Winter Carrot Salad

I have a lot of carrots in my fridge. As I mentioned in my last post, I dug up my entire bed of carrots last week, all thirteen pounds of them! Needless to say, we will be eating a lot of carrots over the next few weeks. Carrots are such a versatile vegetable and work with many different flavor combinations. I routinely use them in everything from stews and soups, to salads and even in baked goods.

One of my favorite ways to use them is in grated salads and this is especially true in the winter, when fresh lettuce is very much not in season here in New England. Some variation of this salad appears often on my menus and uses ingredients and seasonings found in my cupboards and winter stores.

Winter Carrot Salad

1 pound carrots, grated
1/2 cup unsalted dry roasted peanuts
1/4 cup golden raisins
1 Tbsp. dried parsley
1/2 Tbsp. dried mint

1/4 cup olive oil
2 Tbsp. lemon juice
11/2 tsp. honey
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/4 tsp. salt

Soak the golden raisins in enough boiling water to cover and let steep for five minutes. Drain the water.
Toss the grated carrots with the peanuts, golden raisins and herbs.

In a small glass jar with a lid, add the oil, lemon juice, honey, cumin and salt. Screw on the lid and shake vigorously to combine.

Add the dressing to the carrots and gently toss until coated. Refrigerate for at least thirty minutes and toss again before serving.

Enjoy!

Sue