Roasted Carrot, Avocado and Orange Salad
Back for more salad? You should be. This one is a treat. Again the beauty comes from the simplicity of ingredients which provide a bite packed with flavor. The whimsy of this salad is the contrast of temperatures. Warm, spicy roasted carrots coated with garlic and cumin paired with creamy avocado and cold orange supremes. Hungry? I thought so.
Yes, it does sound a little odd. It certainly isn’t a mainstream pairing, but citrus and avocado are classic together. I mean, who would make guacamole without lime juice? Plus carrots and cumin are fabulous together. Whoever paired the three get my vote for awesome. (Please note this voting system is highly flawed given that I am the only one who uses it and I refuse to be limited by a single vote.)
Anyway, I have made this salad multiple times and not only do I enjoy it, but my guests appreciate it too. Many start out skeptical but end up asking for seconds…and then the recipe. And as always, I’m happy to share.
As usual, you will need an apron.
Let’s take a second to discuss produce. First, carrots. If you grow them, awesome. I bet they are delicious, and I’m happy to be invited over and sample your recipes anytime. Assuming you don’t grow your own carrots, I highly urge you to splurge a little. Which means no bags of baby carrots for this recipe. Colorful bunches are available in the organic section of most grocery stores and let’s be fair, purple carrots are just fun to munch. So pick up 2 bunches.
Avocados. I have no other advice other than say pick out 3 ripe ones. Not rock hard and not mushy. But it’s like melon, who knows what’s under the skin?
Grab 4 fresh oranges, preferably ones that look juicy and sweet. Again, not sure how to pick the best ones other than to say really small ones are difficult to supreme. So you can’t easily substitute clementines or tiny tangerines for this recipe. Just a thought.
First things first, preheat the oven to roast the carrots.
Peel the carrots and cut into 2 ½ inch sections. Some of the larger carrots may need to be cut in half lengthwise to create similar sizes for even roasting. Add to a large bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl add minced garlic, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, dried cumin and ground coriander. Mix together to make a thick paste.
Spread on top of carrots and toss until all are covered.
Spread onto a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Roast for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake another 20-30 minutes until soft.
While the carrots roast, supreme the oranges. If you’re a novice at supreming things, it’s pretty simple actually. Cut off the top and bottom of the orange and sit upright on the cutting board. Cut off the peel in small segments to expose the individual slices. When the peel is gone, hold in your hand and using a sharp paring knife, cut vertically along the membranes to create individual segments.
Add all of the orange segments to a medium sized serving dish. Don’t forget to squeeze out all of the remaining juice! And don't worry, it won't look like much but it will be a perfect proportion.
After the orange are ready, tackle the avocados. Cut in half and twist open. Impale the seed with your knife and gently twist to remove. While still in the skin, make thin slices with your knife down to the skin. Grab a large spoon and scoop it out. Easy peasy, it’s done and you’ve got gorgeous slices.
Add to the oranges and toss gently so the avocados stay intact but are covered with juice (to prevent browning).
When the carrots are done, add them directly to the bowl of avocados and oranges. Don’t forget to scrape in all of the roasted garlic pieces which stick to the bottom of the baking sheet – it’s PACKED with flavor.
Toss gently and serve immediately.
Only potential downside to this salad is that it is best served immediately. The temperature contrast is part of the fun, which means leftovers which are all at the same temperature will still taste great but just be slightly less satisfying.
All the more reason to eat it all the first time. And it goes great with lamb burgers topped with tzatziki sauce and feta. Enjoy!
Published April 2012
Yes, it does sound a little odd. It certainly isn’t a mainstream pairing, but citrus and avocado are classic together. I mean, who would make guacamole without lime juice? Plus carrots and cumin are fabulous together. Whoever paired the three get my vote for awesome. (Please note this voting system is highly flawed given that I am the only one who uses it and I refuse to be limited by a single vote.)
Anyway, I have made this salad multiple times and not only do I enjoy it, but my guests appreciate it too. Many start out skeptical but end up asking for seconds…and then the recipe. And as always, I’m happy to share.
As usual, you will need an apron.
Let’s take a second to discuss produce. First, carrots. If you grow them, awesome. I bet they are delicious, and I’m happy to be invited over and sample your recipes anytime. Assuming you don’t grow your own carrots, I highly urge you to splurge a little. Which means no bags of baby carrots for this recipe. Colorful bunches are available in the organic section of most grocery stores and let’s be fair, purple carrots are just fun to munch. So pick up 2 bunches.
Avocados. I have no other advice other than say pick out 3 ripe ones. Not rock hard and not mushy. But it’s like melon, who knows what’s under the skin?
Grab 4 fresh oranges, preferably ones that look juicy and sweet. Again, not sure how to pick the best ones other than to say really small ones are difficult to supreme. So you can’t easily substitute clementines or tiny tangerines for this recipe. Just a thought.
First things first, preheat the oven to roast the carrots.
Peel the carrots and cut into 2 ½ inch sections. Some of the larger carrots may need to be cut in half lengthwise to create similar sizes for even roasting. Add to a large bowl and set aside.
In a small bowl add minced garlic, olive oil, salt, red pepper flakes, dried cumin and ground coriander. Mix together to make a thick paste.
Spread on top of carrots and toss until all are covered.
Spread onto a baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Roast for 25 minutes, remove foil and bake another 20-30 minutes until soft.
While the carrots roast, supreme the oranges. If you’re a novice at supreming things, it’s pretty simple actually. Cut off the top and bottom of the orange and sit upright on the cutting board. Cut off the peel in small segments to expose the individual slices. When the peel is gone, hold in your hand and using a sharp paring knife, cut vertically along the membranes to create individual segments.
Add all of the orange segments to a medium sized serving dish. Don’t forget to squeeze out all of the remaining juice! And don't worry, it won't look like much but it will be a perfect proportion.
After the orange are ready, tackle the avocados. Cut in half and twist open. Impale the seed with your knife and gently twist to remove. While still in the skin, make thin slices with your knife down to the skin. Grab a large spoon and scoop it out. Easy peasy, it’s done and you’ve got gorgeous slices.
Add to the oranges and toss gently so the avocados stay intact but are covered with juice (to prevent browning).
When the carrots are done, add them directly to the bowl of avocados and oranges. Don’t forget to scrape in all of the roasted garlic pieces which stick to the bottom of the baking sheet – it’s PACKED with flavor.
Toss gently and serve immediately.
Only potential downside to this salad is that it is best served immediately. The temperature contrast is part of the fun, which means leftovers which are all at the same temperature will still taste great but just be slightly less satisfying.
All the more reason to eat it all the first time. And it goes great with lamb burgers topped with tzatziki sauce and feta. Enjoy!
Roasted Carrot, Avocado and Orange Salad
Published April 2012
Ingredients
- 6 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 1.5 teaspoons ground cumin
- 1.5 teaspoons ground coriander
- 1 teaspoon red pepper flakes
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 bunches of rainbow carrots
- 4 oranges
- 3 ripe avocados
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 400 F. Combine first 6 ingredients in a small bowl and stir to form a thick paste. Set aside.
- Peel carrots and cut into 2.5 inch segments. Add spice paste to the carrots and toss until all pieces are covered. Spread on baking sheet and cover with aluminum foil. Bake for 25 minutes. Remove foil and roast an additional 20-30 minutes until soft.
- While the carrots roast, supreme the oranges and add to a large bowl. Squeeze out remaining juice into the bowl. Cut avocados in half and remove the pits. Cut into slices and add to the oranges. Gently toss to cover in orange juices. Set aside.
- When carrots are done, add to the bowl with the oranges and avocados. Scrape the roasted spices into the same bowl and gently mix together. Adjust salt and pepper to taste.
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