Roasted Carrots with Feta

I thought my recipe for Salmon With Everything But the Bagel Seasoning was the easiest recipe I have ever posted but I may have topped the easy chart with these roasted carrots.

It is so simple you can hardly call it a recipe, maybe just an “idea” 😃. These carrots are simply coated in olive oil, sprinkled with fresh ground salt and pepper and roasted for 15-20 minutes at 400 degrees, turning a couple of times while roasting. A sprinkling of feta made the perfect garnish. In my local market they carry a large bag of organic carrots in bulk for a reasonable price, so watch for those sales, buy in bulk, and get the organic ones if you can. They are also great for juicing, green smoothies, and just to snack on. I am officially on a carrot kick . . .

For the New Year I resolved to put more vegetables on my plate and less meat, for many reasons. When I think of planning that plate though, I gravitate to the side dishes I am familiar with - broccoli, cauliflower, sweet potatoes - what I would call my staple side dishes. A pile of carrots wasn’t on my radar, until now, my list has expanded with flavor and color!

My plate looked so colorful that it reminded me of a recommendation to “eat the rainbow”, and put five colors on your plate. I have been reading books from Dr. Mark Hyman, and these explanations of eating the rainbow are from him. It is a plateful, and not always easy to achieve, but here is the goal -

Red (tomatoes, grapefruit, watermelon): Red foods contain carotenoid lycopene, which helps rid the body of free radicals, which are unstable atoms or molecules that lack an electron pair and destroys collagen and DNA.

Orange (carrots, mangoes, apricots, cantaloupes, pumpkin, acorn squash, winter squash, sweet potatoes): These contain alpha-carotene, which protects against cancer. They also contain beta-carotene, which the body converts to vitamin A, writes Dr. Hyman.

Orange/Yellow (pineapple, orange juice, oranges, tangerines, peaches, papayas, nectarines): This array of naturally sweet fruits contains beta cryptothanxin, which helps all of your cells talk to one another.

Yellow/Green (spinach, collard greens, mustard greens, turnip greens, yellow corn, green peas, avocado, honeydew melon): These staples contain carotenoids, lutein, and zeaxanthin, all of which are believed to reduce the macular degeneration that comes with aging.

White/Green (leeks, scallions, garlic, onions, celery, peas, white wine (!), endives, chives: Some of the foods with this earthy tone contain antioxidant flavonoids like quercetin and kaempferol, which defend your cells from damage. Plus, Dr. Hyman adds: “The onion family contains allicin, which has anti-tumor properties.”

Green (broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, bok choy, kale): “These contain the chemicals sulforaphane and isocyanate and they also contain indoles,” writes the doctor, “all of which help ward of cancer by inhibiting carcinogens.”

Red/Purple (beets, eggplant, purple grapes, prunes, cranberries, blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, red apples): According to Dr. Hyman, the antioxidants (known as anthocyanins) in these fruits and veggies protect your heart health by preventing blood clots.

The more colors of the rainbow that you add to your plate translates to more variety of healthy nutrients on your plate. These roasted carrots can be one step to adding color to your rainbow - Enjoy!