And to prove my point, a photo straight from one of my favorite websites, Dogshaming.com (published with permission)
Phil and I try to eat a varied diet. We don’t exclude fats or carbs, only moderate the intake of overly caloric stuff. Over the years we made some changes in our nutrition that we follow as strictly as possible. We do the seafood at least once a week, often more. We limit red meat to once a week. We save desserts for special occasions. Recently we decided to increase our consumption of carrots. Our goal is to have them as a side dish twice/week. Carrots are a fantastic source of beta-carotene, a compound that is metabolized into vitamin A and retinal in humans and other vertebrates. Retinal (vitamin A-aldehyde), is a key compound in the vision process. Interestingly, carotenes are poorly absorbed from raw carrots. For optimal absorption, the carrots should be cooked, and preferably consumed with a little oil, as carotenes are oil-soluble. I am sure the cute dog above compensates the poor absorption by maximizing uptake and grabbing each root available in the backyard… 😉 This recipe solves the problems for H.sapiens, as the carrots are roasted with a bit of olive oil. Plus, to pump the “good-for-you” index even further, they are mixed with pomegranates, themselves chock full of nutrients. Interestingly enough, did you know that both carrots and pomegranates originated in Afghanistan? That may be why they go so well together!
POMEGRANATE MOLASSES GLAZED CARROTS
(adapted from Bon Appetit)
8 carrots (any color), halved lengthwise, cut crosswise into 2-inch pieces
1 tablespoons olive oil
Salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 tablespoon honey
1 tablespoon pomegranate molasses
Heat oven to 425°. Combine carrots and oil in a medium bowl. Season with salt and pepper and toss to coat. Transfer to a rimmed baking sheet, spreading out in an even layer. Clean any excess oil left in the bowl and reserve it. Roast carrots, turning occasionally, until just tender, 12-15 minutes. Meanwhile, whisk honey and pomegranate molasses to blend in reserved bowl.
Transfer carrots to bowl with honey mixture; toss to coat well and spread out on baking sheet, scraping out any remaining glaze from bowl. Roast until glaze is reduced and sticky and beginning to brown in spots, 5-8 minutes longer.
ENJOY!
to print the recipe, click here
I loved this recipe not only for its flavor, but also its simplicity. At first, I thought that the honey would make it overly sweet, because molasses sound sweet enough to start with. Not the case. The pomegranate component of the molasses wins the battle and the honey is needed to compensate its sharpness. Since the final roasting takes less than 10 minutes, you can pre-roast the carrots in advance, and finish the dish right before sitting down to eat. I am all for easy during weeknights.
Note to self: make a lot more carrots than you think you’ll need. Yeah, they are that good… 😉
Note to readers: if you are a dog lover and have not been introduced to Dogshaming.com, make sure to stop by. My day is not complete without a visit!
ONE YEAR AGO: Codruta’s Rolled Oat Sourdough Bread
TWO YEARS AGO: Roasted Corn and Tomato Risotto
THREE YEARS AGO: Light Rye Bread
Bewitching Kitchen 
I love smothering veggies in pomegranate molasses! What a delicious way to enjoy carrots. And to get that dose of vitamin A in!
LikeLike
Agreed! Pomegranate molasses is a great ingredient, plus the bottle is too cute…. (vain, who, me?) 😉
LikeLike
I make a stove-top version of this dish, slow-braising carrots in honey and a bit of white wine vinegar. I’m sure roasting would give the carrots even more depth of flavor. I’m going to try this as soon as I can get some pomegranate molasses!
LikeLike
Go for it, Paula…. I never used white wine vinegar, only lemon juice when braising stove top style. Gotta keep your version in mind, now that I will be eating carrots pretty much like a bunny rabbit
LikeLike
Note: white WINE vinegar. I’m not sure the regular white vinegar would work as well. I also do it with lemon juice. I think as long as some kind of acid is in there, you get that sweet-sour thing going on. Yum.
LikeLike
Yes, I think regular white vinegar would be too harsh. I have several (too many actually) bottles of vinegar hanging around in my pantry. There’s a white wine vinegar with tarragon, I bet that would work wonders with the carrots….
LikeLike
Like you, I have a vinegar collection. I must have 4 different balsamics and assorted others. No tarragon; that’s the one herb I really don’t like!
That makes me wonder: do most people refrigerate vinegar after the bottle is open? I tend to keep mine in the fridge, but my mother didn’t. I’d love to know what other Bewitching Kitchen readers do.
LikeLike
Hi, Paula
I don’t have a lot of vinegars in my kitchen, but my best friend does and I asked her. She keeps all her bottles in the pantry, and told me that they don’t go bad.
LikeLike
Paula, I do not refrigerate any of my vinegars. Soy sauce also goes into the pantry, as well as fish sauce (well, the fish sauce goes into the patio, away from our kitchen… )
LikeLike
the carrots look great. I do love them both raw and baked in the oven and would like to try your version also. Where do you find pmegranate molasses? I don’t recall seeing that in regular grocery store. Do you buy it on-line?
LikeLike
Jacquie, I have ordered Al-Wadi pomegranate molasses through Amazon, for about $9 plus shipping. You might be able to find it at a high-end grocery store in some parts of the country.
LikeLike
Paula came to the rescue… I actually have a FANTASTIC grocery store here, specialized in Oriental ingredients, that covers India, Pakistan, Korea, Japan, China, and, believe it or not, Mexico too 🙂 They have pretty much anything, including pomegranate molasses. But these days amazon can get you the whole world for a small shipping fee
LikeLike
I’ve been looking for uses for pomegranate molasses. This looks like a winner – I’ll try it soon.
LikeLike
I know you will love this…
LikeLike
I love carrots but have never tried them with pomegranate molasses.
Thank you for the tip about cooked carrots, I did nor know that you could absorb the nutrients better from cooked carrots as opposed to raw ones.
I too am trying to modify my family’s diet to a healthier one and recipes like this one are always more than welcome
LikeLike
Glad you liked it, Sawsan… always good to have some “good for you” options in our mind when planning a meal, right?
LikeLike
I don’t eat nearly enough carrots and when I do, it’s usually in small quantities in soups. When I DO use them as a side, it’s usually with some butter and salt on top or with a drizzle of Kraft Zesty Italian or Signature Greek salad dressings. This does sound tasty though.
LikeLike
It was very tasty – next on my list is a carrot soup with a special twist… 🙂
LikeLike
Thank God for sensible healthy food ideas; having studied nutrition for nearly a quarter century, I know you can make it hard or you can make it easy! Hate to see people making the wonderful world of food such a battleground! Many people do not realize the goodness of carrots is better absorbed cooked. Another such vegetable is mushrooms: better cooked as there is a slight toxicity raw! Yet I do love my raw spinach and mushroom salads! 🙂 !
LikeLike
Ha! I don’t like raw mushrooms, actually I can eat them, but prefer them cooked. When I add them to pizza, I might slice them on a mandoline type gadget, to get paper thin slices, and of course then get cooked in seconds once the pizza goes into the oven.
LikeLike
Pomegranate molasses is a wonderful condiment. I love it with carrots!
LikeLike
One of those matches made in heaven…
LikeLike
We are big carrot fans here! Love the sound of this dish Sally ! We made a Hugh Fearnley Whittingstall roast carrot hummus spread/dip/ whatever the other day which was sweet and creamy with tahini and spice and very good indeed. It kept well in the fridge too 🙂
LikeLike
Carrot hummus…. yeah, sounds just about perfect!!!!!
LikeLike
Wow, I’ve got a bottle of pomegranate molasses in my pantry but I’ve never thought to combine it with carrots! I’ll definitely have to try it as soon as I purchase some more carrots! Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ve spent the past few minutes reading through recipes and stories on your blog and I love your honest, inspiring way of writing. Read your husband’s tribute to Bill, also. I am sorry for the huge loss… sounds like an amazing guy. Anyway, I’m following you now! Thanks again Sally. Can’t wait to look through more of your archives x
LikeLike
What a wonderful comment to read, thank you SO MUCH!
Hope you have fun reading the archives – I sometimes forget I posted a particular recipe, it’s fun to go back and read an old post. I guess I’ve been blogging for too long 😉
LikeLike