Treat #1 is:

Join author Chris Pavesic in the virtual kitchen with this healthy Couscous Salad recipe and a sneak peek into her new novel, Starter Zone.

This recipe is a family favorite. Some like it when I make it with goat cheese while others prefer feta. The choice is yours. (I think both are equally delicious!)

Ingredients:

• 1/2 cup orange juice
• 1 1/2 cups water
• 2 cups plain couscous
• 1 cup dried cranberries
• 1 cup cubed peeled cucumber
• 1/4 cup chopped parsley
• 1/2 cup chopped green onion (scallion)
• 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
• 2 tablespoons distilled vinegar (balsamic vinegar works too)
• 2 tablespoons honey
• 1 clove garlic, minced
• 1/2 cup crumbled goat cheese (or feta cheese)
• 1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted (or toasted almonds slivered)
• salt and pepper to taste

Materials:

• Measuring spoon
• Measuring cup
• Saucepan
• Small bowl
• Large bowl
• Fork
• Small skillet 
  1.  Pour pine nuts into skillet and cook on medium heat.  Toast about 2 minutes stirring occasionally to prevent burning.  Set aside to cool.
  2.  In a saucepan, bring the orange juice and water to a boil.  Stir in the couscous, cover; remove from heat and let stand for 5-7 minutes.
  3.  Transfer to a large bowl, and fluff with a fork.
  4.  Add the cranberries, cucumber, parsley, and green onion, mixing well.
  5.  In a small bowl, whisk together the mustard, vinegar, honey, and garlic.
  6.  Pour the dressing over the couscous, mixing well, and stir in the goat cheese and pine nuts, carefully tossing together.
  7.  Add the salt and pepper to taste.  Serve at room temperature or chilled.

  

  While you are enjoying this healthy salad, please take a moment to enjoy a glimpse into my new novel, Starter Zone, Book One of the Revelation Chronicles.

   

   

  When hydrologists inscribe the consciousness of a human mind onto a single drop of water, a Revelation sweeps the land. The wealthy race to upload their minds into self-contained virtual realities nicknamed Aquariums. In these containers people achieve every hope, dream, and desire. But governments wage war for control of the technology. Terrorist attacks cause massive destruction. The Aquariums fail.  Inscribed human minds leech into the water cycle, wreaking havoc.

   Street gangs rule the cities in the three years since the fall of civilization. Sixteen-year-old Cami and her younger sister Alby struggle to survive. Every drop of untreated water puts their lives in peril. Caught and imprisoned by soldiers who plan to sell them into slavery, Cami will do anything to escape and rescue her sister. Even if it means leaving the real word for a life in the realms, a new game-like reality created by the hydrologists for the chosen few.

   But life in the realms isn’t as simple as it seems. Magic, combat, gear scores, quests, and dungeons are all puzzles to be solved as the sisters navigate their new surroundings. And they encounter more dangerous enemies than any they faced in the real world.

   Time to play the game.

As always, thank you for the time we spend together!

Gina

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