, add ⅓ cup dried cranberries, ⅓ cup dried apricots, ¼ cup pistachios, arugula and vinaigrette and stir well to combine. Garnish with the “confetti” mixture.

Nutrition Information:*

Serves: 6
Serving size: ½ cup (85 grams)

216 calories, 8g total fat, 1g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 170mg sodium, 33g carbohydrate, 2g fiber, 14g sugar, 4g protein, NA potassium, NA phosphorus

*Substituted lemon peel for lime peel in nutrition analysis.

This recipe originally appeared in Food & Nutrition Magazine^®, published by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.