I love Moroccan food and flavors. It is also a favorite cuisine of mine even though I don’t get to cook Moroccan food as much as I would like. Today I figured I try to incorporate ingredients and spices that resemble that type of cuisine and see how it works. To my surprise, rather well for salads.

By adding cumin to the dressing, as well as using dates and chickpeas was enough for me to give the salad the Moroccan flavor I was looking for. I truly love cumin so this salad was totally up my alley. A very simple yet delicious salad.

So today is mother’s day and to be honest I have nothing especial planned. Probably go to the gym, bake a cake and prepare a few blog posts since I will be going to school next week and I have to get all my posts scheduled prior to starting.

To be honest the only thing I want in this world is to keep healthy and grow old to be able to see my kids develop into good human beings. I would like to travel more, have more flexibility with money by having a healthier bank account and perhaps have a a bigger home, however, to be honest, these are things that I don’t strive for or concentrate on because there are far more important things.

Being nice and compasionate, putting positive things out onto the universe and so forth is what I strive for.

Anyhow, I hope all the mother’s out there have a wonderful especial day. Perhaps I should have baked a cake or made something more indicative of the day but I think this salad is fine with me so I hope you like it.

Enjoy!

Moroccan buckwheat salad

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6 servings

Total Time: 10 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cups buckwheat
• 3 carrots, chopped
• 1 small red onion, chopped
• 2 oz fresh spinach, chopped
• 6 oz cooked chickpeas
• 6 pitted dates, chopped
• 2 green onions, chopped
• 2 oz fresh cilantro, chopped
• pepper flakes, optional

Dressing

• 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
• 1/3 cup rice wine vinegar
• 3 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp celtic salt

 

Directions:

Cook buckwheat according to package instructions and let it cool completely.

In a large mixing bowl add the salad ingredients together with the buckwheat and set aside.

In a glass jar mix the dressing ingredients and pour over the veggies. Combine and serve immediately.

NOTE: You can quinoa, farro or pearl couscous for this recipe.

The post Moroccan buckwheat salad appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I am actually serving these coconut date bites as well as my gluten free flourless chocolate cake for dessert today. I will be making two of them since there will be 9 of us and I anticipate people wanting seconds.

These also go perfect for the Moroccan food theme we are going for today. I really can’t wait.

I love making bites of this kind because not only you can make endless variations but because they are super easy to make, are gluten free, vegan and most importantly they are super healthy.

Coming May, I will be starting school again, so I really want to make bites like this every week so that I can pack them with me and have on the go. I know I will be getting hungry through out the day so I want to make sure I have it covered and not munch on anything I shouldn’t.

Nuts and things of this nature is what I like to snack on the most!

So how are you spending your Easter? I wish I had a chance of going to Spain and see family and friends, unfortunately plane tickets for a family of four to spend just a few days in Spain is not worth it. As a result, we will be spending it with some friends, which is equally important.

It is actually very hard these days to find quality friends. I don’t have that many for that matter. I have a couple of good friends from high school, however, they are in Spain and one good friend here with me in the USA.

I am one of those people that liked to have few good friends rather that tons of them that don’t have your back. It is a waste of time really!

Anyways, all in all, I hope that you have a wonderful Eater Sunday today. If you have 15 minutes and would like something sweet, healthy and tasty these coconut date bites are the perfect solution. A tasty dessert that your friends and family will enjoy!

Enjoy!

Coconut date bites

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 28-30 bites

Total Time: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 cup pitted dates
• 1/2 cup nuts of choice, I used walnuts
• 3 tbsp unsweetened shredded coconut, more for dipping
• 2 tsp vanilla extract
• 2 tbs water

Directions:

Place all the ingredients in your food processor and pulse until the come together.

Add some extra shredded coconut onto a plate and with your hands roll the mixture into little bites.

Store in an glass airtight container in your refrigerator.

The post Coconut date bites appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

If you don’t owned a slow cooker I suggest you purchase one. It is extremely easy to use, kind of inexpensive, and very convenient. This one is one of my favorites slow cooker models. I have actually taken it to gatherings since it closes hermetically and there is no spills. Love it!

Anyhow, onto the recipe now.

Like many of you guys know, I am in school and on top of other things going on in my life, I am redoing my entire house since it flooded. Talk about having management time issues. My life is pretty much scheduled to the minute so I have no time to spare and waste. Very stressful to say the least.

This type of recipes is what I like making lately. Super easy, and convenient. This slow cooker moroccan chicken is super hearty, filling and delicious. I love using all the Moroccan type of spices as well as one of my favorite natural sauces, Mina Harissa. This sauce is made with top of the line ingredients, all real ingredients I must add, and it is extremely versatile. You can add add this sauce pretty much onto anything that requires some spicy component. I also made this Harissa beef burgers the other day and they were juicy and extremely tasty. If you haven’t tried this Mina Harissa sauce you should try it soon. Check out their website for their sauce varieties.

Well I hope you get to make this slow cooker Moroccan chicken recipe soon. Like I said, it is very easy and super tasty.

Giveaway:

Mina Harissa has provided 3 packs of their Harissa sauce to 3 Eat Goo 4 Life readers.

To enter:

• Comment on the section below and let me know how would you Harissa in your recipes.
• I will pick 3 winners November 17th!

Enjoy!

This slow cooker moroccan chicken is super easy to put together. You can serve it with brown rice, couscous or quinoa. You can keep it gluten free this way.

Slow cooker moroccan chicken

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 4 hours

Ingredients:

• 1 lb organic breast chicken tenders, or chicken breast cut into chunks
• 6 organic chicken drumsticks
• 6 organic chicken thighs
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, quartered
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 1/3 cup vegetable or chicken stock
• 2 tbs Red Mina Harissa
• 2 tsp coriander powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 1/2 tsp cardamon powder
• 1 tsp Himalayan salt
• 2 tbsp tomato puree
• 15 oz canned chick peas
• 15 oz pitted green olives
• 1/4 cup golden raisins

Directions:

Mixed the spices, cumin, coriander, cardamon and cinnamon. Toss the chicken in the spices. Add the chicken to the slow cooker followed by the rest of the ingredients reserving the chick peas, olives and raisins for later on.

Set the slow cooker on high and cook the chicken for 3 hours. After the 3 hours add the rest of the ingredients. Cook for another hour on high.

Serve over some brown rice, couscous or quinoa.

NOTE: I added 3 tsp of arrowroot powder mixed with two tablespoons of water to thicken my sauce the last 2-3 minutes of cooking. You can also use cornstarch instead of arrowroot powder.

The post Slow cooker moroccan chicken appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have not make chicken in a long time and this grilled Moroccan chicken sure it was perfection. I love spices and this recipe sure used quite a variety of them.

Besides using the spices for this grilled Moroccan chicken I used one of my favorite natural spicy sauces, Mina Harissa. I used to use sriracha a lot but now it is replaced with this brand because it is completely natural and that I love way better.

You can buy Mina Harissa in red or green form. The color comes from using different type of peppers, so which ever one you like best, both are made with natural ingredients and they even have a mild variety if you don’t like hot food.

Now, this recipe calls for a lot of chicken. If you want to half the recipe go ahead, I just like to cook for more than just one time to have leftovers and use in the future. If you are having a gathering this would be perfect because this recipe will feed at least 6-8 people.

On another note, what is everyone doing for this summer? My kids are about to finish school, I am attending summer school and going to Spain this summer is just not possible for us. My vacation this year is going to be really short. Three days in Atlantic City, which I haven’t been there in years, and then the TN mountains for 2 weeks. Now that will be my only and real vacation even though I will have to work there too.

Anyhow my friends, if you like grilling and like chicken you need to try this recipe. My husband is the grilled master in our house and he totally approved my recipe. This grilled Moroccan chicken is great for any upcoming pool parties or gathering with your friends.

Enjoy!

Grilled moroccan chicken

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 6-8 servings

Total Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 lbs organic chicken drumsticks
• 3lbs organic chicken breast
• Fresh tomatoes, optional

Marinade

• 1/4 cup Red Mina Harissa Sauce
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 3-4 lemons, juice
• 2 tsp turmeric powder
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 1 tsp coriander powder
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp celtic salt
• 4 garlic cloves, minced
• Fresh mint or coriander, chopped

Directions:

In a large mixing bowl place the marinade ingredients and mix through. The marinade will be thick.

Place the chicken breast, not the drumstick, in between plastic wrap and use a meat tenderizer to pound the chicken to thin it out. Make 2-3 light scores on each chicken piece. This will allow the marinade to penetrate the meat.

Add the chicken breast and drumsticks to the bowl and mix in with the marinade making sure each chicken piece is covered nicely. I do this step with my hands. Let the chicken sit at room temperature for one hour or covered in the refrigerator overnight.

Preheat your grill. Add the chicken pieces and cook over medium to low heat for 5-7 minutes on each side depending on your grill. It may take slightly more time.

If using you can add sliced tomatoes and lemons to your grill the last 3-4 minutes of cooking to serve with the chicken.

The post Grilled Moroccan Chicken appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I have never tried Mina Harissa red pepper sauce before and I am so glad I did. This sauce is the bomb. Not only because it tastes awesome but because the ingredients are all natural in this. I have tried many prepared spicy sauces similar to this before but they all included a preservative or two.

For sure, this Mina Harissa sauce it is going to be my to go spicy red sauce from now on. I just have to make sure I hide it in the fridge some where to make sure my husband doesn’t eat it all!

There are many different types of Mina Harissa sauces that also vary on the degree of heat. If you like your food just mildly spicy they also make mild pepper sauces so you will for sure find one that you like.

For this recipe I used Mina Harissa spicy red pepper sauce in both the meatballs and the sauce. If you like it spicy, like we do, use it on both. If you like it mild just use it for the sauce. Either way, it is really good.

I have a couple of other Moroccan recipes in my blog. While we enjoy Asian food a lot, and cook plenty of it, I am really attracted to many other different cuisines, Moroccan being one of them. I am going to try to start incorporating more different dishes, as I think many of you enjoy them!

These Harissa moroccan meatballs will freeze very well. If you like, when you make this recipe, you can make a little bit more than what the recipe calls for and have for future consumption. I didn’t double my batch this time around but next time I will. This is a great comfort food recipe to have more than once so making more sounds like a plan!

I paired the meatballs with some whole wheat couscous. The combo was just perfect. I also used some chopped fresh mint to sprinkle over the meatballs because I run out of cilantro. It was a nice distinct flavor that came from it. It is not essential to this dish so if you want to omit it you can. I thought it complimented the dish though.

Well let me know if you try these Harissa moroccan meatballs. If you are a meat eater, and like spicy food, you will love this dish.

Enjoy!

This Mina Harissa red pepper sauce is truly fantastic. Natural and tasty above it all! You can use in many other different dishes. I know I will.

Once the sauce is ready, still over medium heat, add the meatballs to the dutch pan and cook covered for about 10-15 minutes. Take the lid off and cook further for another 5 minutes or so. The top meatball picture shows the meat uncooked, the bottom one shows the meatballs already cooked. It was super yummy paired with some whole wheat couscous.

Disclaimer: This post is sponsored by Mina Harissa and it contains affiliate links. All opinions are 100% my own. Mina Harissa compensated me for the time spent developing and photographing this recipe. My sponsors help make this blog possible. The end :-)

Harissa moroccan meatballs

Miryam's original recipe

Yield: 4-6 servings

Total Time: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

For the meatballs:

• 2 lbs organic ground beef
• 2 tbsp Mina Harrisa
• 1/4 cup onion, chopped
• 1 tsp celtic salt
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsp cinnamon powder
• 2 tsp cilantro
• 1 tbsp fresh parsley, chopped, you can also use cilantro

For the sauce:

• 1 lb canned chopped tomatoes
• 1 fresh tomato, chopped
• 2 tbsp Mina Harrisa
• 1 onion, chopped
• 2 tbsp olive oil
• 3 garlic cloves, chopped
• 2 tsp cumin powder
• 2 tsps paprika
• 1 oz fresh cilantro, chopped
• 1 tsp celtic salt
• 1 tbsp fresh mint, chopped, optional
• 2 cups dried whole wheat couscous

Directions:

In a large bowl, with your clean hands, mix the meatball ingredients and make equal size meatballs.

On a dutch oven, over medium to high heat, heat  2 tablespoons of oil and add the meatballs. Brown them, and remove to a plate. Set aside. This should be a short process as you just want to brown the meatballs not cook them all the way through.

Add the chopped onion to the pan and cook for about 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook further for about 30 seconds or just until fragrant. Add the fresh tomato, salt, spices and fresh herbs. Give it a stir and add the chopped tomatoes and Harissa sauce.

Add the meatballs and cooked covered for about 10-15 minutes. Take the lid off and cook further for another 5 minutes. If using, prinkle some mint over the meatballs and serve.

I actually paired it with some simple and plain whole wheat couscous.

Nutrition facts calculated based on the recipe giving 5 servings. Calculations also include the couscous.

The post Harissa moroccan meatballs appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.

I haven’t quite made anything like this before as I was not exposed to it until last week. I have never had Moroccan chicken before.

My best friend actually had some girlfriends for dinner last week and this is what she served. It was a huge hit and everyone requested the recipe.

When I got home, the next day, I gathered the ingredients, well the chicken and eggplant pretty much, as all of the other ingredients were already in my pantry and made it.

It was too a super hit so I figured I post the recipe for you to have.

I have made a few adaptations to the recipe and it still tasted and turned out superb. I omitted the eggplant oven step and made it less time consuming and simple.

This recipe does actually use quite a few different spices. If you don’t have them I strongly recommend you go to an Indian market to get them, as they will be way cheaper and you will get much more quantity for your money.

Regular supermarkets will have them but you will pay quadruple the price for a 1/4 of the amount.

I paired the Moroccan chicken with some Moroccan whole wheat couscous however you can just use brown rice if you prefer. Since it was Moroccan chicken, couscous was more appropriate to pair this dish with.

You can half the recipe to yield 4 servings instead. I must also add that if you keep the amounts you are going to need a fairly large pot to make this recipe.

Anyhow, enjoy this succulent and awesome recipe. This one is staying in my chicken repeat recipes for ever!!

Enjoy!

I paired this Moroccan chicken with some Moroccan couscous that was very easy to make and also very yummy!!

You will need quite a few spices for this dish but once you get them they will last you for ever, plus these are really powerful healthy spices that your body will benefit from.

 

Moroccan chicken

Yield: 8 servings

Total Time: 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients:

• 3 Tbsp olive oil
• 2 onions, chopped
• 2 tomatoes, chopped
• 6 large garlic cloves, chopped
• 1 1/2 tsp celtic salt
• 2 cups water
• 1/4 cup fresh lemon juice
• 12 organic chicken thighs, fat removed
• 12 organic chicken drumsticks, skinned
• 1 large eggplant, unpeeled, cut into 1-inch cubes
• 1/2 cup whole blanched almonds or slivered almonds
• Chopped fresh cilantro

Spices

• 2 Tbsp Hungarian sweet paprika, any other paprika will do
• 2 tsps turmeric
• 2 tsp ground coriander
• 2 tsp fennel seeds, ground
• 1 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tsp ground cumin
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 Tbsp marjoram

 

Directions:

Heat 2 tablespoons olive oil in heavy large wide pot, this is what I used, over medium heat.
Add onions and garlic. Cook until onions are soft, about 4-5 minutes. Add paprika, salt, turmeric, coriander, fennel, pepper, cumin, and ginger, stir for 1 minute. Add tomatoes, water, and lemon juice and bring to a boil.

Arrange all chicken in a single layer in the pot and spoon some sauce over. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer for 20 minutes. After the 20 minutes turn the chicken over, cover and simmer for 5 minutes longer.

Stir eggplant and marjoram into chicken. Carefully stir through and cook uncovered 10 more minutes over medium to high heat until chicken is tender and the eggplant is fully cooked. Season stew to taste with more lemon juice, salt and pepper if you like. Transfer chicken to a large shallow bowl. Sprinkle with almonds and cilantro.

I served this chicken with this Moroccan couscous recipe. I actually doubled the recipe for it.

Recipe adapted from Bon Appetit

The post Moroccan Chicken appeared first on Eat Good 4 Life.