Roasted Carrot and Date Winter Salad
Ok the real reason I made this recipe is because I accidentally bought two large bags of whole carrots a few days apart. I am not usually a huge roasted carrot fan, due to the level of sweetness, but I had so many carrots and wanted to put them to good use. These carrots changed the game for me. I added lots of heavy spices like cinnamon, chili powder, and cumin which gave the carrots a really rich savory flavor. The dates and citrus gave a great sweetness and mix of texture. It’s bold, salty, sweet, and heart warming.
Carrots
Olive Oil
Cinnamon
Chili Powder
Garlic Powder
Cumin
Dates
Dill
Chives
Castelvetrano Olives
Grapefruit
Orange
Dijon
Red Wine Vinegar
Salt
Black Pepper
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees.
Peel carrots and cut into 2 inch pieces. For the larger ends of the carrots I cut those pieces in half. Add to mixing bowl with ¼ cup olive oil, 1 tablespoon salt, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon, ½ teaspoon chili powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, and 1 teaspoon ground cumin. Toss until carrots are evenly coated in oil and spices.
Spread on a parchment lined baking sheet and cook for 40 minutes. I don’t touch or turn them, just let them roast away. You want the carrots to still be firm and have a slight crunch to them.
Let carrots cool to just warm and add to a bowl. Add 1 cup of halved dates (remove pits) Add ¼ cup of chives and a ¼ cup of dill, both finely chopped. Add 1 cup of Castelvetrano olives: I crush them with the side of my knife, but you can also just cut them in half.
With a sharp knife cut the top and bottom of the grapefruit off. Stand it up on one of the cut sides and slice off all of the peel and pith. Carefully cut each section of the grapefruit wedge out leaving behind the skin and pith. Cut pieces in half and add to the bowl. If I didn’t explain this week here is a video for reference.
Do the same to the orange and add to the bowl.
Before discarding the leftover skin and pith of your grapefruit and orange, squeeze over a measuring cup to capture any of the remaining juice. (To use for the dressing)
Add 1 tablespoon of Dijon to the citrus juice. Add ½ cup of olive oil and ¼ cup of red wine vinegar. Add 1 teaspoon of fresh cracked pepper and mix with a fork until all ingredients are blended together.
Add dressing overtop the salad and gently toss to evenly mix and coat everything. Season with salt to taste and serve.
