When rainbow carrots hit the market in mid to late summer you just know they will bring some sunshine to your plates.
To celebrate these carrots in all their glory, I’ve got a zingy little crunchy salad for you that’s a cinch to prepare and just the perfect side to late summer/autumn meal to flood your plates with colour and can even give us a little extra glow.
Laced with Medjool dates for a little extra sweetness, spiced pumpkin & sunflower seeds for crunch, greens, well because you know how much I love them and a killer tahini dressing to bring everything together.
I sometimes serve this on a zested greek yoghurt base, or whipped feta or labeneh. But if I am making it for a crowd I keep it simple and just serve it piled high on a large flat plate. Like a slaw, this can be dressed a good hour in advance and I personally love it the next day as a little leftover treat.
Ribboned Carrot Salad
4-6
servings20
minutesIngredients
- Dressing
2 tsp Dijon Mustard
1 tsp honey
2 tbsp tahini
juice of 1/2 lemon (maybe more at the end)
60ml (1/4 cup) rice vinegar
180ml extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp Malden salt
- Spiced Roasted Seeds
150g raw pumpkin & sunflower seeds
1 tsp smoked paprika
1 tsp Aleppo pepper
1 tsp Malden salt
1 tbsp olive oil
- Salad
1 bunch of baby rainbow carrots or 5 carrots
a bunch of greens – either coriander, mint, rocket, dill or a combination of any or all of them.
6 medjool dates, pitted and sliced
2 spring onions, green and white parts sliced
150g spiced roasted pumpkin & sunflower seeds (recipe below)
a sprinkling of salt to finish
- Optional Additions:
sliced red chili
thinly sliced radish
toasted sesame seeds
toasted sliced almonds
crumbled feta
pile the salad on a bed of labeneh or whipped feta
Directions
- Toast the Seeds
- Start by making the toasted seeds (this can be done in advance). Preheat oven to 180ºC and place the seeds on a rimmed baking sheet. Sprinkle with the spices and salt and then drizzle with olive oil until everything is coated. Toast for 12-15 minutes until they are golden, shaking them half way though. Allow to cool.
You can also make these in a frying pan. Coat the seeds and gently toast them on a medium heat, shaking from time to time until they are golden and pop. - Make the Dressing
- I either make this in the bottom of the mixing bowl and pile everything on top, whisking together all the ingredients, adding the olive oil last. Or I make this in a jar and shake it all until it’s emulsified.
- Make the Salad
- Ribbon the carrots lengthways with a peeler. I like to do this with the carrot on a board and scrape down to the centre, turning it over and continuing on the other side. Place the carrot ribbons in a bowl and add the remaining ingredients, reserving some greens and seeds for the top at the end. If you have made the dressing separately, pour over enough to coat the ribbons (I use my hands obvs). Alternatively, if the dressing is at the bottom of the bowl, stir everything together and transfer onto your serving plate. Sprinkle with a few of the reserved ingredients and a little extra sprinkling of salt.
Have you made this dish?
Let me know what you think, share your efforts and any tweaks you made to the recipe on Instagram, don’t forget to tag #BuildingFeasts or email me on info@buildingfeasts.com
