Roasted Baby Rainbow Carrots w/ Cumin Kefir Dressing (Plus Health Benefits)

Tender whole roasted rainbow carrots with a kefir dressing, and the comforting flavours of cumin and coriander.

This side dish is a great accompaniment to your festive meals, it’s colourful, vibrant, delicious, and the best part? It’s healthy!

Sprinkle some jewels of pomegranate seeds over the finished dish for an added wow factor and flavour.

These roasted rainbow baby carrots are so colourful and full of health benefits, they come in a variety of colours, and are tender and juicy.

Before roasting, soak them in some salted water, this removes any grit that may still be on them. This also helps to remove pesticides that may be on them as well.

“A 10% salt solution appears really well. To make a 10% salt solution, you just have to mix up about one-part salt to nine-parts water (though make sure to rinse all of the salt off before eating!).”

Once soaked, remove and dry off the carrots before adding the to your roasting try. Toss them with oil – avocado or olive oil (cold pressed), fresh herbs and season.

Roasted until tender, dress them and enjoy with the rest of your meal.

Are There Any Health Benefits in Rainbow Carrots?

These carrots really do have a rainbow of benefits in every bite.

All varieties of carrots are highly nutrient dense and are a great addition to a healthy diet – they’re high in fiber and rich in potassium, vitamin C, and vitamin K. Interestingly though, each individual colour carrot contains a specific set of phytonutrients or antioxidants which offer slightly different nutritional benefits.

Let us take a look a the specific nutrients found in each colour as well as their unique tastes.

Health Benefits of Rainbow Carrots:

Orange Carrots – contain alpha– and beta-carotene. These act as antioxidants in the body which promote your body’s production of vitamin A, this is necessary for healthy eyes. When it comes to taste orange carrots are earthy, sweet, and good to eat either raw or cooked.

Red Carrots – are rich in lycopene this is the plant nutrient that gives red fruits and veggies their colour, as well as containing beta-carotene. Studies show that lycopene can be effective in lowering blood pressure. It also helps prevent cancer, contains antioxidants, aids in eye health, and it can alleviate neuropathic pain. Red carrots are very similar to orange carrots when it comes to taste.

Purple Carrots – are high in anthocyanins, as well as alpha- and beta-carotene. Anthocyanins have been shown to have anti-inflammatory properties, this blue and purple pigments in purple carrots can also improve memory, enhance vision, and protect against heart attacks. Purple carrots have a sweet flavour that can sometimes be accompanied by a peppery taste.

Yellow Carrots – contain xanthophykks and lutein. Xanthophylls are known to have numerous health benefits. One of which is that it keeps your reproductive system strong. Lutein is linked to a reduced risk of age-related eye diseases. Yellow carrots have a mild flavour with very little of the earthiness that the other colours of carrots contain. They are also notably sweeter than the other colour carrots.

 

“If you truly get in touch with a piece of carrot, you get in touch with the soil, the rain, the sunshine. You get in touch with Mother Earth and eating in such a way, you feel in touch with true life, your roots…” –  Thich Nhat Hanh

 

Now that you know all the health benefits of rainbow carrots, here is our recipe for roasted Rainbow Carrots w/Cumin Kefir Dressing.

Enjoy!

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