Warm Moroccan Quinoa Salad

Another quinoa recipe? Oh, this must be good.

And it is. Cozy and complex, not only is it delicious for the grownups, it’s a fantastic way to introduce Moroccan flavours to the kids.

We stumbled upon this combination by accident — I was making the Mexican-style Quinoa and made way too much quinoa. The girls have been enjoying lots of dried fruits lately with our homemade granola and we happened to have Moroccan seasoning on hand from making this Chicken Tagine. Quinoa + dried fruits + Moroccan seasonings = delicious. Make enough to have leftovers. This tastes even better the next day.

Warm Moroccan Quinoa Salad, 2 ways

(serves 4)

1 1/4 cups low-sodium chicken or vegetable broth
1 cup uncooked red quinoa
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs, roasted, grilled or poached and shredded
1 cup roughly chopped dried apricots
1 cup pitted and chopped medjool dates
6 tbsp extra-virgin olive oil
1 tbsp Moroccan seasoning (see below)
juice of 1 lime

Prepare the quinoa by bringing the broth to a boil in a saucepan. Add the quinoa and simmer on medium-low, covered, for 15 min or so. The broth should be absorbed and the quinoa grains should be translucent and have little white rings.

Add the chicken, apricots, dates, olive oil, Moroccan seasoning and lime juice and combine well. Serve warm or cold. Refrigerates and reheats very well.

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Moroccan Seasoning

(as used in this Chicken Tagine with Preserved Lemons and Olives)

5 tsp ground nutmeg
5 tsp ground cumin
5 tsp ground coriander
2 1/2 tsp allspice
2 1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/4 tsp cayenne pepper
1 1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

In a small bowl, combine the seasonings and mix well. Store in an airtight container in a cool, dark place. Keeps well for 6 months.

Tips and Suggestions:

Double up the amount of quinoa and make the Mexican quinoa with half of the batch.
Looking for a vegetarian version, use vegetable broth to make the quinoa and leave out the chicken.

This post was shared on I’m Lovin’ It Friday on Tidymom.net.