Moroccan Salad Recipe
The benefits of Sunflower Seed Oil + a Simple Spring Salad inspired by a trip to Morocco.
At Carter + Jane, we use different base oils for our different products based on their function and health benefits (Sunflower for Body, Grapeseed for Aroma, Prickly Pear for the original + Angelic Clementine the Everything Oil), but I never applied that philosophy to making salad dressings or even cooking. I always used Olive Oil. I still use it, but now I have incorporated Sunflower Seed Oil into my rotation based on the makeup of the ingredients thanks to a recent trip to Morocco and a delicious summer salad I was lucky to enjoy.
Carter + Jane uses Sunflower Seed Oil as the base for the Everything Oil Body as it is a rich source of antioxidants (Vitamin E and phytosterols) and has many benefits. Here are a few for both skin and body.
Skin Health (topical): Sunflower Seed Oil is rich in Vitamin E and linoleic acid which moisturizes and protects the skin from damage caused by free radicals. It also helps to reduce inflammation and may help improve skin conditions such as eczema.
Body Health (ingested): as Sunflower Seed Oil contains high levels of monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fatty acids, it can help lower bad (LDL) cholesterol and increase good (HDL) cholesterol and can even promote healthy digestion. It also is a great source of calories and unsaturated fats which helps increase energy levels.
Every time I am lucky enough to visit Morocco for business or pleasure, I come home filled up with a new outlook on life. The people, amazingly gracious, the country absolutely beautiful, the food, fresh, handmade, and delicious. These magical trips inspire me to spend more time with my family and in nature and to take time to cook even the simplest of meals with fresh ingredients. While I am still trying to master making traditional couscous and tagines, I have finally discovered the secret salad dressing that I thought must have been a complicated affair to make with lots of different spices to add. It’s not; it is simple and allows the flavors of the ingredients to sing. Much like how we use minimal, organic ingredients in our Carter + Jane products, the same rings true with this salad dressing. It is just too good not to share. I always thought that I needed to use olive oil and balsamic vinegar and a touch of Dijon mustard to make the best salad dressing from my time living in France, but I found something new. What I learned from my Moroccan friends was that there are alternatives based on the ingredients in your salad and that some oils and vinegars are too heavy for certain salads. One of the Moroccan salads that I cannot get enough consists of chopped romaine lettuce, tomatoes, carrots, and cucumbers. Simple, right? I thought that it tasted so good because of the organic produce and Moroccan spices and that I would never be able to recreate it when I got home. But it turns out, it was a simple salad dressing. It consists of Sunflower Seed Oil (a staple in the Everything Oil Body), white vinegar, salt, and pepper to taste. That is literally the entire recipe. I tried it as soon I got home, and it was a delicious here as it was in Morocco.
Here is the recipe straight from Morocco. It is deceptively simple. Clean the Romaine, dry it and chop it into small pieces. Then, take your tomatoes, peel them, de-seed them and then chop them into small pieces (I like vine ripe, Campari and grape tomatoes). One of my friends, Rabia, showed me the entire process. She peels the tomatoes with a knife; I use a peeler especially made for delicate fruit and vegetables, then gently squeezes the tomatoes over the sink and the seeds all pop right out. I tried that technique with Campari tomatoes, and it worked! I only peel the larger tomatoes tbh! Next, skin the cucumbers and cut them lengthwise and then chop them into small pieces. Skin the carrots and then shred them (I use a cheese shredder, but you can use the peeler too, if you like larger strips of carrot). Mix all the ingredients together and then add the salad dressing. In the traditional salad, small, chopped onion is also added, but I chose to leave it out of my recreation.
Ingredients:
Sunflower Seed Oil
Distilled White Vinegar
Salt + Pepper to taste
Tomatoes (On the Vine, Campari, Grape) Peeled and deseeded
Cucumbers (I like Mini Cucumbers), Peeled
Romaine Hearts
Carrots, Peeled and shredded.
Onions, finely chopped (I don’t include onions in my version)