Moroccan Spiced Carrot Quinoa Salad

This salad is perfect for enjoying on an autumnal afternoon.  Vibrant with the jewel tones of fall and spiced with Moroccan flavors, eating this salad will allow you to escape from the stress of your daily routine while transporting your mind to Africa.    Roasting the carrots brings out their sweetness and balances the slight kick from the Moroccan spices.  I'm all about texture variation and thought my salad hit a home run with the texture spectrum. 

Also, including both golden raisins and dried cranberries adds an element of surprise.  Due to the minimal use of golden raisins in the salad,  whenever one appears in a bite, your taste buds will be in for a sweet, fruity treat.

Moroccan cuisine is a blend of North African, Arabic, Spanish and French influences and relies heavily on spices, particularly paprika, ginger, saffron, turmeric, anise, cumin, coriander, and cinnamon.  I read an interesting CNN article on traveling in Morocco and learned that "if you don't like cumin, you may starve."  Good thing I love cumin! Apparently, cumin is the equivalent of our pepper, and can be found next to the salt and ground chili pepper on Moroccan dining tables .  

Some other common ingredients in Moroccan cooking include olives and olive oil, lemon, pomegranate, nuts, and dried fruit.  Sweet-and-sour flavor profiles predominate in Moroccan dishes.

Nutrition Highlight: Carrots

Eat Carrots to Outsmart Stroke 

A Harvard described in the book Food: Your Miracle Medicine by Jean Carper, followed 90,000 women over eight years and found that those who ate five carrots a week versus once a month  reduced their risk of stroke by two-thirds!  The researchers thought that it was the beta-carotene in the carrots responsible for mitigating stroke. So don't feel restricted to eating just carrots—spinach, kale, romaine lettuce, apricots, sweet potatoes, and winter squash are all contenders.  Just remember to choose dark orange fruits or vegetables or dark leafy greens for maximizing your beta-carotene intake.  Try adding puréed pumpkin into your breakfast oatmeal, toss some spinach into a brothy soup or quesadilla, or savor a roasted sweet potato with a touch of butter and sprinkle of cinnamon.  

Stroke patients with high levels of vitamin A, like beta-carotene, recovered faster and were less likely to suffer from brain damage.  Experts think this is because of the carotenoid antioxidants in foods like carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach.   Stroke causes cell damage because it deprives the brain of oxygen.  Scientists think that Vitamin A might interfere in cell breakdown and minimize brain damage.

The One and Only. . . 

Carrots have a natural pesticide called falcarinol that keeps carrots from dying of fungal disease.  This compound is only found in carrots and may reduce cancer risk.

Crunch on Carrots for Good Teeth

It's true that the body absorbs vitamin A better from cooked vegetables.  However, raw carrots have benefits, too!  Crunching on carrots helps scrape plaque off the teeth and triggers saliva production, inhibiting bacteria.  Dentists also want you to eat lots of vitamin A rich food, such as carrots, because of vitamin A's involvement with enamel formation.  The keratin protein in enamel can't form without the help of vitamin A.

Packing Tip

Pack the nuts separately if this is going to be a meal-to-go and protect your fork.

If the nuts are mixed in with the salad in advance, they'll get soggy.

ServeSafe is the current topic in my Foodservice Management class.  The other day we were discussing bacterial contamination and I realized that there might be bacteria inside of my lunchbag from spills (e.g. pineapple that leaked), so I started wrapping my fork in a napkin to keep it clean.  Hospitals require utensils to be covered to prevent contamination and restaurants have begun to follow suit.

Moroccan Spiced Roasted Carrot Quinoa Salad
Printable Recipe

This recipe from Girl Cooks World was the inspiration for my salad.

In order to feel less overwhelmed in the kitchen, I try to divide prep over a few days and have named this method "traffic light cooking." 

I grouped components so that you can work on the salad in segments.  I'm usually trying to prepare my Tuesday and Thursday lunch and dinner to-go salads simultaneously, so I find it helpful when instructions are categorized.

Ingredients

Spice Mix (combine in a lidded container)
2 teaspoons sweet paprika
1 teaspoon each: turmeric, ginger, cumin, coriander, cinnamon, salt
1/2 teaspoon each:  cayenne pepper and ground pepper 
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom (opt)

Dressing (combine in a small jar)

1/4 c olive oil

1/4 c lemon juice (half a lemon)

1/2 tsp Dijon mustard

1 tsp spice mix

Salad

1/2 c dry black beans (or 1 c cooked)
1/4 c dry quinoa (or 1 c cooked)
2 big carrots, halved lengthwise, then cut into approx. 3" x 1/4" thick strips
1/4 c red onion, sliced
2 garlic cloves, chopped
1/4 c hazelnuts, toasted, halved
1/4 c minced parsley (essential for color)
1 T lemon juice
2 T dried cranberries
1 T plump golden raisins (the perfect amount) 
bed of greens

Process

Prep Part 1: Make spice mix, beans, and quinoa.

Cook Beans: 1/2 c dry black beans (there will be about 1/2 c extra)

• Soak beans overnight. Drain. Add beans to slow cooker, cover with 2" of water, and cook until tender.  Black beans take 5 hours in my slow cooker, but most models usually take about 3 hours.  
• Or, bring to a boil on the stove and simmer for about 1 1/2 hours until tender.
• Measure out 1 cup of beans for the salad into a bowl or large lidded container.

Cook Quinoa: 1/4 cup quinoa + 1/2 cup water (or 1 c cooked)

• Combine the quinoa, 2 tsp of the spice mix and the water, bring to a boil and simmer for 15 min. Turn off heat and let fluff for 5 minutes with the lid on.  
• Add quinoa to mixing bowl or big container.

Prep Part 2: Roast the carrots, onion, garlic @ 400º.

Line 2 baking sheets with foil or a silpat.

In a medium bowl, toss carrots with 1 tsp olive oil and 2 tsp spice mix. Then toss onions and garlic with 1/2 tsp oil and 1/2 tsp spice mix. Spread carrots onto one sheet and onions & garlic onto the other. Roast 15 minutes, until tender.  Cut the long carrot sticks in half after roasting for easier eating.

• Add the veggies to the mixing bowl or big container.

Prep Part 3: Final touches.

2 T of dressing

1 T lemon juice 

1 T golden raisins (seems small, but it's the perfect amount)

2 T dried cranberries (adds color and a little tartness)

1/4 c chopped parsley (essential for color contrast)

1/4 c hazelnuts toasted, halved (could sub with almonds)
       *If not serving right away, don't mix in hazelnuts or they will get soggy.

• Add these ingredients to mixing bowl or big container. Toss everything, then serve on a bed of lettuce.

Makes 2 servings.  Serve with a side of fruit.