Moroccan Fall Salad

I feel like the boy who cried wolf a little bit right now. Although it's been nice not having to worry about scheduling posts (while making preparations for baby instead), I still find myself wanting to share with you the yummy things I've been making!

I like food...a lot, and I love sharing it all with you. So, here I am again; I just can't stay away.

Baby is still due in 2 weeks. This will be girl #3-heaven help us! Some say #3 is the hardest, some say #2 was hardest. I guess we will see.


This is a truly unique salad! I had it for the first time about a year ago and tried to recreate it last fall but didn't do so hot. Recently I found myself with some root veggies that had been given to me and this salad came mind again. So, I went about trying to recreate the salad. Well, it made it on the blog, so this time was definitely a success!

I just love how loaded it is with different veggies; not to mention the dried fruit and nuts. When I ate this salad before, it was topped with Moroccan-spiced chicken. I didn't want to use chicken but still wanted those authentic flavors to pull the dish together. So, I created a vinaigrette that has some of those same spices, and I think it worked great! Here's some healthy eating inspiration to use up those fall veggies!

Moroccan Fall Salad
1 head romaine lettuce, shredded
1/2 cup butternut squash, diced (boiled or roasted*)
1/2 cup beets, diced (boiled, roasted* or canned)
1 avocado, diced
1-2 small carrots, peeled and sliced (or shredded)
1/2 cup button mushrooms, sliced or diced
1/2 large bell pepper, diced
1 hard-boiled egg, diced
1/4 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup dates, small-diced
1/3 cup sliced toasted almonds
Feta cheese, crumbled (optional)

*You can roast the squash and beets at the same time if you wish. Just wash, peel and dice them. Throw them on a cookie sheet, drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt and pepper. I kept them separated on the same cookie sheet so the beets wouldn't bleed onto the squash. Roast in a 425 F oven for about 15-20 minutes, checking every 10 minutes or so and tossing them around a bit.

Prepare all the rest of the ingredients while the squash and beets are roasting, setting aside the eggs, avocado.

When beets and squash are finished cooking and cooled down, toss everything but the eggs and avocado together in a large salad bowl. Dish out salad onto individual plates and top with egg, avocado and feta cheese, if desired. Serve with Moroccan vinaigrette.


Moroccan Vinaigrette
1/4 cup red wine vinegar
1/4 cup olive oil
1-2 Tbsp. dijon mustard
2 tsp. honey
1/8 - 1/4 tsp. each cinnamon, cumin, cardamom, ginger (I actually used fresh)
1 garlic clove, minced

Put all ingredients into a small mixing bowl and whisk until combined.