Roasted Rainbow Carrots

21 Feb Roasted Rainbow Carrots

If you haven’t tried a rainbow carrot, now is the time!  Rainbow carrots taste like regular carrots and have tons of fiber like them too, but because they come in a variety of rich colors like purple and yellow, they also contain a slew of anti-aging antioxidants.  Plus they just look pretty; though you can totally use regular carrots for this recipe (it will be just as delicious!)  The trick is to leave the carrots whole and then bathe them in a quick flavor-fueled paste of garlic, ginger, spices, thyme and honey and roast them until caramelized.  The end result?  A mouth-watering, nutritious and decadent side dish that only looks fancy.   Gotta love easy food that gets you fit and looks like a million bucks!   To make this dish even easier, use a microplane (it’s like an inexpensive mini grater with a handle) to grate the garlic and ginger.  I hate chopping so I like to cut corners anywhere I can.  These sweet and gooey caramelized carrots pair beautifully with steak, chicken or pork.  Love em? Let me know what you think in the comments!

Makes approximately 4 to 5 servings (depending on how many carrots you serve per person. I like to serve 3 each)

INGREDIENTS

• 1 lbs. whole rainbow carrots, regular carrots or a combo of both like I used in the picture
• 2 large garlic cloves, very finely minced into a paste (just keep chopping or use a microplane)
• About a 1 ½ inch piece of fresh ginger, peeled with a veggie peeler and finely chopped into a paste (or grated on microplane)
• 3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 3 heaping tablespoons honey
• ½ heaping teaspoon cumin
• About 6 sprigs of fresh thyme, leaves removed and chopped or 1 teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ heaping teaspoon sea salt
• Fresh ground black pepper or white pepper

INSTRUCTIONS

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees.  Cover a large sheet pan with tinfoil and set aside.
2. Rinse and peel carrots.  Spread carrots out on the sheet pan.
3. Whisk together all ingredients for the paste (garlic through pepper) in a small bow.   Brush about half of the paste on the carrots (or just use your hands to slather it on.)  Save remaining garlic ginger paste.
4. Roast carrots for about 20 minutes.  Shake the pan to turn the carrots and brush any paste from the pan onto carrots. Brush or slather on the remaining ginger garlic paste that you set aside and roast again for about 10 to 15 minutes or until carrots are cooked through and caramelized (golden brown.)  Enjoy!

SO, WHAT’S THE NUTRITION BALANCE?

This recipe has a great balance of carbohydrates and fat. Pair it with protein for a balanced meal.