Middle Eastern whole roasted carrots are dressed in a mixture of cilantro, harissa and preserved lemons, and topped with goat cheese, olives, and the excellent nuts and fruit Original Salad Topper from Natursource.
These Middle Eastern roasted carrots offer a side dish that can hold its own against any main course!
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- Middle Eastern whole roasted carrots are dressed in a mixture of cilantro, harissa and preserved lemons, and topped with goat cheese, olives, and the excellent nuts and fruit Original Salad Topper from Natursource.
- A Punchy Middle Eastern Carrot Salad
- Seasoned crunchy Natursource Salad Toppers
- Why you are going to LOVE this Moroccan Carrots Salad
- Additional Carrot recipes:
- When to serve
- Ingredients
- Directions
- Accompanying dishes
- FAQ
- Recipe
A Punchy Middle Eastern Carrot Salad
If you've been following this blog for any length of time, you'll know that I'm a big fan of salads. But I'm not talking about your run-of-the-mill, lettuce/tomato/cucumber salads (though I do like the occasional Israeli salad). My go-to salads are hefty, multi-ingredient affairs that fill up your greens and protein quota, as well as your gut!
And today's Middle Eastern whole roasted carrots with olives, goat cheese, salad topper and harissa-preserved lemon dressing are a Middle Eastern carrot salad that brings together some of my favourite Middle Eastern flavours (carrots, punchy harissa, preserved lemon, olives) with the rustic beauty of farm-to-table eating.
Seasoned crunchy Natursource Salad Toppers
My great love for salads is why I was particularly happy to partner with Natursource to help promote their new line of salad toppers.
This Moroccan carrot salad is the first of a few dishes that I've developed with their incredible products, each of which was good enough for a snack on its own (and dangerously depleted the supply I had to work with).
And if you're really curious, spoiler alert - not everything I've made with the salad toppers has been a salad!
The grand daddy of the Natursource salad line, the Original Salad Topper offers a boost of flavour and protein in a colourful blend of ruby red cranberries, crunchy cashews, pumpkin and Tamari-flavoured sunflower seeds.
Rich in antioxidants, fibre and vitamin E, and entirely vegan, this product offers an excellent way to add plant-based proteins to your grain-free meals. That way, even if all you've got on hand is lettuce, cucumbers and tomatoes, your salad will still taste - and look - inviting.
Natursource original salad topper is available for purchase on Amazon, with free shipping through Prime! Which, if you're lazy like me, is a big bonus).
Why you are going to LOVE this Moroccan Carrots Salad
These whole roasted carrots in a Middle Eastern harissa dressing are:
- Punchy in flavor - the dressing is really bold and stands on its own. Dressed in a mixture of cilantro, harissa and preserved lemons, and topped with goat cheese, olives, and the excellent nuts and fruit Original Salad Topper from Natursource, these Middle Eastern roasted carrots offer a side dish that can hold its own against any main course.
- Provide an alternative to grain and carb-heavy meals - there are so many layers of flavor in these whole roasted carrots, that any vegetarian at the table would be happy
- Gluten free
- Filling - the granola crunch really adds filling value to this dish
- Beautiful - with their fall inspired colors, this Moroccan spiced carrots dish is a joy to look at - and eat!
- Great fall dish - whole roasted carrots in three colors would look great on any Thanksgiving, Rosh Hashana or Sukkot table.
Additional Carrot recipes:
If you like the strong flavors of this Moroccan carrot salad, you may like the following carrot recipes:
When to serve
These Moroccan spiced carrots would be great in the fall.
With their mix of colors, these whole roasted carrots would look especially great on a Thanksgiving table.
They would also be great served for the high Jewish holidays like Rosh Hashana, with its emphasis on eating carrots as one of the 7 simanim.
But these Moroccan roasted carrots are a universal dish. Based on what you serve along with them, these Moroccan roasted carrots will work in fall, winter or spring, and pair well with red and strong white wines.
And the best part is? Besides roasting the carrots and pureeing the dressing, it takes very little active work.
For more fall recipes like this:
Ingredients
More of a side dish than a salad, really, these Middle Eastern roasted carrots will convince anyone that a salad can be a serious dish to contend with.
Before you run off to make it, some words about the ingredients:
- Whole carrots - as is expected in a Middle Eastern whole roasted carrots dish, the star of the show here are the carrots. Choose nice firm whole carrots in a variety of colors.
- Harissa - harissa is a strong Middle Eastern condiment, and its spice level varies from tube to homemade jar. You would do well to taste your harissa before putting it into the dressing, and if you're sensitive to spice, put just a dab of it in - or omit entirely to protect the most sensitive diners.
- Goat cheese - roasted carrots and goat cheese make for a great combination. You can substitute it with feta as well.
- Olives - they add a punch of salt to these whole roasted carrots. You can use any olives you like, but green olives are traditional for a Moroccan recipe.
- Preserved Lemons - they give this salad a special taste. I recommend making your own according to this homemade preserved lemons recipe. If you don't like them or can't source them, replace with regular lemon juice.
- Original Salad Topper - To try these Middle-Eastern roasted carrots, pile on the Original Salad Topper, and amaze any salad-skeptics with the flavours of preserved lemons, harissa and olives. You can also replace with your selection of pumpkin seeds and dried cranberries.
Where to source Middle Eastern specialty ingredients:
I recommend the following Middle Eastern specialty ingredients found in this Middle Eastern Carrot Salad:
Directions
Roast carrots:
Preheat oven to 400F. Cover baking sheet with parchment paper.
Quarter carrots into spears, or leave whole for whole roasted carrots. Arrange carrots on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until carrots have softened and browned in some parts.
Arrange Moroccan roasted carrots on a large platter. Rip goat cheese with your fingers and drop in haphazard clumps on top of carrots. Top with with olives and salad topper.
Make harissa sauce:
To make sauce, put all remaining ingredients but the oil in a blender or food processor. Process on low or using pulse action (depending on the settings of your blender) until herbs have chopped finely and the lemon has been broken into pieces (you may need to push the contents down with a spatula a few times).
Start processing on a higher speed, adding the oil slowly, until dressing has completely emulsified. To thin out the texture a little bit, add water one tablespoon at a time.
Distribute oil with a spoon on top of the Middle Eastern carrot salad, and serve.
Accompanying dishes
Serve this Middle Eastern carrot salad with the following dishes:
- Moroccan Ground Turkey Stuffed Peppers With Rice, Cilantro And Baharat
- Have an exotic easy weeknight dinner with one pan baked Moroccan salmon
- 4-Step Easy Middle Eastern Tofu Rice Bowl
- Creamy roasted eggplant soup recipe that is made in one pan
- 4 Easy Middle Eastern Apple Appetizers that Will Make any Holiday Entertaining a Breeze
- How to Make the Ultimate Middle Eastern appetizer platter with our best mezze recipes {V, GF, Paleo}
FAQ
Middle Eastern roasted whole carrots will keep in the fridge for 5 days in an airtight container.
Yes, Moroccan whole roasted carrots can be frozen without the salad topper or goat cheese.
No, I don't peel my carrots. There are a lot of nutrients in the peel, and when you get nice local carrots all you need to do is wash them well.
Yes! You can make the harissa-preserved lemon dressing one day, roast the carrots another, and combine all the ingredients right before serving.
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Recipe
Middle Eastern roasted carrots with olives, goat cheese, salad topper and harissa-preserved lemon dressing
Ingredients
- 12 medium-sized carrots of mixed colours
- ¼ cup goat cheese
- 1 cup green or black olives pitted and chopped
- ½ cup Natursource original salad topper or a mix of cashews, cranberries and pumpkin and sunflower seeds
- ½ preserved lemon Follow this recipe to make your own: https://immigrantstable.com/spiced-preserved-lemons/
- 1 large handful cilantro chopped roughly
- 1 TB honey
- ½ teaspoon harissa
- ¼ cup olive oil and more for roasting the carrots
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- Cover baking sheet with parchment paper. Quarter carrots into spears, or leave as whole carrots. Arrange carrots on baking sheet and drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper. Bake for 30-35 minutes, until carrots have softened and browned in some parts.
- Arrange carrots on a large platter. Rip goat cheese with your fingers and drop in haphazard clumps on top of carrots. Top with with olives and salad topper.
- To make sauce, put all remaining ingredients but the oil in a blender or food processor. Process on low or using pulse action (depending on the settings of your blender) until herbs have chopped finely and the lemon has been broken into pieces (you may need to push the contents down with a spatula a few times). Start processing on a higher speed, adding the oil slowly, until dressing has completely emulsified. To thin out the texture a little bit, add water one tablespoon at a time.
- Distribute oil with a spoon on top of the roasted carrots, and serve.
Sarah says
Holy smokes!
kseniaprints says
Adding a smokey flavour to this would also be nice!