The Moroccan carrot salad with a citrus and turmeric dressing can be defined in one word: bright. It's full of sweet, tangy, and savory elements that make these carrot 'noodles' all the more enticing. Note the use of chickpeas, cashews, pomegranate, and fresh mint in the base. And enjoy the orange juice, ginger, and cinnamon in the dressing. Needless to say, this vegan salad is a must-try.
Ingredients
For the salad
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 lb carrots
- 1 can chickpeas drained, aquafaba reserved
- 1 cup pomegranate arils about 1 large pomegranate
- ½ cup golden raisins
- ½ cup roasted salted sunflower seeds
- ¼ cup sesame seeds
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh cilantro leaves
- ½ cup finely chopped fresh mint
- 2 green onions finely chopped
For the citrus turmeric dressing
- ¼ cup fresh or refrigerated orange juice
- 1 tbsp reserved aquafaba
- Zest of 1 large lime
- Juice of 1 large lime
- 3 tbsp red wine vinegar
- 1½ tbsp pure maple syrup plus more as needed
- 1 tsp ground turmeric
- ½ tsp salt plus more as needed
- ½ tsp black pepper plus more as needed
- ½ tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp ground cumin
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp cayenne
- ¼ tsp ground cinnamon
Instructions
- To make the salad, preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C). Line a small baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Spread the cashews on the prepared baking sheet. Roast the cashews for 8 to 12 minutes, checking them frequently during the final 5 minutes to make sure they are golden without being burned. Remove the cashews from the oven and set them aside to cool.
- Meanwhile, use a julienne peeler to create “noodles” with each carrot. Place all of the carrot noodles in a large bowl that has a tight-fitting lid. Add the chickpeas, cashews, pomegranate arils, raisins, sunflower seeds, sesame seeds, cilantro, mint and green onions to the carrots.
- Use salad servers or tongs to combine the ingredients. Set the salad aside.
- To make the citrus-turmeric dressing, combine the orange juice, aquafaba, lime zest, lime juice, vinegar, maple syrup, turmeric, salt, black pepper, ginger, cumin, garlic powder, cayenne and cinnamon in a blender.
- Blend the ingredients for 30 seconds, until the dressing is completely smooth. Taste the dressing and add more salt, black pepper and maple syrup if desired.
- Pour the dressing over the salad. Cover the bowl with its lid and shake the bowl for 10 to 15 seconds to thoroughly coat the salad with the dressing. Chill the salad in the fridge for at least 30 minutes prior to serving it.