Moroccan Carrot-Chickpea Salad with Mint and Chives

help me

Remember our hugging carrots? (Actually, it now looks like a strangling carrot. Wow—I need to quit looking at it.  Looks a bit perverse.)

We still have a plethora of carrots—I am talking three full plastic shopping bags full.     I have made two carrot cakes, two batches of muffins, hummus and carrot wraps, and numerous carrot salads.   But, I am always on the hunt for a better carrot recipe.

I found this unique salad at 101 Cookbooks.

For the original recipe, click here.    (I omitted the almonds and dates, added more carrots, and doubled the dressing.)

Moroccan Carrot and Chickpea Salad with Mint and Chives

2 T. cumin seeds
2/3 c. extra virgin olive oil
1/4 c. fresh lemon juice
2 T. local honey
1 t. fine sea salt
1/4 t. cayenne pepper
1 lb. grated carrots
15 oz. canned chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1/3 c. fresh mint, torn
2 T. fresh chives, chopped

Make dressing:
Toast cumin seeds in a dry skillet until fragrant (1-2 minutes).    Let cool.   Grind in a spice grinder.

Place ground cumin seeds, olive oil, lemon juice, honey, salt and cayenne in a blender and pulse until incorporated and emulsified.   Set aside.

In a serving bowl,  combine the carrots, chickpeas, mint, chives and dressing.  Gently toss until everything is evenly coated. Serve immediately, or cover and refrigerate until ready to serve. Remove from refrigerator thirty minutes before serving.

We had a graduation celebration cook-out to attend and I took this salad.  (Friends’ kids are starting to graduate from high school—we are getting old!)text

Everyone but The Hubs loved it.    There was too much mint in the salad for him.   “All I got was a mouthful of mint.”

To qualify, we are not big mint fans.     I even decreased the amount of mint called for in the original recipe.

This salad, however, would be delicious with any herbs.      (That is why I added the chives.)    I am definitely keeping this recipe in our archives.  🙂

(Can you tell I found PicMonkey?)

 

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