moroccan spiced scallops with whipped feta, green harissa, and naan toasts {+ a Mina Harissa GIVEAWAY! **CLOSED**}

The first day of spring is tomorrow.

As in less than 24 hours we can mentally say goodbye to Old Man Winter. Hooray!

Of course, since Old Man Winter winters in Colorado, sometimes he gets deep into the giggle juice and likes to stay after last call. Last year he made an appearance mid-May and it made me want to punch a puppy. No girl should have to put on snow boots after a fresh pedicure. Am I right?

So, tomorrow, even if it snows nine inches, my mind is gearing up for spring. I can’t wait to wear maxi-dresses, sip fruity cocktails, hike outside, and eat brunch on the patio. Oh, and speaking of brunch, can we please talk about these Moroccan spiced scallops with whipped feta, green harissa, and naan toasts?

I have never been to Morocco, but it’s on the bucket list. I can only imagine all of the exotic spices you can pick up at the local street market. And one spice in particular, harissa. Have you heard of harissa? If you haven’t, it’s basically the North African version of American hot sauce. Usually made of red peppers or green peppers, oil, and other spices. I first heard of it when Mr. B went to Libya!

Anyways, harissa has been around for a long time, but is just now making waves onto the American palate. So, when I was contacted by Mina Harissa (a family owned business that started making bottled harissa) to share their story and to create a recipe showcasing their amazing product, I was all over it.

Mina, who grew up in Morocco, started cooking when she was young. Fueled by her culinary passion and the need to share her cultural heritage, Mina decided to create a way to bottle the flavors of Morocco and make her own version of harissa. There are three flavors available; red mild & spicy, and green spicy which is what I topped these beautiful golden scallops with.

But the spicy fun doesn’t stop there! The wonderful folks over at Mina Harissa want to give away a package to one lucky reader!

****CLOSED! Congrats to Eileen!!***To enter the giveaway, leave a comment below telling me, what you would put harissa on?

***Giveaway details: this giveaway will run from Wednesday March 19th to Saturday March 22nd 11:59pm MST and only open to US residents. One winner will be chosen using the random generator. The winner will be emailed and will have 48 hours to respond. If the winner doesn’t respond within that time frame another winner will be chosen.***

Make sure and check out the Mina Harissa website for more ideas/recipes, or on Twitter and Facebook!

***Disclosure: I was compensated by Mina Harissa for this post. As always, all opinions expressed are 100% my own.***