Occasionally I add spices to my roasted carrots which led me to this recipe. On a recent trip to Marrakech I realized that I favor spices that are common in Moroccan cooking: cinnamon, paprika, cumin, and cayenne, to name a few.

I also love couscous but spoiler alert: it's made with semolina, a wheat-based flour. It may seem like a grain but it's actually very small pasta granules made with wheat and water. So to make this salad grain-free but keep the rest of the Moroccan inspiration, I make it with either cauliflower rice or quinoa.

The raw carrots in the photo below are on the chunky side, which I like because I can slice them easily. You can also use the small snack or "baby" carrots and slice them in half. The thinner you slice the carrots the faster they'll roast, so slice accordingly.

I like adding fruit to my salad and dried apricots work well here, or dates, but feel free to use other dried fruit or veggies you prefer to make it your own. And also note that my apricots in the photo are on the brown side because they don't contain sulfur dioxide (a preservative added primarily to keep the color vibrant).

Make this salad a meal by adding your favorite protein and maybe sprinkle some sliced almonds on top, serve with some lemon yogurt, or tahini dressing and mint chutney. Also check out my Jeweled Cauliflower rice recipe for more ideas.