Fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad

fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threads
It still doesn’t look much like spring out there, but they tell me it is so, stubbornly, I’ve pulled out my sandals and started craving bright lovely fresh things like this fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad.

I’ve mentioned before that I’m not a fan of healthy tasting food. The thing is, despite the bevy of carb and sugar-loaded goodness I usually share here (and my general inclination toward pie and/or cereal for dinner) I actually am kind of a healthy person. But that doesn’t mean I like for my healthy food to taste like cardboard. So, Mark and I have (and are always building) our own little arsenal of tasty things that we wouldn’t mind eating any day of the week. We go back to our little list regularly, for things like baked salmon and tempeh tacos, and this week, we added a new recipe that’s bound for heavy rotation, especially as long as this gorgeous winter citrus holds out.

fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threadsfresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threads
The recipe this was adapted from didn’t include apple cider vinegar, but I really can’t imagine it without it. The tangy vinegar mixes with the sweet citrus, creamy avocado, and savory carrots for a meal you won’t want to stop eating even after you’re full.

Which, now that I think about it could counteract some of those healthy benefits I was so excited about.

Sorry about that.

I promise you won’t mind at all once you’ve had a bite.

fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threadsfresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threads
Fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad
Adapted from A Girl and Her Pig

4 medium garlic cloves, smashed and peeled
Maldon or another flaky sea salt
1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 1/2 teaspoons ground coriander
1 to 1 1/2 teaspoons crumbled dried pequin chilies or red pepper flakes
1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
30 or so similarly sized (each about the size of your pointer finger) young carrots, not peeled, 1/2 inch of the green tops left on
3-4 medium oranges
3 ripe Hass avocados, chilled
2 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
A handful of small, delicate cilantro sprigs

Preheat oven to 400°F.

Chop and smash garlic with a healthy pinch of salt until you have a fairly smooth paste. Put the paste in a large mixing bowl. Add cumin, coriander, chilies, and 1/4 cup olive oil and stir well.

Clean carrots well, then toss in olive oil mixture until well coated. Add 3 healthy pinches of salt, crushing the grains with your fingers as you add them, and toss again.

Put the carrots in a large shallow baking dish in one layer. Scrape out the extra garlic, spices, and oil from the bowl and spread evenly on top of the carrots. Add 1/4 cup water to an empty spot in the casserole and tilt the dish so the water spreads across the bottom.

Cover the dish tightly with foil and put in the oven. After 25 minutes, take off the foil and keep cooking until the carrots are lightly browned and tender, but not so soft that they threaten to fall apart. For us, this was only about 10-15 minutes more.

While the carrots are roasting, segment one orange as you would a lemon. Squeeze juice into a small bowl and set aside. Add lemon, apple cider vinegar, and the remaining 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

When the carrots are done, take the dish out of the oven and let it sit until the carrots have cooled a bit but are still warm.

Meanwhile, take the avocados from the fridge. Halve them lengthwise, remove the pits, and peel the halves. Cut the flesh lengthwise into slices about the same size as the carrots—the slices should be sturdy enough that they don’t break up when you toss them. Cut remaining 2-3 oranges so that outer membrane is mostly removed. Put orange and avocado slices in juice/oil mixture to settle for a few minutes.

To assemble, stack carrots, avocado, and orange segments on a platter or in a serving bowl so they’re facing this way and that. Top with the cilantro and remaining juice/oil mixture, plus any remaining juices left in the carrot pan, and serve right away.

fresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threadsfresh carrot, avocado and orange salad // a thousand threads

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