roast carrots

June – Bacon Wrapped Carrots
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June – Bacon Wrapped Carrots

Roasted oversized vegetables seem to be all the rage these days. I’ve seen roasted carrots and cauliflower and others at the center of a restaurant meal. When I saw this recipe on a Pinterest browse, I had to try it. Do you do that? Pinterest browsing is my favorite “3 am and cannot sleep activity”. Unfortunately the recipe I tried didn’t turn out too well, I have a few tips I will share that might save you the same failure.

  1. Different colored carrots cook at different rates. The orange ones cook the fastest but the darker or lighter ones seem to be woodier (is that a word), and take longer.
  2. Use thinly sliced bacon otherwise it won’t crisp.
  3. Start with a lower oven temperature until the carrots are cooked (they are quite large), then brush with maple syrup and turn up the heat up to crisp everything.

And there you have it. They were delicious warm as a side dish with cold meat, cheese and a salad.

Bacon Wrapped Carrots

Bacon Wrapped Carrots

Ingredients

  • Thinly sliced bacon, depending on the size of the carrots you may need to slices for each carrot
  • Large carrots
  • 2-3 tablespoons of pure maple syrup

Method

  1. Wash and peel the carrots, trim the ends
  2. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees F.
  3. Wrap the bacon around each carrot slice and place on a baking tray, bacon ends down where possible.
  4. Roast for 45 minutes or until the carrots (mine were quite large) are almost done. You may need to remove some if they are different colors, the bright red and white ones took an extra 5 minutes.
  5. Brush the carrots and bacon with the maple syrup and turn the heat up to 425 degrees F.
  6. Roast for an additional 10-15 minutes until the bacon is crisp and the carrots are beginning to caramelize.
    Roast Large Carrots

    Roast Large Carrots

    That is all there is to it.

I am taking this to Fiesta Friday #124, we should all eat more veggies…don’t you think? I have the honor of co-hosting this week with Lindy @ Love in the Kitchen. Click on the Fiesta Friday link to view all the rest of the party food.

June in the Kitchen – Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds
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June in the Kitchen – Roast Carrot and Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds

Here is another salad using roast carrots, this time with avocado and some crunchy seeds. Use my seedy mix if you have it on hand, otherwise toast some sunflower and sesame seeds in a dry skillet. Roasting carrots concentrates their sweetness, it’s become my new favorite way to eat them. Boiling them first means they cook much faster and don’t burn, and a citrus marinade adds flavor. You can make this ahead, it is good at room temperature. A platter would be perfect for a buffet. Or, serve individual plates as a first course.

Tricolor Carrots

Tricolor Carrots

Carrot & Avocado Salad with Crunchy Seeds

  •  3 bunches of small carrots or larger ones, peeled and cut into 3 inch lengths and halved (about 2 lbs)
  • Kosher salt
  • 1 orange, halved
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seeds, lightly toasted in a dry skillet
  • 2 medium cloves of garlic
  • 1 tablespoon of fresh thyme leaves
  • 1 teaspoon of red wine vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
  • Freshly ground pepper
  • 1 tablespoon sugar
  • 1 avocado, pitted, peeled and cut into about 12 wedges
  • 2 cups mixed micro greens, baby sprouts, and herbs.
  • 1/4 cup of creme fraiche, sour cream, or soft fresh goats cheese
  • 3-4 tablespoons of seedy mix, or 2 tablespoons of toasted sunflower seeds and 2 teaspoons of toasted sesame seeds
  1. Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.
  2. Prepare the carrots, then cover with salted cold water in a large pot, bring to a boil, and simmer for 10 minutes until almost tender.
  3. Drain and transfer to a rimmed non-stick or parchment lined baking sheet.
  4. In a blender container or food processor combine 1 teaspoon each of squeezed orange and lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, the toasted cumin, garlic cloves, thyme, vinegar, and red pepper flakes. Blend until smooth.
  5. Pour over and coat the carrots with the marinade, tossing to mix. Add the halved lemon and orange to the pan.
  6. Roast until browned is spots, about 20 minutes. Shake the pan once to brown evenly.
  7. Once cooked to your liking, remove the pan and let the carrots cool.
  8. Squeeze the juice from the roasted citrus halves into a small bowl. Add any remaining fresh juice, 6 tablespoons of olive oil, and the sugar. Season with salt and pepper and whisk to combine.
  9. Spread the carrots on a platter or serving dish (or on individual plates), add the avocado slices, cremefraiche and top with the greens.

    Roast Carrots

    Roast Carrots

  10. Drizzle with the dressing and sprinkle with the toasted seeds.
Roast Carrots with Avocado, microgreens sour cream and seedy mix

Roast Carrots with Avocado, microgreens sour cream and seedy mix

Carrot and Avocado Salad

Carrot and Avocado Salad

Serve at room temperature.

I’m taking this to serve at the buffet on Fiesta Friday #71 at Angie’s. Please come and join us at the party. Fiesta Friday

May in the Kitchen – Roast Carrots with Harissa Aioli and Seedy Mix
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May in the Kitchen – Roast Carrots with Harissa Aioli and Seedy Mix

I’m on a roll with the Seedy Seasoning Mix, this time with roast carrots and a spicy harissa garlic mayonnaise. The combination of sweet roast carrots, spicy garlic sauce, and crunchy seeds is quite delightful. The original recipe called for dukkah but I think it is just as wonderful with my seedy mix. You can substitute dukkah if you have it and haven’t had a chance to make yourself a batch of seedy mix.

Roast Carrots with Garlic Mayonnaise and Seedy Mix

Roast Carrots with Garlic Mayonnaise and Seedy Mix

Roast Carrots with Harissa Aioli and Seedy Mix

  • 2 bunches of skinny carrots, scrubbed and trimmed. Cut any large ones in half lengthwise. Since the carrots I used were young, I didn’t peel them.
  • 2 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 2 teaspoons of honey
  • Salt and freshly ground pepper
  • 2 tablespoons of seedy seasoning mix

    Seedy Mix

    Seedy Mix

  • 3/4 cup ofHarissa Aioli
    • 3/4 cup of good quality mayonnaise
    • 1 large garlic clove, minced
    • 1 teaspoon of Harissa sauce
  1.  Mix the mayonnaise with the garlic and harissa sauce in a small bowl. Refrigerate until ready to use.
  2. Preheat the oven to 425 degrees F and place one rack in the upper third of the oven
  3. On a sheet pan lined with parchment paper, toss the carrots with the olive oil and honey, season with salt and pepper.
    Tricolored carrots

    Tricolored carrots

    Carrots ready for roasting

    Carrots ready for roasting

  4. Roast the carrots, turning once, until brown and tender. This will take anywhere from 20 to 40 minutes depending on their size.

    Roast Carrots

    Roast Carrots

  5. Transfer the carrots to a warm serving platter, sprinkle with the seeds and add a few small spoons of the garlic mayonnaise. Serve any extra mayonnaise on the side.
Roast Carrots with Spicy Garlic Mayonnaise and Seedy Mix

Roast Carrots with Spicy Garlic Mayonnaise and Seedy Mix

Recipe inspired by one in Seven Spoons.

November in the kitchen – Roast Carrots with Farro and Goat Cheese
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November in the kitchen – Roast Carrots with Farro and Goat Cheese

Roast Carrots with Farro and Goat Cheese

I love goat cheese. There is not much that can’t be improved with a bit of goat cheese on top, at least in my opinion. This recipe uses thinned goat cheese as a sauce for slowly roast carrots and farro.

I got the idea for this recipe from one on the blog My Kitchen Stories. On her blog, Tania suggests using cooked Buckwheat in place of the farro. If you want this to be gluten free, it would be a good substitution. I used farro (which is made from a wheat grain) as I had a package in the pantry. The oven was already on; I was slow roasting some lamb shanks at 300 degrees F for 6 hours. I decided to pop the carrots in the oven with the lamb to roast slowly.

This would be a wonderful vegetarian meal on it’s own, gluten free if you substituted Buckwheat or another grain for the Farro.

Roast carrots with farro and goat cheese

Roast carrots with farro and goat cheese

Roast Carrots with Farro and Goat Cheese (serves 2-4)

  •  1 cup (8 oz) of soft goat cheese
  • 3 tablespoons of buttermilk
  • 1 cup of cooked Farro
  • 2 bunches of baby carrots, peeled
  • 4 tablespoons of olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon cumin
  • Grated rind of one lemon
  • 1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar
  • Garnish – parsley or cilantro or pomegranate seeds (optional)

Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F (if not already on at another temperature). Mine was at 300 degrees F, you could go as high as 400 F. The cooking times would be shorter.

Most of this could be done ahead, reheat and assemble at serving time. It would also be good at room temperature. In that case I recommend you be more aggressive with your dressing of the grain. Maybe a bit of mustard, more vinegar and oil.

Cook the farro.

  1. Rinse the farro in a strainer, then cover with about 2 inches of water in a saucepan.
  2. Bring the water to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for about 25 minutes until cooked.
  3. Drain the farro and set aside until ready to assemble (if serving at room temperature, toss the farro with oil and vinegar, a bit of Dijon mustard, taste for salt).

Prepare the sauce by mixing the buttermilk with the goat cheese until it is softly spreadable. Place in the refrigerator until you are ready to assemble.

Carrots

Carrots

Cook the carrots

  1. Heat 2 tablespoons of olive oil in a large ovenproof skillet.
  2. When hot, add the carrots and sauté on medium-high heat until browned in spots.
  3. Sprinkle the carrots with salt, grated lemon rind, and cumin; stir gently to mix
  4. Transfer the carrots to the oven (still in the skillet or on a baking sheet) and cook for about an hour at 300 degrees F, shorter if your oven is higher
  5. When done to your liking, transfer the carrots to a plate to cool slightly

Assemble the dish

  1. Add the final 2 tablespoons of olive oil to the same skillet you used for the carrots
  2. When hot, add the drained farro and rewarm
  3. Sprinkle with the balsamic vinegar, taste for salt
  4. Spread the goat cheese mixture on one side of the plate
  5. Lay the carrots over the goat cheese
  6. Spread the farro on the other side of your platter
  7. Garnish with chopped cilantro and pomegranate seeds

Carrots on goat cheese

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