salads and sides:

honey, mustard and rosemary roasted carrots

Published 15th February 2019

We have a lot of carrots growing in our garden this Summer, so they have made a very regular appearance on our plates, and as a result we have excellent night vision!!

Do carrots actually help us see in the dark? Not directly, but Vitamin A deficiency can lead to a progressive eye disease called xerophthalmia, that can damage normal vision, leading to night blindness. So, by eating your carrots, you’re less likely to become vitamin A deficient, and less likely to have reduced ability to see in low light.

Tonight, I thought I’d mix things up a bit and make a modern take on the good old, honeyed carrots. When I was thinking up these Honey, Mustard and Rosemary Roasted Carrots, I knew I wanted honey, but was tossing up between honey-rosemary or honey-mustard, so rather than choosing, I thought I’d give the honey-mustard-rosemary combination a go, and it worked really well. If you don’t have baby carrots, you can use normal carrots, just cut them into thick sticks.

Carrots are a very versatile vegetable that can be readily eaten as they are raw, with a dip, roasted, in a casserole or muffin, in a salad or as part of a juice. They are a great source of fibre and contain beta carotene, which is absorbed and converted to vitamin A. They also contain the antioxidants, carotenoids, which reduce free radicals in the body, providing a protective effect against cancer.

The kids really enjoyed these carrots, most likely because they are sweeter than the normal carrot, but I’m ok with that. I’m lucky that our kids happily eat raw and cooked veggies without too many sauces or dressings, however, if I had a fussy eater, I would be tossing carrots in honey regularly if it meant they would eat them!

These are a great accompaniment to a meat or fish dish or even to go with a BBQ.

Enjoy xx.

Ingredients:

Serves 4 as a side

• 12 baby carrots, leaves trimmed and washed

• 2 tbs extra virgin olive oil

• 1 sprig rosemary, roughly chopped

• 1 tbs honey, slightly heated

• 2 cloves garlic, crushed

• Pinch of salt

• Pepper

Dressing:

• 1 tbs extra virgin olive oil

• 1 tbs white wine vinegar

• 1 tsp dijon mustard

• 1 tsp honey

• 1 tbs rosemary, finely chopped

• Salt and pepper to taste

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 200°C and line a baking tray with baking paper.

2. Wash and scrub the carrots and place into a large bowl. Add in the oil, rosemary, honey, garlic, salt and pepper.

3. Spread out onto prepared baking tray and roast for 20-25 minutes or until carrots start to caramelise.

4. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing by placing all ingredients into a small bowl and mix well until combined.

5. Once the carrots are cooked, remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for ~5 minutes. Place into a bowl and pour over the dressing. Gently toss to combine.

6. Place onto serving plate and drizzle remaining dressing over the top if desired.