Preheat oven to 350F
Line small cookie sheet with parchment paper (NOT waxed paper, unless you want to practice with your fire extinguisher!)
add lightly chopped nuts to cookie sheet.
Place in oven for five to ten minutes, tossing once. Let cool on small plate.
Bring one cup of water to boil
Remove water from heat and add one cup of cous cous. Cover and let sit for five minutes. While it sits, continue with the recipe. You can do this step a day ahead.
Core the pear and cut in quarter inch dice. One pear is enough for two big salads.
Cut enough cucumber into quarter inch dice so that you have, by volume, the same as the pears.
Cut the celery into quarter-inch slices, adjusting the number of stalks so you have about the same volume as the pears.
Place the pear, cucumber, celery, and spinach in salad bowl.
Fluff the cous cous--assuming five minutes have passed! If the cous cous is hot, rinse under cold water in a colander. Once cool, add it to the bowl with the other ingredients and toss.
Add the dressing to taste. You should have enough dressing for four salads, so if you're cooking for two, you can save this in the refrigerator for at least a week.
