Cumin Roasted Carrots – OwlCat Designs

I have to admit I was addicted to this recipe for a while last year. Yep, ‘Addictive veggies’, who would have thought? Somehow the way the coarse salt flakes make the cumin taste on those carrots is just beyond description. You have to try it to believe it, but around here, I always make extra so I have leftovers.

And it’s so easy, in fact it only takes 4 ingredients, including the carrots!

I love to bake and roasting is, uhm, almost like baking. Riiight, you’re saying. Well maybe it’s a bit wishful thinking. I have been going sugar and grain free for a while, that sorta limits the baking. One thing you start noticing is your taste buds rejuvenate and become more sensitive. You will be able to taste the natural sweetness in carrots or beets for example, or even milk. It’s quite astonishing how dulled our senses have become to sugar, (read a 1996 study on sugar preference and consumption between rural and urban population groups in Iraq) apparently the more sugar you eat, the duller your senses become to it and the more you need over time. Works kinda like drugs that way, a bit scary, ain’t it? But I digress. The roasted carrots are a must try, even if you’re not a big carrot fan, roasting them caramelizes the sugars and renders them sweeter. Part of why roasted carrots have a higher glycemic index than raw or even steamed carrots.

Ingredients

1 lb Carrots (about), cut into pieces
2 tbsp olive oil
1 1/2 tsp coarse flake salt (such as french grey sea salt, or fleur du sel)
2 tsp cumin seeds

Directions

Preheat oven to 380°F
In a bowl, drizzle the carrot pieces with the 2 tbsp olive oil, and toss to coat. (Trust me, you don’t want to skip this step and just drizzle them on the baking sheet, won’t work, I tried, take it from a cumin roasted carrot addict), then add the cumin seeds.
Line a baking sheet with aluminum foil (easy clean up makes me happy)
Transfer the carrots to the baking sheet, making sure you scrape out all the cumin seeds. Sprinkle with the salt and place in the preheated oven
Bake for 35-45 minutes, depending on the size of your carrots and the desired softness. (Mine usually are perfect after 40)

What’s your favorite vegetable to roast?