Over the last year, as I’ve worked to teach myself how to cook a variety of yummy, healthy, and hearty meals, I’ve most often selected recipes that are quite hands-on from gnocchi to stuffed peppers to zucchini fritters.  Cooking is my refuge, and when I get home from a long day at work I enjoy nothing more than making a huge mess in the kitchen while I experiment with a new recipe.

With the recent move, however, I’ve found myself needing time at night to sift through boxes, rearrange furniture, and figure out how to best live in this new space. So this afternoon, when I opened my ‘to make’ list, I purposefully looked for something that I could pop in the oven, and let it do the work.

I’ve had this recipe for garlic shrimp with quinoa and roasted carrots in the cue for a while. Tonight I will focus on these yummy carrots and then will post the shrimps next.  We ALWAYS have carrots in the fridge. We grate them each sunday into our lunch salads and then nosh on the rest mid-week with hummus.  I’ve recently starting roasting them for dinner and they’ve been somewhat foolproof.  My husband liked them a bit crunchier, and so I can take them out in batches to please all palates.

Again, a huge shout out to The Beginner’s Cookbook who always posts clear and straightforward recipes that anyone can follow.

Ingredients:

• Apx 6 whole carrots (I used organic rainbows)
• 3 Tablespoons Olive Oil
• 6 Tablespoons parmesan cheese
• 1 clove of garlic – minced
• Salt and pepper to taste

Steps and Notes:

1. Preheat the oven to 350
2. Peel and trim the carrots
   • I cut them in half first from end to end and then quarters
3. Place the carrots onto a baking sheet or dish, cover with olive oil, and rub until fully coated
4. Season with the minced garlic, salt and pepper.
5. Cook the carrots for 20 minutes
6. Remove from the oven and sprinkle half of the parmesan
7. Bake for 6- 10 more minutes (depending on your desired level of crunch)

Thoughts for Next Time:

• Make these rosemary and garlic carrots. Yum!
• Honey maple roasted carrots. These remind me of childhood. Yes please!