Roasted Carrots & Quinoa With Honey, Cumin & Tahini Yogurt

Recipe courtesy of Jodi Belluz, Belluz Farms

This dish is one of three vegetarian platters demonstrated by Jodi Belluz in our January 2022 show.  All three of these delicious recipes are easy and versatile; they can be prepared ahead and served warm or cold; they can be refrigerated in their individual components and assembled into wonderful packed lunches.  Makes about 4-5 servings as a meal.

Method:

Pre-soak your quinoa:

Note from Jodi:  “You don’t have to soak your quinoa before cooking, but I find that it really reduces the cooking time and makes them more digestible.  I’m told that if you soak grains and pulses before cooking, the phytic acid is released into the soaking water making the minerals and nutrients more readily available to us.” 

Roast your carrots & onions:

1. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and pre-heat your oven to 400F.Give your carrots a good scrub if you think they need it and then chop into bite size pieces.  No need to peel.
2. Peel your onion, cut in half, trim off the stem ends, and then cut into a total of 8 wedges.  Separate the layers of your wedges.
3. Put all the veggies on your baking tray, drizzle liberally with oil and toss it all with your hands to make sure they’re all well covered.  Spread out evenly, season well with salt and pepper and sprinkle cumin seeds over the whole tray.
4. Roast for about 30-40 minutes – tossing halfway.  You want the carrots to be tender with a little bit of brown colour to them in spots, and the onions to be soft and caramelized.  When your carrots and onions done and still hot, drizzle about 2 tbsp of honey over top and toss to coat.
5. While your veggies are roasting, get your quinoa going and make your tahini yogurt sauce.

Cook your soaked quinoa:

1. Drain your soaking quinoa and give it a quick rinse.
2. Place the quinoa in a medium, heavy-bottomed pot and add one cup of water and a pinch of salt.
3. Bring to a boil over high heat, cover pot, reduce heat to low, and cook for 15 minutes or until all the water is absorbed.
4. Remove from heat and set aside, covered, for 5 to 10 minutes before fluffing with a fork.   (If you didn’t soak your quinoa, add about ¾ cup more water and you’ll have to cook it for maybe about 5 more minutes)

Mix up the tahini yogurt:

1. In a small bowl or glass measuring cup, add 1 cup of yogurt, 1 clove of grated garlic, 2 tbsp of tahini, about 1 tbsp or fresh lemon juice and about ½ tsp salt and some freshly ground pepper.  Whisk this all together and taste.
2. Add more salt if necessary and more lemon juice if you’d like a bit more brightness.

Assemble your platter:

1. Lay out your quinoa in a shallow serving bowl or platter.
2. Arrange your carrots and onions over top.
3. Drizzle your tahini yogurt sauce over the top – you’ll have more than you need really – do this to your own taste.  The extra will store well in the fridge.
4. Sprinkle frozen cilantro or parsley over top – if you don’t have that – you can used dried parsley or herbs for a little green.

Serve warm, at room temperature or cold!

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