Chermoula Bowl

Chermoula sauce is a luscious fresh herb sauce enhanced with lemon, garlic, and warming spices from the Middle East. (Think chimichurri with a Middle Eastern slant.) It makes a fabulous topping for fish, chicken, or meat, and can also serve as a marinade.

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Prep time: 5 min • Cook time: 25 min • Yield: 4 servings

Ingredients

For the Sauce:

½ cup fresh cilantro
½ cup fresh parsley
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 small garlic clove, finely grated
½ teaspoon lemon zest, finely grated
½ teaspoon ground cumin
½ teaspoon paprika
Pinch cayenne
⅛ teaspoon Celtic or Pink Himalayan salt
1 to 2 tablespoons water for thinning the sauce (optional)

For the Bowl:

1 or more cups cauliflower rice
2 cups baby spinach, loosely packed
2 roasted plum tomatoes (see Notes)
4 to 6 ounces grilled beef, lamb, chicken, shrimp, or fish

Directions

Make sauce:

In a food processor or blender, pulse cilantro, parsley, and lemon juice until you have a coarse paste. Add oil, garlic, lemon zest, cumin, paprika, cayenne, and salt and pulse just to combine. (You can also chop the greens by hand and whisk the ingredients together in a bowl.) Add a little water if you want the sauce thinner.

Compose the bowl:

Toss cauliflower rice and spinach together with half the chermoula sauce. Warm in the microwave until heated through, 2 to 3 minutes, depending on your microwave’s power. Top with roasted tomatoes, grilled meat/poultry/fish, and finish with remaining chermoula sauce.

Notes: You can often buy roasted tomatoes in larger stores that have an olive bar or you can easily make them. Keeping roasted tomatoes on hand will enhance many dishes with a deep, hearty tomato flavor, and they’re quick and easy to make. Just preheat your oven to 375ºF. Line a baking sheet with parchment. Start with about 2 pounds of Roma/plum tomatoes. Slice them in half vertically and scoop out and discard the seeds. Toss in 1 tablespoon olive oil, lay cut-side up on the parchment and sprinkle on salt. Bake for about 40 minutes. Raise the heat to 400ºF and roast for another 20 minutes until the tomatoes are caramelized. They’ll store in the refrigerator for about 5 days or freeze for up to 6 months.