Marrakesh Carrots

By PineyCook

Ingredients

• 4 cups grated carrots
• 1 1/2 cups cooked chickpeas, rinsed and drained
• 7 medjool dates, pitted and chopped
• 4 scallions, white and green parts, chopped
• 1/2 cup coarsely chopped fresh cilantro
• 3 tablespoons olive oil
• Zest and juice of 2 limes
• 3/4 teaspoon ground cumin
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly-grated nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon turmeric
• 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/2 teaspoon sea salt
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly-cracked black pepper
• 1/2 cup shelled roasted pistachios, coarsely chopped
• 1/2-3/4 cup crumbled feta cheese

Details

Adapted from popsugar.com

Preparation

Step 1

Add the carrots, chickpeas, dates, scallions, and cilantro to a large bowl.

In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the olive oil, lime zest and juice, cumin, nutmeg, turmeric, red pepper flakes, salt, and pepper.

Pour the dressing over the carrot mixture and toss to coat. Sprinkle in the pistachios and feta cheese and toss gently.

Serve or cover and chill in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

A few quick notes about prep: I've made this salad with both dried chickpeas that I cooked myself and canned; the dried chickpeas have a superior texture, but in a pinch canned do the trick. If you have a food processor, this is the time to bust it out to grate the carrots, as it's a large volume. Dates are really sticky; put them in the freezer for 10 minutes before chopping so they don't form quite as gluey of a mass once chopped. Lastly, it makes a great brown-bag lunch, but do know that leftovers lose a bit of their crunch. If you're brown bagging it, pack the pistachios separately in a resealable plastic bag so as to preserve their texture.