Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios is an excellent way to eat your veggies effortlessly! Warm and cozy, it’s oven-roasted until the carrots are fork tender and the juicy cranberries burst.  The lite marinade and simple Lemon Tahini Dressing bring it all together. It’s almost as if every ingredient is playing the lead in a fairytale romance.

Yes! That’s the best way to describe it;  Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios tastes like a flavor-filled love story.  Better still, this romance is real-life doable. There’s nothing complicated, and it’s as easy and one, two, three!

3-Step Method for Making Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios:

• First, begin with quinoa.  Use leftovers if you like, or make a quick fresh batch.
• Next, roast the carrots and cranberries.
• Make the marinade, dressing and add the greens & nuts. Finished… ta-dah!

As well as being easy to prepare, nutritionally, Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios is off the chart!   Carrots provide a generous supply of the antioxidant nutrient named for them: beta-carotene.  But that’s not all; in case you didn’t know, carrots are our orange friends with loads of benefits.  Read more nutritional facts about carrots in this informative article.

And cranberries, well, we should look forward to the time of year when these beauties are in season for about a hundred reasons.  Cranberries are a valuable source of so many vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, E, K1, manganese, and copper. If you are interested in learning more about the uses of cranberries for wellness, you should read more in this informative article. 

You may also be wondering about the nutritional benefits of the stream of lemon juice used in this recipe. Well, according to what we read, making lemonade is not the only thing to do when life gives you lemons.  The saying could go, “When life gives you lemons, maybe you should count yourself lucky!” They’re full of vitamins, minerals, phytonutrients, and antioxidants. And they are an especially good source of vitamin C and folate!

And then there are the fabulous greens.  Eating fresh greens is the surest way to keep your body running optimally. When you get into the habit of eating greens on a daily basis you will noticeably miss them when you don’t. If you’re thinking that could never happen to you, try and you’ll see.

Finally, we top this dish off with a crowning handful of bright chopped pistachios. And you guessed it; these little green-ish nuts are more than just sweet, savory and delicious. Regular consumption of pistachios may help lower bad LDL cholesterol and increase good HDL cholesterol levels in the blood. Furthermore, just a handful of pistachios a day provides enough recommended levels of phenolic antioxidants, minerals, vitamins, and protein. It’s time to make sure you save some room for pistachios in your diet!

So, how does a gorgeous helping of Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios, taste?

• First of all, it’s incredibly satisfying, thanks in part to the substantial serving of nutritious quinoa.
• It’s also slightly sweet due to the gorgeously roasted carrots and a small bit of pure maple syrup.
• And what’s a tasty bite without a little tang? As the cranberries roast, they burst and blend with the marinade to create a noticeable layer of tangy goodness.  (You may compulsively start working through the dish to find the next berry.)
• Finally, dressed in fresh herbs like cilantro and parsley, drizzled in Lemon Tahini Dressing and sprinkled with pistachios, Maple Roasted Carrots & Cranberries with Quinoa & Pistachios is nothing short of a flavor bomb, in a good way!

So, as you can see, this dish makes for a healthy, simple side or main dish.  Either lunch or dinner – you choose!  And it will be equally at home at your next dinner party or holiday gathering.  This dish allows you to share how genuinely beautiful, humble carrots, cranberries, and pistachios can be!  This is a plant-based, vegan, and gluten-free recipe that’s ready to go the distance.

Happy eating!

Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios

VEEG

• 15
  Prep:
• 45
  Cook Time:
• Yield: 8 Servings

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This easy oven-roasted vegetable dish with maple marinade is the perfect side dish to serve at your holiday feast. And it’s equally at home when you enjoy it as a fabulous one-bowl meal, any day of the year! And check out the nutritional content of this eye-pleasing new favorite because the nutrients are terrific!  Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios is a dish you’ll return to when you want something simple, satisfying, tasty, healthy, and impressive. The maple marinade is lite but full of intentional flavor-boosting bits. And wow is it ever fun to munch right up to the stems, like a bunny! This dish is a must for your Christmas or Thanksgiving table or next dinner party to share how deliciously beautiful, a few humble carrots and cranberries can be!

Ingredients

• about four cups of cooked quinoa, rice, or another grain or even riced cauliflower -  We used this organic variety of quinoa.
• two pounds of raw carrots cleaned but left whole
• 2 cups of fresh or frozen whole raw cranberries
• For the marinade:  3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup  
• 1/4 cup of fresh thyme leaves or about 4 tsp of dried thyme leaves - We found this bulk deal on organic dried thyme leaves.
• a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt or another salt, to taste - We found this terrific deal on pink Himalayan sea salt for stocking up.
• a dash of freshly ground black pepper, to taste
• For the Lemon Tahini Dressing: 6 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice
• 2 tbsp of pure maple syrup  
• 6 tbsp of tahini  
• 2 tbsp of tamari sauce, or use Braggs Liquid Aminos or coconut aminos
• 1 tsp of garlic powder - We found a terrific bulk buy on this organic variety of garlic powder.
• 2 tbsp of water
• a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt or another salt, to taste
• For plating: 4 to 8 cups of fresh greens of your choosing  - We used a blend of organic Spring Greens and baby spinach.
• 2 tbsp of fresh cilantro, chopped
• 2 tbsp of fresh parsley, chopped
• 4 tbsp of raw pistachios, shelled and finely chopped

Instructions

1. If you haven't already done so, go ahead and prepare your choice of quinoa according to package directions. We used a multi-colored variety, but any quinoa will taste terrific.  If you prefer, you could also substitute the quinoa with another grain or even a riced vegetable, such as cauliflower rice. 
2. Begin the carrot portion of this recipe by baking the cleaned whole carrots on a parchment paper lined baking sheet at 400º Fahrenheit for about 30 minutes. At 20 minutes in, flip the carrots and drizzle with about 1/4 of the marinade and bake for about ten more minutes. At 30 minutes in, add the washed and drained fresh raw cranberries and sprinkle everything with another small splash of the marinade. Adjust any carrots than need flipped or resituated and return the pan to the oven and bake for about another 15 minutes or so. If the veggies are browning too quickly in certain areas, shield them by using a bit of parchment paper or cover by using an oven-proof lid or small pan.
3. Now, fire from all cylinders and multitask! After you've initially put the carrots in the oven, in a medium-size bowl stir together the ingredients for the marinade. The marinade consists of 3/4 cup of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 1/3 cup of pure maple syrup, 1/4 cup of fresh thyme leaves or about 4 tsp of dried thyme leaves, a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt and a dash of freshly ground black pepper. Taste and adjust seasonings to preference.
4. Next, it's time to make the dressing. In a small bowl, combine the following list of ingredients to make a zesty Lemon Tahini Dressing. If you like, for extra dazzle you can put the delicious dressing in a squeeze bottle to drizzle it evenly across the finished dish. The Lemon Tahini Dressing consists of 6 tbsp of freshly squeezed lemon juice, 2 tbsp of pure maple syrup, 6 tbsp of tahini, 2 tbsp of tamari sauce, Braggs Liquid Aminos or coconut aminos, 1 tsp of garlic powder, 2 tbsp of water, and a pinch of pink Himalayan sea salt. Taste and adjust to preference.
5. Now, prepare for plating. If you are serving this family style go with a large platter or serving dish. You can also portion out servings individually. Either way, begin with a base of cooked quinoa and top with a generous portion of mixed greens of choice. Crown it all with a drizzle of the marinade and toss lightly, leaving most of the quinoa in place at the bottom.  If you prefer you could plate the quinoa, sprinkle it with some marinade, add the lettuce and hit it with an additional splash of the marinade.
6. When the carrots and cranberries are finished cooking, transfer them to the serving dishes previously layered in a bed of marinade doused quinoa and mixed greens.
7. When serving, drizzle the entire dish with the Tahini Lemon Dressing and top with chopped fresh cilantro, parsley, and pistachios.
8. We often enjoy Maple Roasted Carrots and Cranberries with Pistachios as a meal in itself. Sometimes when serving as a side, we leave off the quinoa, but that's up to you as it is splendid as a side precisely as described.

Notes

• Use freshly squeezed lemon juice in this and all of our recipes calling for lemon juice. Bottled lemon juice doesn't deliver the desired impact or flavor.
• On the flipside of fresh, this recipe is a terrific opportunity to use leftover quinoa or rice you may have stashed in the fridge or freezer. You can also save meal prep time by making a batch of quinoa ahead.

Nutrition

% DV

Calories Per Serving: 325

• Total Fat 10 g 15 %
• Saturated Fat 1.4 g 7 %
• Cholesterol 0 mg 0 %
• Sodium 376.6 mg 16 %
• Carbohydrates 53.9 g 18 %
• Fiber 9.7 g 39 %
• Sugar 19.4 g ---
• Protein 9.9 g 20 %
• Vitamin A 447 %
• Vitamin C 78 %
• Iron 30 %
• Calcium 16 %