Serves: 4
Carrots are a particularly good source of beta carotene, fiber, vitamin K1, potassium, and antioxidants. And, despite all the carrot nutritional virtues, it is my least liked veggie. Try as I might, I don’t usually enjoy them. I eat the peas and leave the carrots and when there are carrots in my bowl of soup, they are the only thing left at the bottom of my bowl.
That is not to say I don’t use them in cooking. They add good flavor to soups, stews and gravies. But, I still won’t gobble them up if left in the cooking pot.
The only exception to my no carrot eating lifestyle is when they are roasted with the right ingredients. And, the right ingredients for me usually means with something that adds a bit of sweetness in order to facilitate a bit of caramelization during cooking. Carrots are found in many sizes and in many colors, including yellow, white, orange, red, and purple. And, with so much green in the veggie world, they add lots of eye candy to a plate.
This recipe is shown with some beautiful carrots a friend gave to me recently. Often it is not easy to find carrots that are this size or with the options of colors. If you can’t, don’t let that stop you. Use baby carrots or the regular big carrots, sliced the long way if too fat and cut in half if too long. You may need to adjust cooking time based on size.
Mint & Maple Roasted Carrots
Ingredients:
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1 Teaspoon ground coriander
1 -2” Piece of fresh ginger, finely grated
2/3 Cup of O’Live A Little’s Maple Dark Balsamic Vinegar
¼ Cup of O’Live A Little Roasted Butternut Squash Seed Oil or O’Live A Little’s Sesame Oil
2 Tablespoons O’Live A Little’s Sweet Cider Vinegar
1 ½ Pound of carrots
2 Tablespoons of O’Live A Little Roasted Butternut Squash Seed Oil or O’Live A Little’s Sesame Oil
Salt & Pepper to taste
¼ Cup of chopped fresh mint
Toasted Pepitas or Toasted Sesame Seeds (Optional – but delicious!)
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Method of Prep:
1. Heat oven to 425 degrees and line a sheet pan or baking dish (if desired) with parchment paper of a silpat
2. Combine first 6 ingredients into small sauce pan. Bring to a boil and then simmer until the mixture thickens slightly approx. 8-10 mins. Pour into bowl large enough to toss the carrots in.
3. Wash carrots and peel if desired. If carrots are not uniform in size, cut them as best you can so they are, then pat dry with towel. Toss carrots with the 2 tablespoon of oil and roast till just starting to soften, but still quite firm. When carrots are just staring to soften, remove from oven and allow to cool for 5-10 mins. Then toss in marinade, with tongs, leaving extra marinade in bowl, add carrots back on baking sheet and put back in the oven. Continue to roast till soft. Depending on size (10-25 minutes). If desired, baste once or twice with left over marinade. Remove from oven when soft with just a slight firmness- but you don’t want them crunchy! Brush with more marinade if desired.
4. Serve on baking sheet or transfer to desired serving dish. Sprinkle with chopped mint and toasted pepitas or sesame seeds.
