Carrot And Avocado Salad With Crunchy Seeds Recipes

CARROT AND AVOCADO SALAD WITH CRUNCHY SEEDS

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
• Bring a wide pot of water to a boil. Add the carrots and cook until a knife pierces them easily, about 20 minutes.
• Meanwhile, in a mortar and pestle, pound the garlic, cumin, thyme, chile, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt, and 3/4 teaspoon pepper until crushed and pasty. Add the vinegar and 1/4 cup of the oil and continue pounding until well mixed. Alternatively, pulse in a food processor or blender until pasty.
• Drain the carrots and arrange in a medium roasting pan in a single layer. Spoon the cumin mixture over. Cut the whole orange in half. Arrange the orange halves and 2 of the lemon halves over the carrots, cut sides down. Roast for 25 minutes, or until the carrots are golden brown. Transfer the carrots to a platter.
• When cool enough to handle, squeeze 2 tablespoons juice each from the roasted orange and lemon into a small bowl. Squeeze in 2 tablespoons orange juice from the remaining orange half as well as 2 tablespoons lemon juice from the remaining lemon. Whisk in the remaining 2 tablespoons oil to emulsify. Season with salt and pepper and drizzle over the carrots.
• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spread the sunflower, pumpkin and sesame seeds in a single layer on a rimmed baking sheet. Bake, stirring occasionally, until lightly toasted and golden, but not golden brown, about 7 minutes. Cool completely.
• Arrange the carrots on a serving platter, reserving the accompanying sauce. Put the avocado and then the sprouts on top. Drizzle with the reserved sauce.
• Dollop the sour cream over the top, then sprinkle with the seeds. Garnish with flowers if desired. Serve immediately.

ROASTED CARROT & AVOCADO SALAD WITH CITRUS DRESSING

Steps:

• Don't peel the carrots.
• First, make the herb and spice paste for the carrots.
• In a mortar, combine the cumin seeds, chilli, salt and pepper and smash up with a pestle. Add the garlic and thyme leaves and pound until you have a paste-like consistency. Now add just enough extra virgin olive oil to cover the paste, together with 2 tablespoons of red wine vinegar. Mix together.
• Preheat oven to 180C (350F).
• Cook carrots in boiling, salted water for about 10 minutes or until almost cooked - run a sharp knife into one and it should push through without too much resistance.
• Drain carrots, pat dry with kitchen paper, and put into a roasting tin.
• Pour the spice paste mixture over the carrots and rub in well with your hands.
• Place the roasting tin in the oven and bake carrots for 30 minutes, then add the orange and lemon halves to the tin.
• Bake for another 15-30 minutes until carrots are well roasted and the skins are golden brown.
• (Jamie puts the fruit and the carrots in together, and roasts the lot for 30 minutes. I found this wasn't long enough to get the carrots well roasted and when I left them in longer, the orange and lemon dried out a bit - so the above method is my compromise.).
• While the carrots are roasting, halve the avocados, remove the seeds, scoop out the flesh and cut into wedges.
• Place avocado wedges into a large mixing bowl or salad bowl.
• Heat a medium sized frying pan over a medium heat on the stove and add the seeds. Toast seeds in the frying pan, tossing frequently, until lightly browned. Remove to a small bowl until needed.
• In the same pan, add a good couple of swigs of olive oil and toast your bread slices on both sides. Remove to a plate until needed.
• Now, remove the roasting tin from the oven.
• Using a pair of tongs, squeeze the roasted orange and lemon halves into a bowl (don't worry if some pulp falls out too).
• Add an equal amount of extra virgin olive oil to the bowl along with a tablespoon of red wine vinegar, and season with some crushed sea salt and freshly ground black pepper and mix well.
• Add the roasted carrots to the avocados in the bowl and pour over the dressing.
• Now roughly tear up the toasted bread slices and add to the salad.
• Add the mixed greens and toss the lot together.
• Divide salad between four plates or bowls, spoon a dollop of sour cream on the top of each, sprinkle with the toasted seeds and finish with a little drizzle of extra virgin olive oil.