Curry couscous salad

An easy idea for weekday lunches

Having a boring lunch, vending machine lunch, or no lunch at all is no way to spend the workday. Food is joy, and denying yourself that joy while at the office is, frankly, the pits. 

We're all busy, so finding time to make and pack an interesting lunch isn't the easiest thing in the world; me and my crackers and peanut butter stashed in a file cabinet totally get it. But then I rediscovered couscous. My college roommate and I would eat Near East couscous by the box. The best flavors: parmesan, roasted garlic, and toasted pine nut. 

Being on a curry kick since IndiaFest, I decided to inject some Indian flavor into my office life. Combining some light Googling with my own prowess (right), I've whipped up this curry couscous salad twice now. If you're smart about rationing and supplementing with fruit or something (and if you don't shovel half the pot into your mouth whilst cooking it), you can stretch this dish to three weekday lunches. And — bonus! — throwing it together couldn't be quicker or easier.

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CURRY COUSCOUS SALAD

WHAT YOU'LL NEED: 
Box of Near East couscous (roasted garlic flavor)
1 14-oz. can garbanzo beans, drained and rinsed
2–3 green onions
shredded carrots (the packaged kind)
Craisins
curry powder
garlic salt
black pepper
olive oil and/or butter
fresh lemon juice (optional)

WHAT YOU'LL DO:
1. Cook the couscous according to the package directions (including the spice pack!). In the mean time, chop up green onions. Chop up a handful of shredded carrots if desired. *Note: Just eyeball the amount of green onions and carrots to taste.

2. When couscous is done, place pot over a low flame and drizzle in olive oil to moisten. Stir in green onions, carrots, and drained and rinsed garbanzo beans. Stir in curry, garlic salt (or plain salt), and pepper to taste. If the mixture seems too dry, drizzle in more olive oil and up to 1 TBS butter. 

3. Remove from heat and stir in Craisins to taste. If you have a fresh lemon on hand, squeeze in some lemon juice. *Note: If you add too much lemon, counteract by stirring in more curry. Taste test as you go, then store in an airtight container in the fridge. Eat cold or warm — whatever you prefer!

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If all this stove-top work sounds like a pain, you're in for a treat. This boxed couscous takes all of 10 minutes to go from none to done! Now the question is: What else goes good with couscous? Let the great experiment begin!