Monday, April 26, 2010

Glazed Carrots with Pecans

Growing up my mom would sometimes cook fresh carrots with a hint of something sweet like honey or orange juice. I think it's a pretty unique flavor profile, so I experimented with it.

2 large carrots
2 garlic cloves, minced
healthy sprinkle of black pepper
dash Kosher salt
1 Tbsp real maple syrup
2 Tbsp water
handful of pecans

Wash and cut the carrots and add to a pan with the minced garlic, pepper, and salt. Cook for a few minutes on medium heat until the garlic softens and the carrots lose some of their bite. Add the maple syrup and pecans and turn the heat to medium high. Let the syrup carmalize around the carrots a bit and form a glaze for just a minute or two. Add the water and reduce the heat back to medium. Let cook for about 5 minutes until the water evaporates, the carrots are soft, and the pecans are toasted.




These turned out really delicious and I'm so happy I thought to include the nuts. The glaze on the carrots was just a "hint," not a thick, cloying sweetness.

I served alongside baby lima beans and a chicken breast I "grilled" under the broiler with Jack Daniel's No. 7 BBQ sauce. The carrots' bold flavor held its ground against the stronger flavor of the charred chicken.

Also, I've been forgetting to include this for a couple weeks now! Jessie at The Happiness in Health gave me an award! Thanks Jessie, sorry I'm so slow!

The rules say to list 10 things that make me happy before passing it onto other bloggers.

1) This semester being OVER, which means no more Macroeconomics!
2) A surprise week break before the next semester starts.
3) My new bowl!
4) I have already procured my mom an awesome Mother's Day gift!
5) Corn on the cob will soon be in season!
6) Reading a good book on a sunny day. (Thank you all for your suggestions!)
7) Friday Firsts and all that participate weekly!
8) Learning to can this summer (hopefully)!
9) My comfy bed and pillow.
10) My new(to me) bike! (Thanks mom and dad!)

I'm going to take the easy way out again and pass it onto all of you and ask that you tell me at least one thing that makes you happy in the comments!

15 comments:

C.G. the Foodie said...

Oh I like this! It's almost like a dessert!

Simply Life said...

Oh I would never think to prepare carrots like that - I bet it's amazing with the pecans! Great idea!

Jessie said...

Glazed carrots sound like a great way to spice up plain cooked carrots, especially with glazed pecans - mmm ...

Friday Firsts make me happy, too! So does chocolate :)

Miss M.J. Ma'am said...

I want to make these carrots this weekend!
My brother FINALLY being happily married makes me happy!

dlpiano said...

OMG Christina --those carrots look incredible! AND would you believe I bought a fresh bunch of carrots including the greens and your father just made carrot juice TONIGHT! We are again yhinking along the same lines. haha

Laura said...

wah!! I love these and they BETTER show up next week for JAMM!

what makes me happy? hmmmmm growing things, renewal, bird nests, yellow dogs, kids riding bikes, foot rubs...

Alisa said...

This recipe has my name all over it! Such an awesome combo.

A@ Please Don't Eat Me! said...

yummmmmmmm.. my mom made carrots like that too (twin alert again!)

things that make me happy? chocolate. ummmm dancing? the weather later on this week? ok i think thats enough!

Ally's Sweet and Savory Eats said...

I would have never thought to cook carrots like that!

What make me happy right now? This beautiful weather!

Anonymous said...

Baked sweet potato fries! And corn on the cob! And farmstands! Can you tell I'm hangry right now?

Anonymous said...

Okay before what makes me happy, question did you use Canadian Maple Syrup EH!

Make me Happy, When my son takes my hand for no other reason then to hold it.

Molly said...

I love the addition of the pecans, and cannot WAIT for corn on the cob, well, bascially all of summertime fruits and veg!

Jenn@slim-shoppin said...

I almost never make cooked carrots, and I love the taste of them.

Great looking dinner Christina!

I think what makes me the happiest is my kids and the funny things they say! My daughter who is 8 said to me last week when we happened to be talking about a friend of mine who is adopting a baby, and my daughter thought if you adopt a baby, you get to pick their birthday! Kind of like a cabbage patch. I laughed so hard at that!

Laura said...

Yeah and tum it still looks delish!

Aubree Cherie said...

I LOVED this recipe and wanted to let you know that I linked it to My Fav (Top 10) Recipes from Last Week!

~Aubree Cherie