This easy yet delicious roasted carrot side dish is full of exotic flavor!
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I have been in love with Middle Eastern flavors for a long time. Back in my pre-THM days, I did several Whole 30’s. Since you cut out so many food groups while doing these, you start to rely on delicious spices and herbs to keep your food interesting.
While things like Whole 30 can be a bit extreme, it was during this time that I really started poring over cookbooks and learning to be generous with spices to bring my food to life.
I started making my own Indian, Italian, Middle Eastern and Mexican spice blends and appreciating all the many flavor profiles and beautiful colors of these spices.
I bought whole spices like cumin and coriander, as opposed to ones already ground. Then I learned how a simple roasting in a dry pan intensifies the fragrance of the seeds. They can then be mashed in a mortar and pestle and mixed with olive oil to make a fragrant addition to many dishes such as hummus and roasted meats and veggies.
Older cultures have got it right
There is something the modern North American people have forgotten. They have forgotten how to slow down and appreciate the beauty and delicious flavor of pure, simple foods.
In our busy lives, rushing in and out of drive through’s and filling our bodies with chemically altered foods that don’t even resemble real food, we don’t even realize how we are missing out. That food in fancy restaurants isn’t always necessarily so difficult. The chefs there just are whiz’s at knowing how to season food.
Other parts of the world realize this. When I was traveling in Europe, I loved how the streets were lined with small cafes that were always full. You were never more than a short walk away from a gourmet meal.
I was blown away by a cafe in Salzburg where I bought a delicious salad topped with duck and a fruit vinaigrette for a very reasonable price. It was something I would have had to pay a lot of money for in a fancy restaurant back home.
People in other countries eat simple food that is full of spices and herbs that give it out of this world flavor. We can learn a lot from them!
These oven roasted carrots are a THM E or FP
While you can eat raw carrots in a Trim Healthy Mama S or FP meal, [about one medium sized carrot] you need to be much more careful with cooked carrots. The cooking process releases natural sugars and makes them starchier.
For this reason, cooked carrots are best kept to E meals, although you can have small amounts in a S or FP. Or you could be a little more generous and have an S Helper.
But I generally only eat cooked carrots in my E meals. For this reason I just spritzed them lightly with oil in this recipe. If you are planning on having a S Helper or Crossover meal you could be more generous with the oil and they would taste even better!
Do you have an airfryer?
I cooked these carrots in the oven. But if you have an air fryer, you could definitely try cooking them in that. I haven’t personally done this but I do want to do it in the future!
I love how much flavor and crispiness an air fryer adds without using much or any oil. Definitely a big bonus for THM E or FP foods!
What kind of carrots should I use?
In these pictures I used organic rainbow carrots, but you could use any type of carrot. Just make sure they are cut in uniform pieces so they roast evenly. Smaller carrots will work best.
If I’m using carrots that aren’t organic I will peel them. Otherwise I leave the skin on for extra fiber and nutrients.
Oven Roasted Moroccan Carrots Recipe:
Ingredients:
4 pounds medium to small sized carrots
Cooking spray
1 teaspoon dried dill
1 teaspoon garlic powder
1 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoon coriander
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
1/2 teaspoon oregano
Sea salt & pepper
Fresh parsley and/or mint to garnish
Instructions:
1. Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut the ends off of the carrots if desired and then cut them into 1/2 or 1/4’s, depending on how big they are.
2. Place them in a large bowl and spritz evenly with cooking spray. Combine all the spices except salt and pepper and sprinkle over the carrots. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss everything to coat. Spread on an unlined and ungreased baking sheet, making sure all the spices are scraped out on top.
3. Bake 40 minutes or until the carrots are tender and starting to get crispy on the ends. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and/or mint to garnish.
Print this recipe here:
Oven Roasted Moroccan Carrots
Ingredients
- 4 pounds medium to small sized carrots
- Cooking spray
- 1 teaspoon dried dill
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon cumin
- 1/2 teaspoon coriander
- 1/2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1/2 teaspoon oregano
- Sea salt & pepper
- Fresh parsley and/or mint to garnish
Instructions
- Heat your oven to 425 degrees. Cut the ends off of the carrots if desired and then cut them into 1/2 or 1/4’s, depending on how big they are.
- Place them in a large bowl and spritz evenly with cooking spray. Combine all the spices except salt and pepper and sprinkle over the carrots. Season generously with salt and pepper and toss everything to coat.
- Spread on an unlined and ungreased baking sheet, making sure all the spices are scraped out on top. Bake 40 minutes or until the carrots are tender and starting to get crispy on the ends. Sprinkle with fresh chopped parsley and/or mint to garnish.
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