Last weekend I stayed with my lovely friends of mine and we had an all-out cook fest. First, we grilled up some fish kabobs. Yum town. Then we drank one too many of these margaritas. I would like to tell you I regret this, but the fact is, I don’t. You should never, ever regret your margaritas.

Truthfully, I had barely enough energy in the morning for our last endeavor: baking. Luckily, this is a super simple and delicious quickbread that didn’t require much brainpower first thing in the morning. And, it’s perfect for breakfast. It has eggs, milk, and TWO kinds of fruit. Winner.

BTW – have you ever had chocolate cake for breakfast? The same above reasoning works just perfectly. Eggs, Milk, flour. Done and done.

Blueberry-Orange Walnut Bread

If you’re not a big fan of walnuts, feel free to substitute any other kind you like.

3  cups  all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 cup butter, melted
1/2 cup milk
3 eggs
1 tablespoon orange zest
2/3 cup orange juice
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup walnuts, chopped

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda in large bowl. In a separate bowl, beat eggs in a small bowl and add to the dry mixture. Add in melted butter, milk, and orange juice and mix just until you have a smooth batter.

Gently fold in blueberries and walnuts and pour into two greased & floured loaf pans. Bake 1 hour or until a toothpick inserted in the middle come out clean.

I got a little carried away on this one. See, my original idea was just to make regular cinnamon rolls from scratch. Not because no one on the planet has never done this, but because I haven’t. I felt pretty proud of myself. Then I thought it might be really nifty to add pecans as a salute to the upcoming holiday season. Pecans are 99% guaranteed to make almost anything better.

But see, I really wanted those pecans to be covered in sugar, preferably dripping down the side of my cinnamon rolls. A caramel sauce might do the trick, except now things were getting  little too complicated. After all, caramel can be kinda tricky to make, and I don’t always get it right, unlike some people.

Thank goodness for this recipe, which took the whole process out of my hands. All I had to do was spread a little simple frosting on the bottom of the pan along with the pecans, and voila! Caramel pecan cinnamon rolls. Oh, did I mention that this dough can be refrigerated overnight? That means that all you have to do in the morning is throw them in the oven, go back to sleep for a few minutes, and then wander into the kitchen after it smells so good you’re drooling on your pillow. Sometimes simplicity can taste soooo good.

Caramel Pecan Cinnamon Rolls

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Dough recipe adapted from Alton Brown

Dough
4 large egg yolks, room temperature
1 large whole egg, room temperature
¼ cup sugar
6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted, approximately 6 tablespoons
¾ cup buttermilk, room temperature
4 cups all purpose flour, plus more for dusting
1 package instant dry yeast, approx2 1/4 teaspoons
1 1/4 teaspoons salt

Filling
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
Pinch salt
1 ½ tablespoons butter, melted

Topping
1 ¼ cups sifted powdered sugar
1/3 cup whipping cream
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans

For the dough:
In the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, whisk the egg yolks, whole egg, sugar, butter, and buttermilk. Add 2 cups of the flour, the yeast and salt; whisk until combined. Remove the whisk attachment and replace with a dough hook. Add all but 3/4 cup of the remaining flour and knead on low speed for 5 minutes. Check the consistency of the dough, add more flour if necessary; the dough should feel soft and moist but not sticky. (You can also do all of this by hand if you need to, it just requires a lot of kneading by hand)

Knead on low speed 5 minutes more or until the dough clears the sides of the bowl. Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface; knead by hand about 30 seconds. Lightly oil & flour a large bowl. Transfer the dough to the bowl and cover with a dampened cloth and place in a warm placec and let double in volume for about 2 to 2 1/2 hours.

Everything Else:
Mix together the powdered sugar and cream and spread across the bottom of a 9×13 inch baking dish or (2) 9-inch round pans. Sprinkle with the pecans and set aside.

Combine the brown sugar, cinnamon and salt in a medium bowl. Mix until well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use.

Turn the dough out onto a lightly floured work surface. Gently roll the dough into a 18 by 12-inch rectangle. Brush the dough with the 3/4-ounce of melted butter, leaving 1/2-inch border along the top edge. Sprinkle the filling mixture over the dough, leaving a 3/4-inch border along the top edge; gently press the filling into the dough.

Beginning with one of the long edges, roll the dough into a tight cylinder. Firmly pinch the seam to seal and roll the cylinder seam side down. Very gently squeeze the cylinder to create even thickness. Using a serrated knife, slice the cylinder into 1 1/2-inch rolls; yielding 12 rolls. Arrange rolls cut side down in the frosting in the baking dish; cover tightly with plastic wrap and store in the refrigerator overnight or up to 16 hours. (you can skip the refrigeration step if you want)

Remove the rolls from the refrigerator and place in an oven that is turned off. Fill a shallow pan 2/3-full of boiling water and set on the rack below the rolls. Close the oven door and let the rolls rise until they look slightly puffy; approximately 30 minutes. Remove the rolls and the shallow pan of water from the oven.

Heat the oven to 350 degrees F.

When the oven is ready, place the rolls on the middle rack and bake until golden brown, approximately 30 minutes.

Immediately scoop the rolls out of the pan and turn over, otherwise you will have quite a time prying them out of the cooled caramel later.

It’s fall! Summer was great, but it’s time for something new. I’m not sure what it is about the fall air, but it makes me feel adventurous. So guess what we’re going to make today? Homemade ravioli! Without eggs! Or a pasta maker! We’re doing this all by hand! Don’t freak out, this is totally gonna work out fine. Seriously, it’ll be delicious.

OK, let’s do this.

First, you add exactly one cup of hot water to exactly 2 ½ cups of flour. Resist the urge to add eggs; I know it’s probably difficult.

Stir that up with a spoon or your hands until you have a nice little dough ball. Allow to sit for a few minutes so it can cool down a bit. Now separate this into two balls. See? We’re doing so well!

Set one of the dough balls aside. Take the other one and roll it out into a rectangle.  Or a sort of rectangular oval like I did. It’s okay, this will still work. Be sure to flour the board and your rolling pin really well since the dough should still be sticky. Roll it pretty thin, cause these things plump up when you cook them.

Now it’s time for filling. I decided to use sweet potato cause sweet potatoes make me think of Thanksgiving. As in, I feel warm and fuzzy inside, and I can always use some warm fuzzy fillings. Spoon roughly 1-2 tablespoons of filling near the edge of the dough, leaving a little room. Then spoon some more about an inch away from that, until you have a nice little row.

Now, fold the dough over the little balls of filling. Pinch the edges all the way around the filling to seal it in.

Take a glass, or a ravioli cutter if you have it (I don’t), and cut out the little mounds of filling. Repeat this process until all of the dough has been used.

Voila! You’ve just made your own ravioli. Way cool, right? Now that you have all these raviolis you have choices to make – do you want to cook them all right now and get fat on sweet potato heaven (yes please!)? Or do you want to flash freeze these to be used again later? Totally up to you, just make sure that you thaw them out before cooking if you decide to freeze.

Sweet Potato Ravioli with Pecans and Herb Brown Butter Sauce

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Filling & Sauce recipe adapted from Vegetarian Cooking for Everyone
Pasta recipe adapted from Giada De Laurentiis

Filling:
1 lb sweet potato, peeled and cubed
2 tablespoons butter
½ cup grated Parmesan cheese
½ cup dried bread crumbs

Pasta:
2 ½ cups all purpose flour
1 cup hot water

Herb Brown Butter Sauce:
4 – 6 tablespoons butter
1 garlic clove, thinly sliced
2 tablespoons chopped sage leaves
2 teaspoons chopped thyme
2 tablespoons chopped parsley
1/3 cup toasted pecans, chopped
Freshly grated Parmesan cheese

To make the filling:
Cook the sweet potato in boiling water until tender, about 10 minutes. Drain, add butter and beat with a mixer until smooth and creamy. Stir in the Parmesan cheese, bread crumbs, salt and pepper to taste. Set aside.

To make the pasta:
Make a well in the center of the flour, and add in the hot water. Gently stir together with a wooden spoon, using your fingers if necessary to fully combine the ingredients. Allow to sit for a few minutes so it can cool down a bit.

Separate the dough into two separate balls. Set one of the dough balls aside. Take the other one and roll it out into a rectangle. Be sure to flour the board and your rolling pin really well since the dough should still be sticky. Roll it pretty thin, cause these things plump up when you cook them.

Spoon roughly 1-2 tablespoons of filling near the edge of the dough, leaving a little room. Then spoon some more about an inch away from that, until you have a nice little row.

Now, fold the dough over the little balls of filling. Pinch the edges all the way around the filling to seal it in. Take a glass, or a ravioli cutter if you have it (I don’t), and cut out the little mounds of filling. Repeat this process until all of the dough has been used.
Cook the ravioli in gently boiling water for 4-5 minutes. Drain, and toss in sauce.

For the sauce:
In a large skillet melt the butter with the sliced garlic, sage, 1 tablespoon parsley and thyme and cook over medium heat until the butter is lightly browned. Add the pecans, remaining parsley and cooked raviolis to the sauce and cook for 10 more seconds. Sprinkle with Parmesan cheese and enjoy!

Sometimes things don’t always go as we planned. I had planned to watch “The Wizard of Oz” at the Hollywood Forever Cemetery. I had even called all my friends, cooked up some recipes, scheduled a time to meet, loaded up the car and driven all the way to Hollywood just to have a picnic in the cemetery. However, when we turned the corner and were preparing to enter, we were met by this:

The photo doesn’t really do it justice, but basically the entire city of Los Angeles had the same thoughts that we had. And unfortunately for us, they had the idea about an hour sooner, and we didn’t make it inside. Yeah, it was a bummer. There are few things sadder than having a picnic meal and nowhere to picnic.

Luckily, I’m blessed to have flexible and endlessly enthusiastic friends. We took our picnic dinner and headed to a teeny tiny park in Universal City. We sat on blankets and drank wine, ate our food and watched the sunset go down. It was good, even without the red slippers or munchkins.

There was one thing that turned out exactly as I had planned. This walnut pesto. It was just as tasty, satisfying and unique as I had been hoping for. My photos of the final product I feel are a tad lacking, I’m going to blame the change of venue on that, although it could have just as easily been the wine I was drinking. Wine or no wine, this is a great spread to have for your next picnic.

Walnut Pesto

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen

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1 cup shelled walnuts, even better if you toast and cool them first
1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
1 small garlic clove, peeled and crushed
3 sprigs of thyme, cleaned
Salt
Small splash of red wine vinegar
1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil
2 tablespoons minced sun-dried tomatoes (oil or dry-packed will both work)
1 loaf or baguette of crusty bread, sliced and toasted.

Combine walnuts, parmesan, garlic, thyme, salt and vinegar in a food processor and coarsely grind. Stir in the olive oil and tomatoes. You may need to add a little extra oil if your tomatoes aren’t soaked in oil.
Spoon the pesto over the toasted bread. Spread a blanket on the ground and have a picnic.

Looking for a new job is scary. Mainly because interviews are scary. You dress up in uncomfortable clothes that you hope make you look “professional,” then march into some unfamiliar office to have a conversation with someone you’ve never met. And not just any conversation, it’s a conversations about your overall skills and value as a person. I normally spend most of the interview trying to make sure that I don’t smile too much, and worried that my armpit stains are going to start to show-an unfortunate side effect of my nervousness is that I begin to sweat profusely. It definitely doesn’t make going to interviews any easier.

So then, after I’ve babbled on to the woman or man sitting in front of me about how I would be happy to mow their lawn on the weekends if they would only give me this job, I get up, walk out, and immediately begin to kick myself for things that I did or didn’t say. It’s brutal, tortuous, and just plain awful. The minute after an interview I need comfort, and can only think of getting home, changing into yoga pants and spending the remainder of the day watching Sex and the City DVDs while drinking iced coffee.

I have similar experiences when it comes to food. Last week I made this, and that was terrifying. Then, I made my first tart shell, which was easy, but I get nervous by new things. When it came to the filling, I knew that I wanted a recipe that was the food equivalent of my old yoga pants. Something that I’ve made a million times before and I know without a doubt I will enjoy. This toffee nut tart is perfect. It is super, super easy to make, always impressive looking, and tastes divine. The filling is light and airy and gives a nice contrast to the crunchy nuts. If you’re going to an interview anytime soon, it would probably be good to have something like this waiting for you at home.

Toffee Nut Tart

Adapted from Quick Recipes

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1 ½ cups unsalted mixed nuts
½ cup superfine sugar or powdered sugar
½ cup whipping cream, plus 2 tablespoons
1 cup mascarpone cheese
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 baked tart shell

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Spread the mixed nuts onto a baking sheet and roast in the oven for 5 minutes, or until they begin to brown. Set aside and allow to cool.

Meanwhile, place the superfine sugar in a small saucepan and stir constantly over medium heat until the sugar dissolves and turns golden, about 2-3 minutes. Turn the heat down to low and slowly stir in only 2 tablespoons of cream. Stir until the mixture is smooth and well combined and becomes a toffee syrup. Allow to cool slightly.

Beat together the mascarpone cheese, brown sugar, ½ cup of cream and vanilla in a bowl until smooth and creamy. If the mixture is runny, continue beating until mixture begins to resemble whipped cream. Pour into the tart shell and smooth out evenly.

Sprinkle the nuts over the cream mixture. Using a spoon, drizzle the toffee syrup over the nuts, zigzagging over the tart. Chill until ready to serve.

There are two clear types of holiday recipes. There are the time-tested kind, the ones that have been made over and over again, and will always be around because 1) everyone loves them and 2) the person making the recipe could do it with their eyes closed and one hand tied behind their back. There are also the newer kinds of recipes, those that are maybe a little more modern, with unusual ingredients and were probably found in a magazine or, ahem, a food blog.

This recipe is hands-down an example of the first type. My mother’s cheese dip graces pretty much every holiday party she attends in December, it is a rare occasion when she’s able to bring any leftovers home. This is the kind of appetizer that you snack on before dinner, and then return to when you’ve finished dessert. It’s the kind that you can’t stand in front of for more than 5 seconds without compulsively piling some on a cracker, until you’re wondering where all the crackers went and why you feel so full all of a sudden.

You really wanna know how good this is? It has mayonnaise in it. Mayo binds the whole thing together and coats every little piece of cheese, olive and pecan in the mix and, as you know, I hate mayonnaise. But I like this. I eat it with a smile on my face and won’t even bother to try and change the recipe. That should really tell you something.  I suggest you grate some cheese, chop some olives and prepare to smile a lot this holiday season.

Mom’s Holiday Cheese Dip

Recipe by Fair Johnson

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1 lb. sharp cheddar cheese, grated
1 cup pecans, toasted and chopped
1 medium onion, grated
3/4 cup mayonnaise
1 clove garlic, pressed
1/2 teaspoon tabasco
1/2-1 cup chopped stuffed green olives, depending on how much you like olives

Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and refrigerate for 30 minutes to an hour. Serve with crackers and hope your friends and family save you some.

It’s a sage-filled Thanksgiving here at A Cozy Kitchen! I swear, Adrianna and I did not plan on both making dishes that include sage, but hey, if it ain’t broke don’t fix it, right?

For all of my childhood, one of the greatest moments at Thanksgiving was when the sweet potato casserole that my aunt made was pulled from the oven and added to the epic spread of food. It evolved a bit over the years, first being topped with toasted mini marshmallows, and eventually progressing to a candied nut topping. It didn’t matter to me what you topped it with though, only that sweet potatoes were about to be consumed.

Imagine my shock the first year my extended family couldn’t make it to Thanksgiving and to my horror sweet potatoes were left out of the meal! It soon became apparent that I was the only one among my dad, stepmother and sisters that shared in a love of sweet potatoes, and sadly, my addiction went unfed for years.

This year though, I’m taking control of my own life. I saw this recipe in the current issue of Martha Stewart, and couldn’t wait any longer. After making a few adjustments, I’ve found my favorite version of sweet potato casserole yet. The sage gives it a sophisticated feel but it’s still sweet and satisfying. Happy Thanksgiving everyone!

Maple Sweet Potato Casserole with Sage-Butter

Adapted from Martha Stewart Living, November 2009

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So, I found another blogger who made this dish with the original recipe but complained that it came out bland. To avoid that, I used all sweet potatoes instead of a mix of both regular and sweet, and I added maple syrup, both to sweeten it and add just a little more flavor. I also made a nut topping instead of one made from bread crumbs as the original had done. I’m beyond satisfied with the result, and it’s going to be a long time before I decide to venture to another version of this dish.

3 lbs sweet potatoes, peeled and cut into 1-inch cubes
½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter
2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
1 ½ cups milk
1/8 cup maple syrup

For the Topping:
1 cup chopped pecans
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon maple syrup

Place sweet potatoes  in a large saucepan and cover with water. Bring to a boil and reduce heat. Simmer until potatoes are tender, about 9 minutes. Drain and set aside.

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Melt 1 stick of butter with the chopped sage in a small saucepan over medium heat. Simmer for 1 minute and remove from heat. Add butter mixture, milk, and maple syrup to the potatoes and beat with a blender until smooth. Transfer to a 2-quart casserole dish. (mix can be refrigerated for up to 2 days)

In a small saucepan, combine pecans, butter and maple syrup. Heat for 1-2 minutes, or until pecans are well coated in the butter and syrup.  Sprinkle the pecans over the top of the potatoes. Bake, uncovered, until bubbling around the edges and the pecans are beginning to darken, about 30 to 40 minutes.

Aren’t you glad that bathing suit season is over? It can’t be a mere coincidence that the holidays are not only filled with decadent desserts that you only eat once a year, but also big, baggy sweaters that hide away any extra inches those foods bring with them. Just another reason to have not just one, but two pieces of this insanely good pie. Actually, if want to go ahead and eat the whole thing, I really couldn’t blame you. And I promise not to tell a soul.

This pie has long been the staple dessert of our Thanksgiving table. That means I only get to eat it once a year, and I have to share it with my sisters. You know what is even better than eating this right after a delicious Thanksgiving meal? Eating it for breakfast the next morning. You know what is maybe one of the saddest moments in my life? The time I opened the fridge the morning after Thanksgiving to find that the pie had already been eaten. Truly, that day will live on as one of the greatest tragedies of my life.

Traditionally, this pie prepared every year by my stepmother, so it’s the first year that I’ve ever made this, and it’s also the first time I’ve ever eaten it prior to Thanksgiving. The downside: It feels a little sad to eat chocolate chip pecan pie when I’m 3,000 miles away from my family. The upside: I’ll go to bed knowing that my favorite breakfast is safe until morning. After all, there are 3,000 miles in between it and my sisters.

Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie

Adapted from a recipe by Beverly Kilpatrick

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The original recipe called for corn syrup, but I used honey since that was what I had in my cabinet. Either option should work, you really just need anything that’s sweet, thick and sticky.

1 unbaked 9” pie shell, homemade or store-bought
2 eggs
2/3 cup sugar
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup honey
2 tablespoons butter, melted
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup finely chopped pecans
1 cup chocolate chips
24 pecan halves  (less if you only do a ring around the crust as I did)

Mix together eggs, sugar, salt, corn syrup, butter and vanilla. Stir in chopped pecans and chocolate chips. Pour mixture into pie shell.  Place pecan halves on top, in any arrangement that you would like.  Bake in 425 degree oven for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and continue baking until top is lightly browned, about 30 minutes.

Hint:  Cut a ring out of foil to fit over the rim of the pie pan.  When you turn the oven down to 350, place the foil ring over the edges of the pie crust to prevent over browning.

For a long time I’ve had a love-hate relationship with granola bars. My idea of the perfect granola bar is something chewy, delicious, not too sweet, and that serves as a satisfying snack. I always want to like the store-bought ones, but time and again they disappoint me.

Every few months I’ll be in a grocery store and will wander past a large display of some new variety of granola bars and will then somehow convince myself that these are the bars I have been looking for all my life. Ten minutes later, I’m in the checkout line with a basket filled with granola bars, only to get home and discover that these are no different than any other bar I’ve ever had. They’re  either bland or too sweet and I still feel hungry after eating 5 of them.

So now, I’ve taken matters into my own hands. I found this recipe from the lovely Ina Garten (I love her SO MUCH) and after making a few of my own adjustments I am pleased to announce that these are, in fact, the granola bars that I’ve always dreamed of. They’re chewy, with just a hint of sweetness, and are a satisfying snack that neither I, nor you, have to feel guilty about.

Granola Bars

Adapted from Ina Garten

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I changed the original recipe quite a bit. I was worried about it being too sweet and took out the brown sugar altogether, and am definitely glad that I did. I was also worried after reading some reviews that the butter would make the bars greasy, so I cut the amount down from 3 tablespoons to 1. I couldn’t find wheat germ in the store so I substituted flaxseed meal, but either option would work. My favorite dried fruits are apricots and cranberries, but you can use anything that you like or have on hand.

Also – not a fan of bars? Just break this up into pieces and you can eat it as your morning breakfast cereal.

2 cups old-fashioned oatmeal
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup shredded coconut, loosely packed
1/2 cup flaxseed meal
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
2/3 cup honey
1 1/2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 ½ cups chopped dried fruit

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease an 8 by 12-inch baking sheet and line it with greased parchment paper, or a Silpat.

Toss the oatmeal, almonds, and coconut together on a sheet pan and bake for 10 to 12 minutes, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned. Transfer to a large bowl and add in flaxseed meal. Reduce the oven temperature to 300 degrees.
Combine the butter, honey, vanilla, and salt in a small saucepan and bring to a boil over medium heat. Cook and stir for a minute, then pour over the toasted oatmeal mixture. Add the dried fruit and stir the mixture together.

Pour the mixture onto the baking sheet. Wet your fingers and lightly press the mixture evenly into the pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until light golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 2-3 hours and then cut into squares.

Sometimes I decide to cook something because it’s a recipe I’ve done a million times and I know that it’s going to taste amazing, like cheddar & pinto bean patties. Sometimes it’s because I see a recipe in a book, magazine, or blog and am immediately compelled to give it a try, like Smitten Kitchen’s pasta with goat cheese. Then, I have the days when I realize that I’ve had that box of couscous in my cupboard for a year, a YEAR, and by George, I’m going to do SOMETHING with it. That’s when I make things like Couscous Salad with Cherries.

And you know what? I should get fed up with my cupboard ingredients more often, because this was delicious. It was a little too healthy for Chase to even try, but that was fine because I really didn’t feel like sharing anyway. This salad is perfect for picnics, because the dressing is very light and doesn’t make it soggy. It’s also perfect for sitting at home on a summer day with a glass of lemonade, enjoying it bite by tasty bite.

Cherry Couscous Salad

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Adapted from Vegetarian Times

The original recipe called for cucumber, but I’m not a big fan so I omitted it. Similarly, if there’s an ingredient that you feel is missing or should be added, feel free to customize this salad however you would like.  You can also substitute quinoa or bulgur for the couscous.

Ingredients:
1/4 cup sliced almonds
1 1/2 cups uncooked couscous
2 cups spinach leaves
2 cups fresh cherries, pitted and halved, or 1 cup dried cherries, chopped
1 15-oz. can chickpeas, rinsed and drained
1 small red onion, finely chopped (about 1/2 cup)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
5 Tbs. olive oil, divided
2 Tbs. fresh lemon juice
2 cloves garlic, minced

Toast the almonds, either in a over the stove at medium heat or in an oven at 350 degrees for 7-10 minutes, or until the almonds have just turned golden brown.

In a saucepan, combine 1 ½ cups water, 2 tablespoons olive oil and ½ tsp salt and bring to a boil. Remove from heat and add the couscous. Stir well and let stand for 5 minutes. Fluff with a fork and allow to cool. Meanwhile, lay 5 or 6 spinach leaves flat on top of one another on cutting board and slice into strips.

Toss together couscous, almonds, spinach, cherries, chickpeas and red onion in large serving bowl. Whisk together yogurt, olive oil, lemon juice and garlic in small bowl. Pour over salad, and toss to coat. Chill 30 minutes to allow flavors to develop, then dig in.