I was paging through February’s issue of Martha Stewart Living (No, I don’t subscribe, thank you very much.) when I came across a recipe for [olive, apricot, and pistachio couscous](http://www.marthastewart.com/recipe/olive-apricot-and-pistachio-couscous). First, I was surprised by the unintuitive mix of green olives, dried apricots and toasted pistachios, but then I was somewhat intrigued, considering I liked all of the ingredients individually. Naturally, I thought I might like them heaped together in a bowl of fluffy couscous.

Wrong.

There was no overall unity among the disparate flavors in this recipe; the sour, brine-y taste of the green olives clashed with the mellow sweetness of the apricots, which is not to mention the misplaced pistachios and the totally uncalled-for splash of acidity from the freshly squeezed lemon.

Yuck.

However, I did not let this extremely upsetting event deter me from putting together another, much more satisfying, dish of my own creation: curry carrot salad. This a no-fuss springtime salad that can be thrown together in under 15 minutes.

For this recipe, you’ll need 1/2 pound grated carrots (Grating carrots is a pain, I’m not going to lie.), 1/4 cup golden raisins, 1/2 to 3/4 cup toasted chopped walnuts, 2-3 tablespoons freshly chopped parsley plus some extra for garnish, 1 quartered lime, 2 teaspoons curry, 1 teaspoon dried tarragon, 1/2 teaspoon sea salt, 1 teaspoon cracked black pepper, and 1/2 cup nonfat plain yogurt.

Prepare the dressing by mixing together the last five ingredients, and then toss dressing in with all the other ingredients (except the reserved parsley and quartered limes) in a large salad bowl.

Serve in heaping 1-cup portions with parsley and lime.