Roasted Homegrown Carrots

Roasted Homegrown Carrots

I’m all about easy recipes that give the best nutrition and the best flavor to a dish. Carrots always fit the bill. Raw, cooked, baked, roasted, steamed or poached, it really doesn’t matter what you do with a carrot because it’s going to be delicious. Home grown, fresh carrots are a must, if you can. Otherwise, go to the farmers market.

In my younger days, I went through a phase of juicing carrots. They were always my first choice for a base to add to other vegetables such as beets, celery, and spinach. Funny, I used so many carrots that the palms of my hands were always bright orange, and I looked like I had an orange glow to my skin. Now, I want to retain all of the fiber and the nutrition in whatever I eat, so no more juicing for me. I only make smoothies, which uses the whole plant. Carrots, nine out of 10 times, are included. Roasting is another option. It is easy and the flavor is delicious. Roasting heightens all of the sweetness of the carrots by the caramelizing the natural sugars within them. They look stunning and tastes fabulous as well.

Three medium carrots contain approximately 586 milligrams of potassium, 60 milligrams of calcium, and five milligrams of fiber plus a whopping 30,000 independent units of vitamin A, 6,000 of alpha-carotene, and 15,000 of beta-carotene. They have a little bit of phosphorus, magnesium and vitamin C to boot. Some research suggests that a high intake of carotenoids from vegetables like carrots has been associated with a decrease of up to 50 percent in bladder, cervix, prostate, colon, larynx and esophageal cancer.

Roasted Homegrown Carrots

Serves 8

8 homegrown carrots, washed and cut length ways in half

2 tablespoons of olive oil

1 tablespoon local organic honey

1 tablespoon wholegrain mustard

Sea salt & freshly ground black pepper

How To Make:

Preheat oven to 385’F

1. Wash and dry the carrots, cut in half length ways.
2. Place the carrots onto a roasting tray and bush with the oil and season with the salt and pepper. Roast in the oven for 15 minutes.
3. Add the honey and mustard to the remaining oil, whisk together, remove the carrots from the oven and brush the honey mixture over the carrots.
4. Place back in the oven and cook for another 10 to 15 minutes or until the carrots are tender and the honey has caramelized. Remove from the oven and serve as a side.