Middle Eastern Smashed Carrots w Coriander Pesto

PREP TIME: mins

COOKING TIME: mins

SUNSHINE FOOD! The humble carrot transformed into something utterly delicious! I had a glut of organic carrots and thanks to my weekly organic deliveries from Wild Organics. You can use any roots here, sweet potato and butternut would work well too.

I served these with a quick VEGAN SPELT FLATBREAD which was more crispy flatbread than bendy wrap around flatbread, but no one was complaining. See my insta stories on how to make this.

Serving Suggestion:

Serve with the pickled onions, lime coconut yogurt and some vegan or yogurt flatbreads.

Ingredients:

  • 1.2kg carrots & butternut (or just carrots)
  • 3/4tspn turmeric
  • 5 peeled garlic cloves
  • 1tspn coriander seeds
  • 1 1/2 tspn cumin seeds
  • 1/2 tspn chilli flakes (opt)
  • olive oil
  • salt & pepper
  • 2tbspn maple syrup (opt)

Quick Pickled Onions

1/2 red onion finely chopped
2tbspn lime juice
good pinch of salt

Coriander & Pistachio Pesto

  • 20g coriander chopped
  • 1/2 cup pistachios (sunflower or pumpkin will work too)
  • 2 spring onions finely chpd
  • 1 garlic clove minced
  • pinch salt & pepper

small squeeze of lime juice

Lime Yogurt

  • 1/2 cup coconut yogurt (or greek style)
  • lime zest
  • 3tbspn lime juice

Method:

  1. Preheat oven to 200c.
  2. Start with the quick pickle, add all the ingredients to a small bowl and mix, set aside
  3. Add the roots, salt, pepper and turmeric to a roasting tray. Fill with 200ml of water and roast for 20min.
  4. Add the garlic, coriander & cumin seeds and the chilli flakes , toss together and roast for another 20min. The roots should be soft and sticky, if not add a dash of water (IF no water is left and the mixture seems dry) and roast for another 10min. (see 7. for optional step)
  5. To make the pesto, add all the ingredients to a food processor and roughly pulse to a chunky paste, season and add more olive oil to create a pesto.
  6. Mix the ingredients of the yogurt together and season to taste.
  7. Opt step: Crack the oven to 220c and add a few tbspn of Maple syrup to the roasting tray and roast for 5min or until really sticky! Smash roughly with a fork and add to a large plate. To assemble add splashes of yogurt to the carrot, followed my drizzles of coriander and finely the chopped onions.

Kitchen Story:

All credit goes to @nourishbynoor (my other food crush) for this recipe inspiration.

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