Roasted Carrots with Mint Lemon Dressing

Last week we had a heat wave that lasted five days of hot, dry, Santa-Ana windy weather above 95 degrees. We were dying over here, so to make it bearable we ate lots of blackberry mojito pops. That’s how to cool down and freshen spirits in style! But mojito pops wasn’t all that we nourished on, especially when Spring vegetables are plentiful and perfect. We’re always trying to find balance and variety in our diet. If we indulge in cocktails, we make sure to add some carrots for health.

Tender spring vegetables are such a welcome treat to the table. It’s when vegetables are their sweetest and wonderful when eaten raw. But sometimes we overload on a batch of a single vegetable that sometimes we have to get creative to recycle some of the overload of produce sitting in the fridge. Consider carrots one of them. It’s hard to not pass up a gorgeous and perfectly crisp bunch of carrots at the market. Just looking at them in their fresh, green-topped, glory makes us feel a bunch of hungry bunnies.

For a quick vegetable side dish we roasted some carrots and added a variation of one of our favorite lemon parsley dressings, but this time with mint. Spring and mint pair so well together, so it made sense all around to serve these delicious roasted carrots with our easy mint lemon dressing.

We love this dish and it’s going to be a great side salad to our wood-fired oven menu. Yes, finally! After seven years of planning and researching, we’re finally building a traditional wood-fired oven! Friends, please excuse us, we’re geeking out over here. You all have no idea how long it’s taken us to plan this epic project. It’s not just any wood-fired oven, it’s a traditional one that’s brick laid in France. It’s going to be a part of our new outdoor wood-fired oven kitchen where we’ll attempt to make (and not burn- just char a bit ;)) wood-fired breads, pastries and roasts. Pizza, of course is included!

We’ll be sharing up dates on our wood-fired oven progress. Fingers crossed it’ll come out straight and not crooked! In the meantime, hope you are enjoying Spring, glorious produce and this awesome roasted carrot recipe.

hugs,

diane and todd

Yield: Serves 2-4

Total Time: 30 min

Cooking times will vary depending on the thickness of your carrots.  If you decide to roast whole carrots that are thick, add additional cooking time. If you decide to slice your carrots, check them often to make sure they are not over-roasted. Please read post for additional recipe details and photos.

1 bunch carrots (about 1 pound), washed and ends trimmed1 Tablespoon olive oilKosher salt or sea salt to tastefresh cracked black pepper to taste3 Tablespoons olive oilZest 1 medium lemon2 Tablespoons fresh lemon juice2 teaspoons brown sugar1 teaspoon dijon mustard1/4 teaspoon Kosher or sea salt, or to taste1/4 cup chopped fresh mintPre-heat oven to 400 degrees F.Toss the carrots with olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Transfer carrots to a roasting pan or sheet pan and roast in the oven for about 20-25 minutes, or until carrots are tender.Add all the mint lemon dressing ingredients to a bowl and whisk together well.When carrots are tender, transfer them to a serving platter or bowl and toss with the mint lemon dressing.Serve warm or cold.

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