I got my second covid vaccine over the weekend – which was super exciting, although it did make me pretty sick (that means it worked!).  So, in my times of trying to relax while feeling fever-y, I needed some comfort food.  For that, I turned to cumin carrots.

Cumin carrots are a dish that my mom used to make for me all of the time when I was a kid.  I loved them.  I remember eating so many veggies whenever cumin carrots hit the table.  Even still, for whatever reason, it hasn’t been something that I make for myself that often, although that might change now that I’ve worked them back into my rotation.  They are super simple to make but pack big flavor – simply steam some carrots, add some lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and plenty of cumin, stir and enjoy.  You can make these with baby carrots, big carrots cut into rounds or sticks, or fancy fresh carrots from your CSA or farmer’s market.  All carrots will work, and all carrots will be great given the cumin-carrot treatment.

Before we go into the recipe, here’s a quick carrot/cumin fun fact that is part of the reason why this recipe works so well: carrots and cumin are in the same biological family, which means they are related to each other!  While carrots are known and bred for their roots and cumin is known and bred for producing tasty seeds, they are both in the Apiaceae family of plants.  Since cumin and carrots are essentially cousins, the flavors should work well together, as the flavor compounds in both are biologically similar.  Biology and food – so fun, right?!

Recipe down below, photo up top!  This made enough for one big serving for me.  Feel free to scale up for meal-prep purposes.  Enjoy on their own or use as a fun veggie side for dinner, or as a topper for a Tex-Mex bowl or salad.

Cumin Carrots

Ingredients:

• 1 ½ cups carrots
• 1 tsp lemon juice
• 1 tsp olive oil
• ¼ tsp salt
• 1 tbsp cumin

Method:

1. Wash, peel, and cut the carrots into desired shapes and sizes.
2. Add the carrots to a small saucepan with a lid.  Add enough water to cover the bottom inch or two of the pan.  Place the lid on the pan and put the pan over medium-high heat.  Cook the carrots over medium-high heat until fully steamy and carrots are tender, about 5-7 minutes.
3. When the carrots have been fully cooked through, drain the carrots in a colander to remove any excess water.  Place the drained carrots into a bowl.
4. Add lemon juice, olive oil, salt, and cumin to the carrots. Stir to combine.
5. Enjoy!