Sesame Roasted Carrots

Say hellooo to one of my all time favourite side dishes. Roasting is my favourite way to cook veggies - they get so deliciously sweet and caramelised! With the addition of sesame oil and seeds there’s also a yummy earthiness and some crunch too.

Oh, and did I mention that carrots are nutritional powerhouses? Amongst other things, they’re a rich source of beta-carotene, a precursor to vitamin A which plays a vital role in our immune health, mucous membrane function, eyesight and more. Fun fact - beta carotene gives certain fruits and veggies their orange colour and is found in the likes of pumpkin, orange sweet potato and apricots. Extra fun fact - beta carotene requires dietary fat to be properly absorbed and utilised by our bodies, so it’s best to pair with something like avocado, extra virgin olive oil, nuts or seeds. You get a small amount of fats in this recipe with the sesame seeds and oil, but I’d recommend adding a little more to fully support the absorption of beta-carotene. One of my favourite ways of enjoying these carrots, for example, is as a side to oven baked salmon…yum!

Bunch of carrots (bake as many as you want!)
Extra virgin olive oil
Sesame oil (or substitute for more extra virgin olive oil)
Sesame seeds

1. Preheat your oven to 180 degrees Celcius
2. Wash and scrub your carrots. If using Dutch carrots, leave about 5cm of the tops attached as they go deliciously crisp when baked (and use the rest of the tops in salads, soups, etc). If using larger carrots, you might like to cut them in half lengthways
3. Pop them onto a baking tray and drizzle with extra virgin olive oil. Bake in the oven for about 20 to 30 minutes (the cooking time will depend on the size of your carrots)
4. Take the carrots out when they’re almost done, then drizzle with a tiny bit of sesame oil (or more extra virgin olive oil if you don’t have sesame oil) and sprinkle over sesame seeds
5. Put them back in the oven for another 3 to 5 minutes
6. Serve and enjoy!