Easy Side: Carrots with African Spices

These are simple chunks of carrot braised in garlic and spices and broth/water. The spice combination is lovely, especially brightened by citrus.

I do recommend taking 2 - 3 minutes to peel and slice whole carrots. The "baby" carrots that come in bags (which aren't young carrots at all, just big carrots shaped small and marketed beautifully) have little flavor when cooked. [Don't believe me? Believe SlashFood.]

CARROTS with AFRICAN SPICES

Hands-on time: 10 minutes plus occasional stirring
Time to table: 45 minutes
Serves 4

1 tablespoon olive oil
4 cloves garlic, minced (or from a jar ... )
2 teaspoons paprika (I used Hungarian sweet)
1 teaspoon cumin
1 teaspoon coriander

1 cup broth (or water)
1 pound carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
3 tablespoons citrus juice (I juiced a lemon and a lime)
Salt to taste
Fresh herbs to taste, optional but nice (I used fresh marjoram)

In a large skillet (one big enough to hold the carrots in a single layer) heat the olive oil til shimmery. Add the garlic and spices and cook for a minute, stirring the whole while. Add the broth and bring to a boil. Meanwhile, prep the carrots and add to the broth as they're prepped, stirring to coat. Add the lemon juice and salt. Reduce heat to maintain a slow simmer, stirring occasionally. (I covered for the first 10 minutes but then uncovered because the liquid wasn't thickening as expected. It actually never did achieve a 'syrup' consistency but cooked down a bit as the carrots cooked.) When carrots are cooked, drain if needed, taste and season to taste, stir in fresh herbs if using.

NUTRITION ESTIMATE Per Serving: 93 Calories; 4 g Tot Fat; 1 g Sat Fat; 14 g Carb; 4 g Fiber; NetCarb9; 53 mg Calcium; 1 mg Iron; 223 mg Sodium; 0 mg Cholesterol; 2 g Protein; Weight Watchers Old Points 1, PointsPlus 2

TODAY'S VEGETABLE RECIPE INSPIRATION Adapted from Eating Well

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MORE FAVORITE CARROT RECIPES
~ Bourbon-Glazed Carrots ~
~ Creamy Carrot Puree ~
~ "Wonderful" Glazed Turnips & Carrots ~
~ more carrot recipes ~
from A Veggie Venture

~ Laura's Carrot Soup ~
~ Mashed Potatoes & Carrots ~
~ Baked Cabbage Wedges ~
~ more carrot recipes ~
from Kitchen Parade, my food column

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