Happy root vegetable Mondaaaaaaaaaay!…
Have a bouquet of carrots!
IIIIII know…In the bustling metropolis of the root vegetable kingdom, carrots aren’t the most adventurous. They would be the type of root that sits at home and plays Sudoku, not the kind that goes skydiving over an erupting volcano.
BUT you know what I say to that? There ain’t nothing wrong with Sudoku.
Plus, rainbow carrots were on sale at the Whole Foods.
Plus, plus, look at how pretty they are!:
In spite of the carrot being arguably the most commonly used root vegetable intheentireworld, I haven’t given it a whole lot of attention on my blog. Mostly because we’re all so familiar with carrots, that there isn’t very much edjumukation I can provide that you don’t already know.
Buuuut haste:
Have you ever tasted the rainbow… carrot?
Turns out, a carrot is not a carrot is not a carrot. Meaning, these multicolor roots may all be of the carrot name, but they’re not all the same.
It’s not just the color that distinguishes these carrots from one another, as they also tote around unique health benefits. Puh-retty cool if you ask me. As we all know, orange carrots are packed with Vitamins A and C. Check it: the purple carrots contain anthocyanins as well as slightly more vitamin A than the orange.
The red variety (which didn’t come in my bag), have lycopene, which lowers your risk of certain cancers, specifically prostate cancer. Yellow carrots have Xanthophykks and lutein which are great for your eyes and also help prevent cancer. White carrots? Yeeeah, they don’t have many notable health benefits, although they do have the benefit of fiber going for them.
How do rainbow carrots taste, you ask? They all taste like regular ol’ orange carrots. ALTHOUGH, the purple variety seems slightly sweeter and firmer than the others, with a bit of a peppery flavor. The main bullet point here, is that you can pick up a bag of rainbows with the expectation that none of the flavors will taste weird or different from what you’re used to. They’re predictably tasty.
These easy and flavorful roasted carrots are a great side dish to go along just about any entrée, and would be the perfect addition to your Thanksgiving or Christmas feast. It’s an easy dish to whip up quickly in bulk and is seasoned with all sorts of warm flavors.
It’s totally cool to play Sudoku with roasted carrots. < – Just roll with it.
Rosemary and Cumin Roasted Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 pounds carrots assorted colors
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon pure maple syrup
- 2 teaspoons fresh rosemary finely chopped
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.
- Wash the carrots and pat them.
- Slice carrots diagonally (you can peel them first if you’d like. I left the peel on) and place in a large mixing bowl.
- Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl and using your hands, toss everything together until all of the carrots are coated.
- Spread the sliced carrots over one large baking sheet (or two small), and roast in the oven for 25 to 30 minutes, or until carrots are golden-brown and softened. Stir the carrots with a spatula once half-way through the roasting process.
- Serve roasted carrots with your favorite entrée.
Pam
Monday 13th of October 2014
I absolutely am thrilled to have stumbled across this post! The recipe and the photos are so inspiring- and I intend to roast the rainbow carrots alongside the rainbow baby potatoes I have on hand today. I love root veggies - and cumin and cinnamon sound so yummy. Thank you- and thanks for the link from Susannah Conway that led me here. My gratitude is bountiful today
Julia
Monday 13th of October 2014
Pam, you're so sweet! I'm so happy you're excited to try the recipe! I hope you love it, and feel free to let me know what you think once it comes out of the oven! xoxo
Joanne
Tuesday 7th of October 2014
I actually have some purple carrots in the fridge that I decided against doing what I thought I was going to do with them. So rosemary cumin roasting it is!
Also, if I had a carrot bouquet at my wedding, would that be weird?
Monet
Monday 6th of October 2014
Oh my goodness! These carrots are gorgeous! I have been craving roasted carrots this fall. Can't wait to try these!
Julia
Tuesday 7th of October 2014
Aren't they good lookin? I almost felt bad roasting them in the oven because they were sitting all pretty-like in my fridge. Let me know if you give the recipe a try! It's super tasty!
Kate @ Almond Butter Binge
Monday 6th of October 2014
SO pretty! My rainbow carrots this year turned out to be more like mini-carrots, but maybe I'll just have to go crazy and buy some in order to make this :) I never would have thought to combine rosemary and cumin -- genius. Thanks for sharing!
Erica {Coffee & Quinoa}
Monday 6th of October 2014
Well carrots just fit with my personality perfectly then :) Also, roasted carrots are pretty hard to beat. Loving all the colors here, not to mention the cumin + rosemary combo!
Julia
Tuesday 7th of October 2014
Purdy, aren't they?! So glad you're on board with the rosemary-cumin. I never would have thought they go together, but all the flavors worked out super well. The cinnamon and maple does wonders for the carrots, too! :D