Moroccan Squash Salad Recipes

MOROCCAN CARROT & CHICKPEA SALAD

Steps:

• In a large bowl (large enough to mix the entire salad), whisk together all of the ingredients for the dressing.
• To the dressing, add all of the ingredients for the salad and toss well. Cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 30 minutes or up to a few hours. Taste and adjust seasoning if necessary (you might need more salt, lemon or honey, depending on the sweetness of the carrots). Transfer to a serving dish and garnish with more fresh chopped herbs. Serve cold.
• Note: To toast the almonds, preheat the oven to 350°F. Place the almonds on a foil-lined baking sheet for easy clean-up. Bake for about 5 minutes, until the almonds are golden.

MOROCCAN SQUASH SALAD

Steps:

• Bring a large pot of lightly salted water on to boil. Meanwhile, prepare the squash by peeling/cutting off the hard skin. Cut in half and scoop the seeds out, then chop into 1/2 inch cubes. Cook the squash in the boiling water until knife tender, roughly 6-10 minutes. Add in the raisins for the last minute of cooking. Rather than just testing with a knife, take a piece out and try it to be sure you like the consistency. Strain and rinse well under cold water to cool everything down - set aside.
• Whisk together the lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sugar, salt, cumin, cinnamon and cayenne.
• Add the cooled down squash and raisins to a large bowl, toss in the parsley, the almonds, any optional ingredients and the dressing. Serve at room temperature. Enjoy!

MOROCCAN CHICKEN AND SQUASH

Steps:

• Combine the squash, turnip, leek and raisins in a 6-quart slow cooker. Season the chicken with salt and pepper and place on top of the vegetables.
• Whisk the chicken broth, tomato paste, cumin, coriander, turmeric, lemon zest and juice, and 1 teaspoon salt in a large bowl. Pour the mixture over the chicken and vegetables. Cover and cook on high, 4 hours.
• Serve the chicken and vegetables with couscous; drizzle with some of the cooking liquid. Top with cilantro.

MOROCCAN CHICKEN WITH SQUASH AND DRIED PLUMS

Steps:

• In a medium glass bowl, combine the spice mixture, 2 tablespoons of the olive oil, the lemon zest, lemon juice, and harissa. Add the chicken thighs and stir to coat. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours. Warm the chicken broth and add the saffron strands, then allow to steep at least 1 hour or up to 3 hours.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• Remove the chicken thighs from the marinade. In a Dutch oven over high heat, brown the chicken thighs on both sides in 2 tablespoons olive oil, about 2 to 3 minutes per side. Set chicken aside on a plate. Reduce the heat to medium, add 1 tablespoon olive oil to the pan, and saute the onion until golden, about 5 minutes. Place the chicken thighs on top of the onions and add any accumulated juices from the plate. Arrange the zucchini and yellow squash and tomato quarters on top of the chicken and tuck in the prunes and olives. Season well with salt and pepper. Pour over the chicken broth and saffron. Cover and place on the bottom rack of the oven. Let cook undisturbed 1 1/2 to 2 hours, until the vegetables are tender and the chicken is falling off the bone. Remove from the oven and transfer the contents of the Dutch oven to a large serving dish.
• Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in a small saucepan over high heat until hot but not smoking. Add the almonds and fry until the skins begin to crackle, about 2 to 3 minutes. Pour the almonds and hot oil over the vegetables and chicken on the serving dish. Sprinkle with the chopped parsley and serve, spooning over the sauce in the dish and garnishing each plate with the lemon quarters.
• Combine the spices in a coffee grinder and grind to a medium-fine powder. Add the kosher salt and pepper. Store in an air-tight container, if not using immediately.