Maple Dijon Roasted Carrots

How is it already mid-November?! I’m pretty sure it was just New Year’s Day 2019 and now the year is almost over…not to mention, the holidays are right around the corner. The countdown to Thanksgiving 2019 is on, and I have to tell you, as a pregnant woman in my second trimester, I’m pretty  extremely excited! The pregnant appetite is real these days so I’m speculating I’ll down a second plate plus a dessert plate at least. Anyway, you’re not here for my Thanksgiving day dreams, you’re here for the carrots.

These are special enough for a Thanksgiving side, yet simple enough for a weeknight dinner. Roasting the carrots brings out their natural sweetness, which is only enhanced by maple syrup, counteracted by the tartness of Dijon mustard, and a touch of rosemary adds brightness. I struggle to get Zemirah to eat carrots, but she wouldn’t stop taking these right from the bowl while I was photographing them! I certainly hope your family will like these as much as mine did!

• Servings: 6-8
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Ingredients

• 2 lbs of baby carrots, halved lengthwise (large carrots would work, too, but would need to be sliced into quarters)
• 1/2 cup of pure maple syrup
• 2 tbsp of butter (my favorite brand of grass fed butter) or ghee, melted (or substitute with your favorite cooking oil such as coconut or avocado)
• 1 tbsp of Dijon mustard
• 2 tsp of dried rosemary
• 1 tsp of kosher salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Lay carrots flat on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet
3. In a microwave safe bowl, melt your butter or ghee (if using a liquid at room temp oil, ignore this step)
4. Combine butter, syrup, mustard, rosemary, and salt
5. Pour mixture over carrots and stir to ensure all carrots are covered
6. Roast for 50-60 minutes, stirring halfway through, until fork tender
7. Store leftovers covered in fridge for a week to 10 days

 

Easy peasy and delicious! The carrots in my Roasted Chicken with Carrots are also amazing, and for more vegetable side dishes check out my Crispy Brussels Sprouts, Sweet and Sour Broccoli, ABC Brussels Sprouts, plus plenty of potato recipes. I hope this simple recipe inspires you for your Thanksgiving sides, or even as a way to make a weeknight dinner a little fancier – and it never hurts to cover your kids’ vegetables in syrup and butter 😛 Eat your vegetables, like them, too…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

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Sweet and Sour Broccoli

I have to admit something – I used to despise broccoli. I would eat it if I had to, but I wouldn’t pick broccoli as my vegetable of choice. In the last few years I’ve discovered the crispy, delicious magic that is roasted veggies, and that changed the [veggie] game! First with brussels sprouts (you can read that post here), then with carrots. I already liked carrots, but discovered how much sweeter they were when roasted (the carrots in this recipe are amazing!), so I decided I’d try roasting more veggies. Since broccoli is a readily available and versatile veggie, I decided to try roasting it. The results were, of course, delicious, but even great things need a little variation sometimes. Enter the Sweet and Sour Broccoli – crispy roasted broccoli tossed in a sticky sweet, tangy, and slightly spicy sauce. The result is a vegetable party in your mouth. This broccoli recipe is a perfect side dish, but it can also be served over rice for a vegetarian meal. However you eat it, I hope you enjoy!

• Servings: 4-6
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Ingredients

• 2 lbs of fresh broccoli (about 3 medium heads), chopped into small florets
• 1 tbsp of olive oil
• 1/2 tsp of salt
• 1/4 cup of raw honey
• 2 tbsp of apple cider vinegar
• 1/2 tsp of coconut aminos
• 1/2 tsp of crushed red pepper flakes
• 1/4 tsp of ground mustard

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 425 F
2. Lay broccoli flat on a parchment or silicone mat lined baking sheet.
3. Drizzle with olive oil and sprinkle with salt.
4. Roast for 40-50 minutes (until desired crispiness), stirring halfway through.
5. While the broccoli is roasting, prepare your sauce by combining remaining ingredients in a large bowl.
6. While the broccoli is still warm, toss in the sweet and sour sauce.
7. Serve warm, topped with more crushed red pepper and coconut aminos.
8. Store leftovers covered, in fridge.

For more roasted vegetables, check out the recipes linked in the first paragraph, as well as ABC Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Potatoes, and Kale Chips Two Ways. I promise that your kiddos will eat their veggies more willingly if they’re crispy and crunchy! Grown-ups might, too. 😉 Just like your mom used to tell you – eat your veggies…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

This post contains affiliate links. If you purchase using the links, it is of no extra cost to you, just a small commission for me. Thank you for supporting A Pinch of Crazy!

Roasted Potatoes

This post contains an affiliate link; if you purchase using the link it is of no extra cost to you, just a small pantry fund for me!

A Happy Accident

What is the perfect side dish for basically anything and everything? Potatoes! Even better if they’re hot, crispy, and flavorful. These are not your average, plain roasted potatoes; the crust on these bad boys is insane, and they are covered in nutritional yeast to give them a cheesy flavor.

These potatoes came about as a happy accident when I was out of some of my usual seasonings. My husband took one bite, his eyes widened, and he said, “Oh wow! Did you do something different?! These are delicious!” I pretended I didn’t notice how amazing they were, and casually answered, “oh yeah, I used nutritional yeast.” Then we dipped our little crispy potatoes in Dairy free Garlic Herb Ranch and happily gobbled them up in silence. Well, mostly silence, except for Zemirah’s (and David’s) happy hums of “mmm” with practically every bite.

A happy table makes for happy bellies and a happy evening. I hope you add these potatoes into your side dish rotation this week and have a happy table, too!

Roasted Potatoes

Serves six to eight.

Ingredients:

• Three large russet potatoes, cut into one inch cubes
• Half a tbsp of olive oil
• 1/2 tsp of salt, plus more for sprinkling
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1 tsp ground mustard
• 2 tsp nutritional yeast

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F
• Spray large baking sheet with cooking spray
• Combine potatoes, olive oil, and all seasonings on baking sheet
• Mix well until all potatoes are coated evenly
• Roast for 30-35 minutes, stirring halfway through
• While still hot, sprinkle potatoes with extra salt to taste

These are perfect to roast alongside my Crispy Brussels Sprouts and some chicken thighs for a quick and complete meal. I hope these crunchy roasted potatoes bring a nice change of pace to your side dishes like it did mine. Gobble them up…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

Mustard Potato Salad

It’s the middle of August, kids are going back to school, Labor Day is coming up; all of these facts can only mean one thing: summer is coming to a close. And I have the perfect side dish for you to bring to that final summer cookout! Healthy Mustard Potato Salad! Leave that supermarket potato salad that looks like yellow mush on the shelf, and bring this instead. Light yet filling, fresh, tangy, and herbaceous, it’s the side dish everyone wants. Bonus: this potato salad can easily be made Whole30 compliant if you use compliant mayo (like my Lemon Garlic Aioli) and compliant pickles!

I’ve talked about this before, but the poor potato gets a bad reputation for being unhealthy, when in fact, he (just assigned the potato a gender) is full of fiber and vitamins and minerals. You can read more details on the nutritional facts of russet potatoes in this blog post. In this potato salad I used red potatoes, which are also high in fiber, a little lower in calories, and high in potassium. However, russet potatoes would work just fine, too!

So slather on the sunscreen, slice up that watermelon, bring a big bowl of Mustard Potato Salad with you to the BBQ, and be prepared for everyone to compliment you hehe. (You would get double the amount of compliments if you also brought along my Wholesome Chocolate Chunk Cookies )

I mean, you can do whatever you want, but who doesn’t want to be crowned Queen (or King) of the Backyard BBQ?! That should be a thing.

 

Serves six to eight, and could easily be doubled.

Ingredients:

• 5 large red potatoes, cut into large chunks (I leave the skin on)
• 1/4 cup mayonnaise
• 1/3 cup yellow mustard
• 1 tbsp dijon mustard
• 2 scallions, thinly sliced
• 6-7 sprigs of fresh dill
• 1/3 cup chopped dill pickles (either homemade or a store bought brand you like)
• 1.5-2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder

Directions:

• Cover potato chunks with water and boil until very soft
• Drain and transfer to a large bowl
• While still warm, mix with mayo and mustards
• Add the remaining ingredients and combine well
• Chill
• Garnish with chopped scallions and dill

Get crowned Queen (or King) of the Backyard BBQ this weekend! Soak up your last few weeks of summer…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!

 

Crispy Brussels Sprouts

I have to admit that I’ve always been a brussels sprouts hater, but two years ago, my husband and I had a plate of fried brussels sprouts at a restaurant in Colorado that completely CHANGED MY LIFE! Okay, that’s dramatic, but they definitely changed my opinion on brussels sprouts; I saw the light and now love me some crispy brussies.

Brussels sprouts are high in vitamins K and C, fiber, and contain plenty of antioxidants, but deep frying them in oil kind of defeats their healthy purpose. So instead of frying brussels, I like to roast them on a high heat to get all of that crispy yumminess while still enjoying the health benefits.

This is a simple side dish that can go with almost any entree; I like to just toss them in the oven with some sweet potatoes and chicken thighs for a complete dinner on one pan. And they seriously could not be any easier; simply toss them with olive oil and seasoning then roast!

If you’ve previously been a brussels sprouts hater, try out these crispy bad boys and I guarantee you will change your mind! Dip them in some Lemon Garlic Aioli and you will love me forever. There I go with the dramatics again, but, really, you should try them.

Serves four to five.  

Ingredients:

• One and a half pounds of brussels sprouts
• One and a half tbsp of olive oil
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/4-1/2 tsp cayenne pepper

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 425 F
• Prepare large baking sheet with foil/parchment paper and cooking spray
• Cut the brussels sprouts in half top to bottom, or into quarters if they’re larger
• Place in a medium mixing bowl and drizzle with olive oil
• Add seasonings
• Mix together until all the halves/quarters are covered with oil and seasoning
• Arrange on baking sheet so that the brussels sprouts are all flat, none stacked on top of each other
• Roast for 30-40 minutes, stirring twice to ensure even roasting

That’s all, folks! I hope these crispy brussies change your mind like they did mine. Eat your greens…and enjoy your pinch of crazy!