ROASTED AND TOASTED CARROT-CITRUS SALAD
When a good friend shared this recipe with me a few years back, I had a salad epiphany of sorts. The term itself, "salad," conjures sour faces attributed with dieting, iceberg lettuce, and unmanly cuisine. Thankfully, this epiphany brought me to the conclusion that a salad is so much more than lettuce. A well-composed salad can be a true epicurean experience. This roasted carrot salad is just that. Sweet, salty, sour, crunchy, smooth, rich and totally satisfying. And if you have never considered tossing a citrus fruit in the oven (on the grill is also delicioso), try this recipe right now. The halved lemons and limes in this recipe are roasted along with the other ingredients, face-down. When they come out of the oven, they are carefully handled with tongs, and the roasted pulp is squeezed into the bowl. As the mellow citrus drizzles from your tongs onto the ingredients, the smell alone will make you even more excited to enjoy this incredible combination of flavors and textures. Salad, redefined. Cheers, Tyler. 12 Large Carrots, chopped into 2" pieces 2 Lemons, halved 1 Lime, halved 1 T. cumin seeds 1 T. coriander seeds 1 T. fennel seeds 2 garlic cloves, sliced Good glug of Olive oil (about 4 T.) 2 T. Red Wine Vinegar S&P 6 oz. Mixed Greens 1 Avocado, sliced 1/2 Cup sliced grapes 2 T. Poppy seeds 2 T. Sesame seeds, toasted 2 T. slivered almonds, toasted Heaps of fresh herbs (I used dill and cilantro, just choose your faves!) -Preheat oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit. On a baking sheet, toss the carrots, citrus halves, cumin, coriander, fennel and garlic with 2 T. of the olive oil. Roast in oven for 30-35 minutes, until nice and roasted.
-Remove baking sheet from oven and scrape the roasted ingredients into a large bowl. Carefully pick up the roasted citrus pieces individually with tongs, and squeeze over all of the ingredients, then throw away the remaining rind (Don't worry if some seeds sneak into the mix ;-)
-Add the red wine vinegar, remaining 2 T. of olive oil and season with S&P. Gently toss this with the mixed greens and avocado. Pour onto a large platter and sprinkle with grapes, slivered almonds, poppies, sesames and 'heaps' of herbs. (Don't you love that word?)
