Not too long ago, a friend and I hosted a Moroccan themed dinner party. Having neither cooked nor eaten Moroccan food before, I had a lot of fun testing recipes leading up to the dinner party day. I was pleasantly surprised by the delicious combination of flavors and textures central to Moroccan cuisine, especially the spices, nuts and dried fruits. Spices like cinnamon and saffron, which aren’t commonly used items in my kitchen arsenal, made for uniquely flavored food that was a nice change from my usual go-to dishes. Since hosting that party, I often find myself roasting my vegetables with a Moroccan inspired spice mix because it’s that good.

If you want to delve into the flavorful world of Moroccan food, you might like to try these simple recipes, which were part of our dinner party spread and a huge hit with our guests. We kicked off the night with some crunchy roasted chickpeas, served the mains alongside a batch of homemade harissa, and finished the evening with a cup of Moroccan mint tea.

Moroccan Couscous Salad 

Couscous, which is a grain-like semolina pasta, gets a mega flavor and texture upgrade in this Moroccan salad that incorporates a blend of aromatic spices, dried apricots and almonds. Best of all, couscous is super easy to make–you just cook it for about 15 minutes in a flavorful liquid. Chickpeas add some heartiness too. Try Michael Smith’s recipe: Moroccan Couscous & Chickpeas.

Moroccan Tagine

In Morocco, tagines are very popular dishes made in a uniquely shaped piece of earthen cookware that shares the same name. The conical shape of the dish and its lid together create a slow-cooker effect on the food as it cooks in its own steam. You can cook with a tagine on the stovetop or in the oven. Tagines can be made with just vegetables or with meats, although pork is not common in Moroccan cuisine for religious reasons. If you don’t have a tagine, you can just use a large, covered casserole dish. For our dinner party, we did a vegetarian recipe that incorporated a combination of various root vegetables, squash and onions. The sweetness of the squash was an excellent balance to the rich spices. Try this recipe: Moroccan Tagine.

Moroccan Almond Crescent Cookies

Nuts are a big part of Moroccan cuisine, especially almonds. These crescent-shaped cookies are a classic Moroccan treat (although they’re not too sweet, which I like), and use finely ground almonds as part of the flour mixture. The cookies are rolled in sesame seeds before baking, which adds an interesting crust. They pair nicely with the Moroccan mint tea after dinner. Get the recipe: Moroccan Almond Crescent Cookies.

Give one (or all) of these recipes a try and fall in love with Moroccan flavors just like I did! If you’re short on time check out Luvo’s Chicken & Harissa Chickpeas for a quick high in fiber meal. Which one do you want to try? Share in the comments or over on Twitter at @luvoinc.