Friday Foodspiration: Roasted Carrot Salad

Salads are a great way to get a few servings of vegetables into one meal. But, salads used to be reserved for summer at our house when produce such as tomatoes and peppers were plentiful.

The past few winters, I have found a love for roasting root vegetables to add to salads. They almost caramelize in the oven and add a ton of flavor and nutrients to my winter greens.

This Roasted Carrot Salad is topped with a slightly sweet and slightly tangy dressing that compliments the tender greens and crisp carrots perfectly. I like to add toasted walnuts for crunch and even some cheese crumbles (goat or blue cheese add another tangy element) for those eating dairy.

Add some protein to this dish and you have a full, well balanced meal. Take the easiest path to dinner with a rotisserie chicken. Your meal will be gluten free, grain free, sugar free, and the option to be dairy free.

A note for families – My kids don’t eat salads although my husband and I love them. I roast extra carrots and this is the plain vegetable they have with their dinner while we enjoy our fancy salad.

Ingredients:

• 1 lb Slim Carrots, cut in half lengthwise (or large carrots quartered)

• 1 tbs Olive Oil

• 1/4 tsp Sea Salt

• 4 cups Bibb Lettuce, torn in bite size pieces

• 1/4 cup Walnut pieces, toasted

• Optional – 1 ounce Blue cheese or Goat cheese crumbles*

• Dressing

  • 1/4 cup Plain Unsweetened Greek Yogurt*

  • 1 tbs Lemon Juice

  • 1 tbs Dijon Mustard

  • 1/2 tsp Sea Salt

  • 1/4 tsp Black pepper

  • 1 tbs Golden Monkfruit or other Sweetener

  • 2 tbs Garlic Infused Olive Oil**

  • 2 tbs Fresh Chives, chopped

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees. Place carrots on a parchment lined baking sheet and toss with olive oil and salt. Roast for 12-15 minutes or until they start to caramelize but are still firm.

2. Meanwhile, prepare the dressing. Add all ingredients to a blender (alternately shake vigorously in a mason jar). Can be refrigerated until ready to use.

3. Place lettuce in a serving bowl , add carrots, top with walnuts, and optional cheese crumbles. Drizzle with salad dressing.

*Omit cheese crumbles and use Plain Unsweetened Almond Milk Yogurt such as Kite Hill to make this dairy free and Paleo compliant.

**Garlic infused olive oil makes this low FODMAP, but if you do not have this product you can use regular olive oil and a dash of garlic powder.

Want to know how your body responds to carbohydrates found in carrots? Does your body love or hate the fats found in almonds? How about dairy . . . should you omit it? Wondering how susceptible your body is to inflammation?

You can get the answers to these questions and more with nutrition and fitness DNA testing. With an simple cheek swab, sent away to our partner lab, you can get a nearly 50 page report telling you based on genetics how your body responds to these things.

In addition, you will learn things about how your body will respond in terms of weight loss, recovery, different types of exercise, and susceptibility to vitamin deficiency.

Click the link below to learn about our HIPAA protected DNA testing or e-mail amanda@peakpotentialpt.com with questions.

As a bonus, you won’t be left to navigate that 50 page report on your own. You will receive a free one hour health coaching session from us to make sense of your data and come up with a plan to implement what you have learned in order to reach optimal health. And there is more . . . You will receive a $100 bonus from the company we partner with to bring you this service.