Moroccan Carrot Salad

With this Moroccan carrot salad, you'll find me working the North African angle again. I can't help it - all this French food gets me to craving something spicy and you'll find Moroccan food all over France, so why not?

This salad can be served as a first course for a Moroccan inspired meal. You might like to follow with this Moroccan chicken recipe that features preserved lemons and olives. It also is a great make ahead salad to serve at a bbq. The spicy flavors go well with simply grilled meats.

Be sure to use only the freshest, sweetest carrots you can find to make this easy salad recipe.

• 1 pound carrots
• 1 orange
• 1 clove garlic, finely minced
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 tablespoon lemon juice
• 1 tablespoon chopped cilantro or flat leaved parsley
• 1 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1 teaspoon honey
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon pepper
• pinch of cayenne pepper

Juice the orange. Scrub the carrots clean and slice them diagonally into 1/4 inch thick rounds. Place them in a medium sized pot and pour all but 1 tablespoon of the orange juice on top. Fill the pot with just enough water to cover the carrots. Simmer the carrots on low heat for about 15 minutes. They should be just tender - not at all mushy.

Remove the carrots from the heat, drain off the water, and allow to cool.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the garlic, olive oil, lemon juice, reserved orange juice, chopped cilantro or parsley, honey, salt, pepper and cayenne. Add more salt, pepper or cayenne pepper to the dressing according to your taste.

When they have cooled, mix the carrots with the dressing and serve or refrigerate.

This salad can be enjoyed either chilled or at room temperature.

Makes 4 servings.

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Variations

• Add a handful of toasted pine nuts for extra crunch, or a handful of Kalamata olives for a salty contrasting flavor.
• Instead of cayenne, use 1/4 teaspoon or more of harissa paste.
• You can also make a raw version of this Moroccan carrot salad. Just skip the first part of the recipe, mix up the dressing and toss with shredded carrots. You may find you need a bit more dressing if you do it this way.

Find more easy salad recipes like this Moroccan carrot salad.