Newest Obsession

I have been a little obsessed with Moroccan flavors lately. I love the flavor from the spices in Moroccan cuisine combined with the hit of sweetness from dried fruit. Last weekend the fiance and I offered to make a late lunch/dinner for his Mom to celebrate her birthday. Knowing that she doesn’t like onions, garlic, or peppers, I was limited on what I could make. I immediately recalled this awesome Moroccan quinoa salad recipe I had made recently, and realized that I could leave the green onions out as a garnish. Sold! We decided to have it with grilled wild coho salmon and asparagus, so I left out the red lentils and broccoli, and conformed closer to the original recipe.

Moroccan Quinoa Salad (Serves 6 as a side dish) Original recipe from Cooking Weekends

• 1 cup quinoa, rinsed
• 2 cups vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoon cumin
• 1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
• 1/2 teaspoon cardamom
• 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon
• juice from 1/2 lemon, or more to taste
• 2 teaspoon honey
• 1/2 teaspoon harissa
• 1 large carrot, shredded
• 1 zucchini, shredded
• 1/4 cup golden raisins
• 1 green onion, thinly sliced
• 2 tablespoon cilantro, chopped

1. Rinse the quinoa and place in a medium sauce pan over medium heat to toast for 3-5 minutes; stirring occasionally. Add broth, cumin, ginger, cardamom, and cinnamon. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, cover, and cook for 15-20 minutes until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Remove from heat, keep covered, and let sit for 5 minutes.
2. Meanwhile, combine lemon juice, honey, and harissa in a small bowl. When quinoa is finished stir in lemon juice mixture, carrot, zucchini, raisins, green onion (or leave on the side as a garnish, and cilantro. Taste and add salt if necessary.
3. Serve.

Asparagus with salt, pepper, extra virgin olive oil, and balsamic vinegar, grilled until al dente.

We seasoned the salmon with cumin, cayenne, paprika, salt and pepper.

Enjoyed with a celebratory afternoon glass of wine; the best kind.

Dessert was an apricot tea square, some strawberries, and melted fondu chocolate.

The next awesome Moroccan recipe I made recently was this Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup with Harissa.

Slow Cooker Red Lentil Soup with Harissa (Serves 8-10) Original recipe from Healthy Green Kitchen

• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 large onion, peeled and chopped
• 4 garlic cloves, peeled and minced
• 2 organic carrots, chopped
• 2 organic celery ribs, chopped
• 28 ounce can whole plum tomatoes, with liquid
• 2 cups red lentils, rinsed, picked over, and drained
• 1/2 cup raisins
• 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
• 1 teaspoons ground cumin
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 1/2 teaspoons ground tumeric
• 2 teaspoons sweet paprika
• 2 teaspoons ground ginger

1. Add all ingredients to the slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 7-8 hours.

For the harissa:

• 1 ounce dried red chilis, stemmed and de-seeded as much as possible without breaking apart*
• 1 clove garlic, pressed or finely minced
• 2 tablespoons Fage 0% Greek yogurt
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
• handful fresh cilantro

1. Soak dried chilis in hot water for 15-30 minutes until soft.
2. Combine all ingredients in a small food processor, bullet, or cup for hand blender. Blend until well combined.
3. Place a dollop on top of red lentil soup.

This was a sure slow cooker WINNER! Super easy, extremely flavorful, and vegetarian. We will surely be making this again.

What country has been inspring your meals lately?

Tags: Quinoa, Salmon, Slow Cooker