Make way for a beautiful and flavorful antioxidant party on your plate! Roasting vegetables is an easy and tasty way to include more plants in your diet. When it comes to rainbow carrots: yellow, dark orange, regular orange, bright red and purple, every color is loaded with specific phytonutrients that are good for eye, brain and heart health, protect against some cancers, guard the body’s cells from damaging free radicals, and support colon health.
Delicately dressed with an emulsion of seasonal berries and pureed with citrus juice and your favorite olive oil, this gorgeous side dish goes well with any savory entree of your choice.
Vegan
Preparation time: 20 minutes
Cooking time: 12-15 minutes
Yield: 4-6 side dish servings
Ingredients:
- 6 cups rainbow colored carrots, cut into 1/2’’ chunks
Other root vegetables such as golden, red or Chioggia beets, sweet or purple potatoes may be used. - 1/2 cup raspberries, boysenberries or blackberries
- 1/4 cup orange juice, preferably fresh-squeezed
- Seasonings of your choice:
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 tablespoon fresh herbs or one teaspoon dry herbs such as oregano, basil, parsley
- Pinch of salt
- 2 tablespoons olive or avocado oil
- 1/4 cup olive oil
Options:
Berries may be replaced with 1/3 cup of orange juice or with 1/4 cup of fruit jam or preserves, thinned with a small amount of water. If using juice rather than fresh berries, mix liquid ingredients first, then add oil and whisk to emulsify.
If using organic or home grown oranges you may add a little zest for a citrus punch of flavor.
Preparation:
Heat oven to 375’. Lightly oil or spray a large cookie sheet and set aside.
In a large bowl combine 2 tablespoons of olive oil, salt and seasonings, if desired. Whisk together and add carrots, tossing to coat with oil mixture.
Spread in single layer on cookie sheet, being careful to space carrots.
Roast for approximately 12 minutes, or until a little char forms on the carrots edges. Roasting time may need to be adjusted if using different vegetables. Rotate the cookie sheet mid-way for even cooking.
Prepare the Berry Dressing:
Puree berries using a blender, adding orange juice, salt and zest. Once blended, pour the mix through a fine mesh strainer, using a spoon to to allow the liquid to pass, filtering the seeds. Discard the seeds.
Rinse blender to remove any seed residue and return berry mix. Blend on low while slowly adding small amounts of the oil, creating an emulsion.
Once the carrots are done roasting, transfer to a serving bowl, add the berry dressing and toss to coat.