Moroccan Salad with Cilantro Orange Dressing

For the last hour I’ve been listening to One Direction.

Excuse me, JAMMING to One Direction.

Why am I susceptible to the music of tween girls? EEEEE. I have a crush on all pop music ever. Cause it would be totally normal that my adult ears would gravitate towards songs with little to no meaning but a get-up-and-move-right-now beat, right? It sounds like candy in my ears.

What kind of a person adoringly eats a beautiful Moroccan Salad with dates, pistachios, bulgur, spinach, oranges, and creamy homemade Cilantro Orange Dressing while listening to a boy band sing about dancing all night? Stop looking at me like that.

I blame the one and only Backstreet Boys for luring me into the pop music scene as a vulnerable 6th grader. If mirrors could talk, mine would have years of awkward middle school hairbrush microphone type stories to tell. Because I Want It Thaaaaat Way. ♫ N’Sync had me for a while back in the day, and Justin T, of course, has me still. One Republic can turn my day around in three seconds flat. I have Taylor Swift’s latest album basically memorized, and I may or may not have been at one time a Belieber. Is this getting too personal?

The good news is that I now enjoy some nice acoustic adult-ish covers of my favorite bubblegum pop songs thanks to bands like Boyce Avenue and Kina Grannis. Thank you, mature musicians who appreciate pop music, for supporting my addiction.

Now that we have that important stuff the way, let’s talk salad. I’ve had this salad for 4 out of the last 6 meals. This salad doesn’t mess around, friends.

Sweet, lovey salad. I want to SHOUT IT FROM THE ROOFTOPS. I think I like it better than any other salad I’ve made this year. Even the Kale, Pomegranate, and Wild Rice Salad. I KNOW – I loved that one too but this one just has a zing that has me weak in the knees. And Bjork, too. *fist bump*

Please take a moment to focus on this: Cilantro Orange Dressing. I literally put the whole (peeled) orange in the food processor and zing! Creamy, wonderful, healthy, flavorful dressing. A handful of fresh cilantro or mint or both, and some vinegar and oil to boot, and this wins dressing of the year award.

The bulgur, dates, pistachios, oranges, and spinach are a color + texture power combo that will make your body feel happy. Nutrition, yo.

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Moroccan Salad with Orange Cilantro Dressing

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4.4 from 10 reviews

• Author: Pinch of Yum
• Total Time: 45 minutes
• Yield: 4 1x

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Description

This Moroccan Salad with Cilantro Orange Dressing is packed full of yummy flavors. Pistachios, dates, bulgur, spinach, oranges.

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Ingredients

Scale1/2x1x2x

For the salad

• 1/2 cup bulgur, uncooked
• 1/2 cup pitted dates, chopped
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 cup pistachios
• 1 orange, peeled and cut into sections
• 2 cups baby spinach leaves

For the dressing

• 1 orange, peeled
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 cup fresh cilantro leaves, packed
• 2 tablespoons water to adjust consistency

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Instructions

1. Cook the bulgur according to package directions, adding the dates and salt just at the end of the cooking time. This helps soften the dates a bit and gives the bulgur good flavor. Cool the bulgur for 20-30 minutes for a cold salad.
2. In a food processor, combine all the dressing ingredients except the cilantro. Puree until smooth, removing any pieces of orange that can’t be broken down any further. Add the cilantro to the smooth mixture, pulse a few times, and set aside.
3. Toss the cooled bulgur and dates mixture with the other salad ingredients. Drizzle or toss with the dressing. Serve immediately.

Notes

I’ve also used mint in place of cilantro and it’s deeelish.

• Prep Time: 15 mins
• Cook Time: 30 mins
• Category: Dinner
• Cuisine: Moroccan

Keywords: moroccan salad, orange cilantro dressing, bulgur salad

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Three days to the weekend. Mwah.