Moroccan Roasted Carrot Quinoa Salad

This is one of Steven's very favorite meals, and I usually make it about once a month (which is a lot for me!).  It's very healthy and quick to throw together--just chop prep the rest of the ingredients while the carrots are roasting and the quinoa is cooking.  As a sidenote, it's also vegan, if you ever need to cook for a vegan.  I make the Moroccan spice mix in larger batches and then store it in a little tupperware so that it is even faster to make. Recipe is from here.

Moroccan Roasted Carrot Quinoa Salad

4 large carrots (peeled and slices 1/4 inch thick)
1 tablespoon olive oil
1 tablespoon moroccan spice blend
1/2 cup red quinoa (red quinoa is a  harder to find and it's pretty expensive, but I think it really makes a big difference in this recipe)
1/2 cup white quinoa
2 cups water
2 teaspoons moroccan spice blend
1 cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
1/4 cup red onion (diced)
1/4 cup raisins
1/4 cup pine nuts (toasted)
1/4 cup fresh parsley (chopped)
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 lemon, zest and juice (I actually just forgo the zest and add lemon juice and olive oil to taste)
1 teaspoon moroccan spice blend
salt and pepper to taste

Directions:
1. Toss the carrots in the olive oil along with the spices.
2. Arrange the carrots in a single layer on a baking sheet.
3. Roast in a preheated 400F oven until tender, about 20 minutes, turning them once in the middle.
4. Simmer the quinoa in the water along with the spices until the water is absorbed, about 20 minutes.
5. Mix the carrots, quinoa, chickpeas, onion, raisins, pine nuts and parsley in a bowl.
6. Mix the olive oil, lemon juice and zest, moroccan spice blend, salt and pepper in a small bowl and then toss the salad in it.

Moroccan Spice Blend

2 teaspoons paprika
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon pepper