Citrus Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots

Citrus Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots, where have you been all my life? These golden rods coated in sticky, glossy, maple-citrus sweetness do not taste like vegetables. They taste like CANDY. No really, I should've lobbied to have these babies passed out on skewers at Halloween, rather than waiting for Thanksgiving to roll around to serve these. These long skinny carrots have crispy blackened edges and tender insides that melt in your mouth and not on your fork.

And this recipe is super simple. So grab a bunch of carrots at the store, or better yet, the farmer's market, and glaze some carrots today! You will feel oh so sassy and gourmet with this platter on your table. And when holiday dinner tables need to be set, you can pull this recipe out of thin air and look like a kitchen whiz.

Kids, adults and picky eaters of all sorts will fall in love at first golden bite. Make these just once and you will forever be a roasted + glazed carrot fan. Everyone who tries these will want to finish all their veggies. Have I convinced you yet?

And a bonus side dish recipe that pairs perfectly as a base layer for these carrots: Tahini lemon short grained brown rice...

The inspiration..

Stemmed local, organic carrots..

Chop chop, and ready for glazing + roasting..

These carrots will be on my holiday table(s) this year..


And I'm pretty sure there will NOT be leftovers.

Over rice..

In a flash, your carrots go from au natural to totally sassy + glazed.

Glam carrots.

Rice too. This simple short grained brown rice (short grained is my fave!) acts as the perfect bedding for your glossy sweet carrots. The diced carrots in the rice add a subtle sweetness that compliments the savory, nutty tahini and lively lemon juice.

Carrots are rich in vitamin A and some studies have shown that cooking foods like carrots may help release some of the vitamin A to make it more easily absorbed by your body. While cooking will reduce the amount of vitamin C in most veggies, for carrots , it may help increase vitamin A. So there is a trade off.

Nutritional estimate per recipe - carrots:

Citrus Maple Glazed Roasted Carrots
makes one small platter

1 bunch of stemmed carrots (about 7-8 medium - not large - carrots) - stems removed, halved (long strips)
2 Tbsp grade B maple syrup
2-3 tsp extra virgin olive oil
1/4 tsp coarse pink salt
1/8 tsp fine black pepper
1 satsuma or tangerine (2 round slices with peel, the rest juiced + pinch of zest)

Extra glazed: for bolder carrots, you can add an extra splash of EVOO + maple syrup. You will get more sticky pourable glaze for serving this way.

Directions:

1. Wash and scrub carrots. Remove stems and slice down the center into long strips. Extra large carrots can be sliced into quarters. Skinny carrots may be kept whole.

2. Heat oven to 400 degrees.

3. Place carrots in a dish - I used a bread loaf pan. Add the maple syrup, citrus juice, 2 citrus slices and zest, oil, salt and pepper. Toss carrots well so the coating is evenly distributed. Lightly grease a shallow baking pan or foil liner on a cookie baking sheet. Pour carrots into baking dish so that all carrots are single layered. Pour leftover glaze liquid over top carrots. Roast carrots with the two citrus slices.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for five minutes, then turn oven to broil for two minutes. Turn back down to 400 and flip carrots. Bake for another five minutes at 400 and then broil again for two minutes. Edges of a few carrots should be slightly blackened. Remove from oven, transfer to serving platter, be sure to pour excess baking dish liquid over top carrots, and serve warm.

raw pumpkin pie

 

raw pumpkin pie was the first recipe i ever posted on this blog. that was over a year ago now. i have come a long way and can't wait to see where i - and this website - will be in another four seasons. i want to take a moment to thank you all for following my blog as it has increased in popularity and support. for those of you who are new - welcome!

your emails, comments, thoughts and kind words are the sole reason i continue to make recipes, photograph and write about them, then put them on the world wide web for all to see. i feel blessed to have the opportunity to reach and positively connect with so many wonderful spirits (that's you)!

okay - gooey, cheesy stuff outta the way! here is a pie for you. i was just confessing to mother-dearest that i actually was never a fan of pumpkin pie before i went vegan. i just ate it at thanksgiving and christmas because it meant i got a serving of ice cream and whipped cream with it (my infamous sweet tooth could not be suppressed, even when i was little).

but this raw, animal-free version of pumpkin pie is seriously delicious and i love it on it's own! having said that - adding coconut ice cream to anything is never a poor idea. NEVER.

that's a life lesson. you're welcome. 

i live in canada, so our thanksgiving was some time ago now... but i know that all my friends in the states are anticipating the coming holiday so this would be a great option for dessert! show your relatives and loved ones how delicious raw food can be. this has gotta be the lowest calorie, most nutrient-dense pumpkin pie on the planet. unless you just ate a pumpkin straight up and called it "pie"... but then you'd be kinda strange.

anyways, let's appreciate fall for all the glorious colours it brings into the world; the trees are a changin' and so are our lives. live in the moment with people you care about and give thanks for all you've been given, and all that you've worked to achieve. you're beautiful. stay sexy! like a pumpkin.

raw harvest pumpkin pie: makes one pie

crust:

1 cup cashews

1 cup almonds

1/4 cup raisins

1 cup dates

1/8 teaspoon salt

pumpkin filling:

1 sugar pumpkin (about 7 cups), peeled, gutted and cut into cubes

1 cup dates

4-5 tablespoons melted coconut oil

1/3 cup maple syrup

1-4 tablespoons pumpkin pie spice (cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger & cloves)

to make the crust, process the nuts in your food processor until they are like a rough flour. add the dates, raisins and salt. pulse until it all sticks together in a lump. press into the bottom of a pie dish and refrigerate. 

to make the pie filling, process the pumpkin cubes until they can't get any smaller in your food processor. add in the other ingredients and process until it can't get any smoother. transfer the filling to your high speed blender and blend on the highest setting to get it super smooth like the cooked version. add whatever you think it needs. spread the filling onto your pie crust and let it set in the fridge for a few hours. 

serve with raw ice cream or cashew cream in celebration of thanksgiving, the colourful fall season, or for the simple reason that life is beautiful!

Chocolate Pumpkin Pie

From eat, drink & be vegan  soy-free, wheat-free option, gluten-free option

This pie is rich and decadent, so a little slice will do.

FILLING:
1 1/4 cups non-dairy chocolate chips
1 can (14-oz/415-ml) organic pumpkin pie mix (I use Farmer’s Market Organic brand)
2 tbsp unrefined sugar
2 tsp arrowroot powder
1/8 tsp (rounded) sea salt
1 prepared pie crust of choice (see note for wheat-free and gluten-free options)
2 tbsp non-dairy chocolate chips, optional (for garnish)

Preheat oven to 425°F (220ºC). Fit a metal or glass bowl over a saucepan on medium-low heat and filled with several inches of water (or use a double-boiler). Add 1 1/4 cups chocolate chips to bowl and stir occasionally as water simmers (not boils), letting chocolate melt. While chocolate is melting, in a food processor, add pumpkin pie mix (scraping out everything from can), sugar, arrowroot powder, and salt. Purée until very smooth, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Once chocolate is melted, add to food processor and purée with pumpkin mixture, scraping down sides of bowl as needed. Pour mixture into pie crust (scraping out all filling) and tip pie back and forth gently to evenly distribute filling. Sprinkle on 2 tbsp chocolate chips.

Bake for 15 minutes, then reduce heat to 350ºF (180ºC) and bake for another 35 minutes, until pie is set (the center may be soft, but it will set further as it cools). Carefully remove from oven and place on cooling rack. Let cool completely before
slicing, refrigerating if desired.


Note: You can use a chocolate or graham cracker crust, or a whole-grain crust, including a wheat-free or gluten-free crust (see Let Them Eat Vegan for a gluten-free pie crust).