I first tasted harissa when I was 19, and I traveled on a lone adventure to Tunisia after spending a semester abroad in France. I browsed the open markets, with their appealing drapey white cotton clothing — I wore billowy pants from that trip for years to follow. 

I was particularly drawn to the fragrant spice section of the market, which beckoned me over with its unfamiliar, dazzling aromas. I bought as many small pouches of mystery spices that my student budget could afford. My favorite was harissa, a mix of chilies and warm spices like coriander, cumin and paprika.

Thirty years later, harissa is fairly easy to find, in a well-stocked neighborhood supermarket or online. If you like spicy food at all, it's a worthy purchase. It's available in both paste and dry powdered form, and once it's on your shelf, you'll find hundreds of uses for harissa — mix it into hummus or yogurt for a quick dip, add a spoonful to stews to deepen the flavor, rub meat for grilling, brush it on roasted or sauteed vegetables, or even on buttered toast for a tasty garlic-bread-like indulgence. Another idea: Add harissa to salad dressings to add an international flair.

Today's recipe for North African Carrot and Chickpea Salad pairs lightly sweet carrots with the warmth of harissa, and the result is balanced and not overly spicy, although feel free to add more or less according to your tastes.

Chickpeas add heft and protein, so you could turn this side dish into a vegetarian main, and herbs keep the dish bright and fresh. Purchasing the carrots pre-shredded is an excellent weekday timesaver. But even if you start with whole carrots, the entire dish can be thrown together in mere minutes.

Food Network star Melissa d'Arabian — melissadarabian.net — is an expert on healthy eating on a budget. She is the author of the cookbook, "Supermarket Healthy."