It was just Papa, Hannah and I for dinner last night, and the cupboards were a bit bare. I found some beautiful organic carrots with their greens in the fridge, though, which is perfect since I’m trying to eat as vegan a diet as possible. I remember seeing a Kevin Gillespie make a carrot green purée on Top Chef and decided to try my own hand at cooking with them. Plus, they’re supposed to be super healthy!
THE MEAL: ROASTED CARROTS WITH A CARROT GREEN VINAIGRETTE-TOPPED HERB SALAD AND VEGAN CORNBREAD
First I cut the greens off of six carrots and scrubbed the carrots clean. I am of the opinion (a) that a little dirt only makes you stronger and (b) that the skins of fruits and vegetables should be eaten whenever possible. I then sliced the carrot on a diagonal into inch-and-a-half long chunks, which I tossed in a couple of tablespoons of olive oil and about a ¼ each of cumin and cinnamon. I cracked some sea salt and black pepper on top, threw them in a baking dish, and popped them in the oven at 400 degrees for about 25 minutes.

In the meantime, I combined the following ingredients in a mixer:
1 cup cornmeal
1/2 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
3 tablespoons canola oil
1 tablespoons honey
1 cups soymilk
1 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
I poured this mixture into a greased 9-inch cake pan and put it in the oven alongside the carrots (still at 400 degrees) for 20 minutes. I recommend cooking it ahead of the carrots at 350 degreed for about 30-35 minutes because mine came out a bit dense. Also, adding a bit more honey or a dash of salt would give it more flavor. Mine was a bit bland (Papa kindly called it “delicate”) but I ate three pieces anyway because I was famished!

Next I combined 1/3 cup extra virgin olive oil, the juice of one lemon, a small garlic clove, and about 3 tablespoons of chopped carrot greens in a food processor to make a light dressing for the organic fresh herb salad I found in the fridge. I also chopped up a couple more tablespoons of the carrot greens and added them to the salad, but only after I tasted them and made sure I was okay with the bitterness. I think the carrots, sweet as they are, nicely balance the bitter and sour salad, but you may not agree, so taste, taste, taste along the way!

Papa and Hannah made some chicken legs to eat alongside, but I think this is a really delicious and satisfying weeknight meal even if you’re not vegan. The carrots were perfect (the bigger ones could have cooked longer, though they weren’t underdone) and I could have eaten a whole plate of them easily.
