Moroccan cooking is one of my favorites. I love the mouthwatering tagines, the use of olives, preserved lemons, and the mix of savory and sweet ingredients. Their brilliant use of spices can turn the most humble ingredients into an impressive feast.
It’s traditional to begin a Moroccan meal with a variety of appetizers including cold vegetable salads like a Moroccan Carrot Salad. There are as many variations to this salad as there are cooks making them. Many recipes call for more paprika and garlic then I have used here. Some omit the cinnamon and most use lemon juice in the mixture to dress a batch of boiled carrots. I roast the carrots for this salad. At first it was a practical matter – my oven was already in use so I threw them on a roasting pan. Roasting vegetables concentrates its flavor, and roasting the carrots with the orange peel and fresh orange juice adds a pleasant sweetness that complements the intense flavor of the dressing. If you prefer a more traditional preparation, omit the orange juice and sliced orange peel and mix the dressing with lemon juice. But do try roasting the carrots.
Roasted Moroccan Carrot Salad
For a raw salad grate the carrots instead of roasting and mix with the dressing.
2 pounds carrots (2-3 bunches)
1 orange, juiced with peel reserved
1 tbsp coconut oil or olive oil
Dressing:
2 tablespoons fresh orange juice
3 tablespoons olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley, cilantro, or mint
pinch of cayenne pepper
sea salt to taste
1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Cut the carrots on the diagonal into 1/4 inch thick slices and mix in a bowl with the juice of half an orange and the coconut or olive oil. Reserve the remainder juice for the dressing (about 2 tablespoons). Cut the orange peel into thin slices and mix with carrots.
3. Pour the carrots and orange peel mixture into a roasting pan and roast for 45 minutes.
4. Whisk the reserved orange juice, olive oil, and remaining ingredients.
5. Toss the dressing with the roasted carrots and orange peel.
This post is linked to The Healthy Home Economist| Monday Mania, A Moderate Life | Heart and Soul Blog Hop, GNOWFGLLINS | Tuesday Twister, and Kelly the Kitchen Kop | Real Food Wednesday.
This looks great. I would not have thought of adding the orange peels to the dish. Thanks for this. Another nice recipe I have found via the hearth ‘n soul blog-hop.
This looks so good, and I also like to roast vegetables. I am new to cooked vegetable salads, but this one inspires me to want to make it.
Just stopping by from Tuesday Twister. I printed your recipe and can’t wait to try it. Thank you…
Raw or roasted, your salad sounds delicious. You have used some wonderful spices in it!
Lisa, this looks great! I’m going to try to make it for one of my Chol Hamoed meals!
My mouth literally watered the minute this picture popped up on my screen! It sounds delicious! Thank you for sharing it with the hns hop this week
Oh yum – I want this right now!! It’s a funny thing that, even though I don’t particularly like carrots very much, I adore roasted carrots, and I have a lovely bunch of spring carrots in my veggie bin right now that are just longing to be made into this salad. Thanks.
Sue
This works well for non carrot lovers. I never thought my husband would eat cooked carrots until my friend Adeena made a Moroccan carrot salad that he loved. I’ve been making it ever since with this updated version of roasting the carrots and adding the orange flavor.
Isn’t is wonderful how roasting can work magic on any number of veg? I have a whole family who became brussels sprouts converts after I started roasting them. So I can see how this would really enhance the flavor in this salad, especially paired with orange. Thank you for linking with Hearth and Soul.
My favorite way to eat carrots is roasted – yum! Thanks for linking this to hearth n soul!
I can vouch for the deliciousness of this dish….prepared by the lady herself….Lisa!