Roasted Carrot And Avocado Salad With Citrus Dressing

Roasted Carrot And Avocado Salad With Citrus Dressing
4 from 1 ratings
"This Moroccan-spiced salad combines vitamin A–rich carrots and heart-healthy avocados. Jamie Oliver’s favorite method for preparing carrots (as well as beets) is to first parboil them, then toss them with a dressing and roast them to intensify their sweetness." — Food & Wine magazine; recipe contributed by Jamie Oliver
Servings
6
servings
Ingredients
  • 1 pound medium carrots
  • 2 teaspoon cumin seeds
  • 1 chile de árbol, or another small chile
  • kosher salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste
  • 2 cloves garlic
  • 1 teaspoon thyme leaves
  • 1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 3 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
  • 1 orange, halved
  • 1 lemon, halved
  • four 1/2-inch thick slices of ciabatta bread
  • 3 hass avocados, pitted, peeled and cut into 6 wedges each
  • 8 ounce assorted greens, such as watercress, spinach, or mesclun
  • 2 cup baby arugula
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted, roasted sunflower seeds
  • 1 tablespoon roasted sesame seeds
  • 1 tablespoon poppy seeds
  • 3 tablespoon low-fat sour cream, mixed with 1 tablespoon of water
Directions
  1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bring a deep skillet of salted water to a boil. Add the carrots and simmer, covered, over moderately low heat until crisp-tender, 10 minutes. Drain and transfer the carrots to a large roasting pan.
  2. In a mortar, crush the cumin seeds, chile de árbol, ½ teaspoon of salt, and ¼ teaspoon of pepper. Add the garlic and thyme and pound into a paste. Stir in 2 tablespoons of the oil and 2 tablespoons of the vinegar.
  3. Pour the cumin dressing over the carrots and toss. Add the orange and lemon halves to the roasting pan, cut side down. Roast for about 25 minutes, until the carrots are tender.
  4. Meanwhile, toast the ciabatta until the edges are golden brown. Tear the bread into bite-size pieces and, in a large bowl, gently toss with the avocados, greens and arugula. In a small bowl, combine the sunflower, sesame, and poppy seeds.
  5. Using tongs, squeeze the hot orange and lemon halves into a measuring cup until you have about 1/3 cup of juice. Whisk in the remaining 1 tablespoon of red wine vinegar and 1/3 cup of olive oil and season with salt and pepper. Add the warm carrots to the bowl along with the citrus dressing and toss to coat. Transfer the salad to plates and drizzle with the sour cream. Sprinkle the salad with the seed mixture and serve.