Savory Carrot Salad

In an effort to work through the pantry and freezer, I found this recipe to make as a side dish to the Pan-Seared Salmon I was making.

It was a quick and easy side dish to make on a work night.

Savory Carrot Salad

from The Nourishing Gourmet

Ingredients:

4 Carrots, shredded
2 Tablespoons of Balsamic Vinegar
2 Tablespoons of Extra virgin olive oil
2 teaspoons of Dijon Mustard
2 garlic cloves, crushed
1 teaspoon of dried basil
A dash or two of salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Put shredded carrots in a bowl, mix the rest of the ingredients in a small bowl and pour over carrots. Gently toss. Taste and adjust with salt, pepper and extra vinegar and oil, if needed.

2. You can serve right away, or chill before serving. Beware that the carrots will start losing their crispness if you let it sit to long in the vinaigrette.

The shredding of the carrots was dangerous. 😉 Michael watched me do it and he decided I was going to slice off my hand so he tried (and then cut himself). I resumed the shredding. The original recipe writer suggested using a food processor.

The dressing was easy to make. It smelled delicious!

I really enjoyed this salad. It was super easy to make as a side dish with dinner and made in larger quantities it would be a nice potluck salad. Michael was skeptical that the garlic and carrots would go together but I felt like they complimented each other nicely. The sweetness of the carrots and balsamic was balanced out with tartness of garlic and mustard.

The only change I’d make: I’d use bigger carrots next time. I used 4 carrots like the recipe called for but the carrots were fairly small. I think the ratio of carrots to dressing was a little off.

Bottom Line: I’d most definitely make this again. It’s a tasty, low calorie dish.

Enjoy!

QUESTION: What’s your favorite quickie salad side dish?