Moroccan Roasted Carrot, Arugula, Wild Rice, and Feta Salad

Recipe adapted from Love Real Food by Kathryne Taylor

This super flavorful Moroccan-inspired salad is adapted from a recipe from Kathryne Taylor from her cookbook, LOVE REAL FOOD. If you haven’t yet been introduced to the work of Kathryne Taylor, I encourage you to check out her fabulous cookbook and to visit her online at www.cookieandkate.com.

Special Equipment Needed: High-Speed Blender

Ingredients:

Wild Rice:

• 1 cup wild rice, rinsed

Roasted Carrots:

• 1 pound carrots, peeled and cut on the diagonal into 1/2 inch-thick slices

• 1 tablespoon avocado oil

• 1 tablespoon maple syrup

• 1 teaspoon chili powder (This makes the carrots quite spicy. If you are sensitive to spice, you may wish to use less or to omit the chili powder entirely.)

• 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

Walnut Citron Dressing:

• 1/4 cup raw walnut pieces
  (Her recipe calls for 1/4 cup of olive oil. I prefer to use nuts in the place of oil in dressings and sauces to increase the fiber, protein, and antioxidant content. Feel free to use whichever fat source you prefer. If using the olive oil, you can simply whisk the dressing ingredients together in a small bowl.)

• The juice of 2 large or 3 small lemons

• 1 teaspoon dijon mustard

• 1 teaspoon maple syrup

• 1 clove garlic, pressed

• 1/4 teaspoon salt

• Finely ground black pepper, to taste

Salad:

• 1/3 cup raw pepitas, toasted

• 5 to 6 ounces baby arugula, rinsed and dried

• 7-ounce package feta, crumbled (Feel free to omit this entirely if fully plant-based.)

• 3 tablespoons golden raisins (or more to taste)

Instructions:

Cook Wild Rice:

• Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the rice and simmer until the rice is tender with a nice chewy bite (~40 to 45 minutes). When done, drain the rice and add it back into the pan. Cover and let rest on a cool surface for 10 minutes.

Roast the Carrots:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.

• Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.

• Peel and chop the carrots into 1/2 inch thick slices on the diagonal

• Place the carrots on the baking sheet and drizzle with the oil and maple syrup. Sprinkle with the chili powder, cinnamon, and salt.

• Toss and arrange in a single layer.

• Roast until the carrots are caramelized and tender, flipping once during cooking (~35 minutes).

Make the Walnut Citron Dressing:

• Place the walnuts, lemon juice, mustard, maple syrup, garlic, and salt in the container of a high-speed blender.

• Blend on medium-high until smooth.

• Taste and adjust seasonings, adding pepper as desired.

Prepare the Salad:

• Toast the pepitas in a non-stick skillet over medium heat until they are nicely browned, stirring frequently. Watch them carefully, as they will burn easily. Sprinkle with salt.

• In a large bowl combine the wild rice and arugula.

• Just prior to serving, toss the rice and arugula with enough dressing to lightly coat the salad.

• Spread the salad and rice mix on a large serving platter, arrange the carrots on top, sprinkle with the toasted pepitas, crumbled feta, and golden raisins. Add remaining dressing, if desired.

• Serve immediately.

Hands on Time: ~25 minutes
Total Cook Time: ~60 minutes

Yield: ~Six 1 1/2 cup servings

Nutrition Information Per 1 1/2 Cup Serving:
(This was calculated using walnuts instead of oil in the dressing.)
Calories: 307 Protein: 12g Fat: 15.4g Carbs: 30.4g Fiber: 3.4g Iron: 1.9mg
Calcium: 241mg Vitamin A: 176.8IU Vitamin C: 15.2mg Folate: 81.3IU
Potassium: 424.7mg Polyunsaturated Fat: 3.9g Saturated Fat: 5.5g
Trans Fat: .3g Cholesterol: 29.3mg

Fabulous Feta:

The use of feta dates from eighth century B.C., when sheep milk was likely stored in brine as a preservation method. To be classified as feta, the cheese must be comprised of at least 70% sheep milk, with no more than 30% coming from goat milk. While feta can be made in a variety of countries, to be designated as PDO (protected designation of origin), it must come from Greece. A PDO feta from Greece is made only from native breeds of ewes and goats, preferably pasture grazed.

Feta has several significant health benefits:

• Sheep milk, the primary ingredient in feta, is high in protein. It has nearly double the protein per serving (7.3 grams in 1/2 cup) than cow milk (3.8 per 1/2 cup).

• Sheep milk has been shown to be an excellent source of B vitamins, especially B2 (riboflavin) and B12, which are critical for brain and nervous system formation, and for the maintenance of optimal brain functioning and mood (Flis & Molik, 2021).

• Sheep milk contains several essential minerals, including calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, potassium, and zinc.

• As it is made of fermented dairy, feta enriches the microbiome. It contains numerous helpful microbe species, with lactobacillus strains being the most prevalent (Papadakis et al., 2021).

This salad has a delicious combination of flavors and textures, including peppery arugula, spicy maple carrots, nutty wild rice, sweet raisins, tangy feta, and crunchy pepitas. If you are fully plant-based and wish to omit the feta, you might consider replacing it with garbanzo beans to increase the protein content.

Wishing you abundant good health and happy eating! 🌱💕

References:
Flis, Z., & Molik, E. (2021). Importance of Bioactive Substances in Sheep's Milk in Human Health. International Journal of Molecular Sciences, 22(9), 4364. www.doi.org/10.3390/ijms22094364

Papadakis, P., Konteles, S., Batrinou, A., Ouzounis, S., Tsironi, T., Halvatsiotis, P., Tsakali, E., Van Impe, J. F. M., Vougiouklaki, D., Strati, I. F., & Houhoula, D. (2021). Characterization of Bacterial Microbiota of P.D.O. Feta Cheese by 16S Metagenomic Analysis. Microorganisms, 9(11), 2377. www.doi.org/10.3390/microorganisms9112377