Happy November, everyone! October seemed to go by fast, probably because I had so many events on my calendar from family gatherings like my aunt’s wedding to pregnancy related doctors appointments and tests.
The other day, my sister’s 4-year-old son asked “what’s next” after Halloween. He can be shy, but apparently he loves social events. It’s nice that he looks forward to those times and he may be thinking about when he will see his cousins next. Well, the day after Halloween is his uncle Paul’s birthday (my husband), then a baby shower, Thanksgiving, and another baby shower. Before we know it, Christmas Eve will be here. I’m very much excited for Christmas because my sister and brother who live out of the area will be visiting.
The fall and winter months always get me excited about cooking and baking. For one thing, I hate turning on my oven in the summer heat and that’s mostly gone. In the heat of summer, I mostly eat salads and tacos because I don’t feel like cooking or eating as much. It’s still been hot in Southern California, unfortunately, but I have been able to use my oven regularly.
I have been trying to eat more vegetables lately. I feel like I have been saying that for a year now, but it’s still a struggle. To make carrots more interesting, I had this idea to bake them and season them to taste like sweet potato fries. I used brown sugar, but not much as I didn’t want to take my vegetable dish to unhealthy territory. If you want more sweetness, you could of course increase the brown sugar, or try adding maple syrup as a glaze once they’re done.
These baked carrots taste like sweet potato fries you could get at a restaurant, but not as sweet. They’re soft and a little crispy from being baked.
Baked sweet carrot fries
3 carrots
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 teaspoons brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon salt
Heat oven to 375. Line a baking sheet with foil (or use a silicone mat).
Using a sharp knife, slice away the tip and end of each carrot. Peel each completely. Cut carrots into sticks about 1/2″ wide by 2″ long. Don’t worry about making them all uniform in size and shape. Just get them as close as you can.
In a medium sized mixing bowl, combine the carrots with the olive oil, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt. Toss so that the carrots are evenly coated.
Place carrot sticks on baking sheet, spreading out as much as possible. Bake at 375 for 18-20 minutes, or until carrots are tender.
This recipe makes about 2 servings and can easily be doubled or tripled.
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