Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad

While on the search for some gluten-free and vegetarian recipes, I came across this delicious recipe at my favorite food blog, Smitten Kitchen. While I was worried that this wouldn't be substantial enough to eat as a main dish, it actually did fill both Shea and I up as an early lunch on a Saturday morning.

I had to cook my carrots for longer than the recipe suggests, more like 60 minutes. In the end, the extra time was totally worth it. I had perfectly soft carrots that were just beginning to caramelize. I also added a bulb of roasted garlic to my carrots for just a little bit of an added flavor boost. It was terrific!

Roasted Carrot and Avocado Salad
Courtesy of Smitten Kitchen
http://smittenkitchen.com/blog/2009/08/roasted-carrot-and-avocado-salad/

1 pound carrots, scrubbed or peeled and cut into two-inch segments (angled if you’re feeling fancy)
3 tablespoons olive oil, divided
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
Coarse salt and freshly ground black pepper
1/2 an avocado, pitted and sliced (we had a mega-’cado and only used 1/4 of it)
Juice of half a lemon

Roast the carrots: Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Toss the carrot chunks in a medium bowl with two tablespoons of the olive oil, cumin and as generous of a helping of salt and pepper as you like. (We like a lot. Especially with sweet things like carrots.)

Spread them on a roasting sheet (I lined ours with foil because despite having a dishwasher these days, old must-create-fewer-dishes-at-all-times habits die hard) and roast for about 20 minutes, or until tender and browned. Of course, roasting time will vary depending on the thickness of your carrots. Our heftier chunks took over 30.

Finish the salad: Once the carrots are roasted, arrange them on a serving platter with slices of avocado on top. Drizzle the salad with the last tablespoons of olive oil, lemon juice and extra salt and pepper, if it needs it. Eat immediately.