We’ve made it to the side dish of our Vegan Christmas dinner, and it’s a special one with these Maple Mustard Roasted Carrots with Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream. They are sweet, sticky and moreish with the most decadent roasted garlic cream, that anyone, vegan or not, will love!
Christmas dinner is literally my favourite meal of the year, and this year will be our first vegan Christmas! Rather than let that mean we don’t get to enjoy all our usual favourite things, I’ve created a FULL Christmas Dinner Menu for you as part of the Vegan Advent Calendar 2016. To start, we had this Vegan Pate, then for a main dish, a whole roasted cauliflower on a bed of spiced lentils. Stay tuned for next week to see what dessert is going to be…
In the meantime, let’s talk about these carrots for a minute. Because holy moly they are good. They are roasted in a mixture of dijon mustard (the spicier the better) and maple syrup. The maple syrup will counteract the spiciness of the mustard, to create this glorious mixture of sweet and savoury. And when the carrots are roasted in this mixture, they get beautifully golden, crispy edges, and a sweet, sticky glaze.
The roasted garlic cashew sauce is the PERFECT thing to serve with these roasted carrots. By roasting the garlic beforehand, it transforms from strong and spicy, to sweet and gentle. It still tastes garlicky, but it’s a gentle, sweet garlicky. When blended with soaked cashew nuts, you are left with a gorgeously creamy sauce that compliments the carrots beautifully.
Top them off with some freshly chopped parsley for freshness, pomegranate seeds for a fruity burst, and some flaked almonds for a bit of texture!
Don’t forget to check out our full vegan advent calendar every day at 4pm GMT for a new festive, vegan post!
| Prep Time | 15 minutes |
| Cook Time | 30 minutes |
| Passive Time | 8 hours |
| Servings |
as a side |
- 6 Carrots
- 3 tbsp Maple Syrup
- 2 tsp Dijon Mustars
- salt and pepper for Seasoning
- 1 cup (125g) Cashew Nuts Soaked overnight in cold water
- 1/2 cup (120ml) Water
- 1 head garlic
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Garlic Powder
- Freshly Chopped Parsley
- Pomegranate Seeds
- Flaked Almonds
Ingredients
Roasted Carrots
Roasted Garlic Cashew Cream
Toppings
| |
- The night before you prepare this dish, place the cashews in a bowl and completely cover with water. Leave overnight or for at least 8 hours.
- Preheat the oven to 180°C. Chop the carrots into quarters length ways. Mix together the mustard and maple syrup and toss the carrots in the mixture so they are completely coated. Lay on a flat baking sheet so they are all next to each other. Roast for 25-30 minutes until golden brown and soft.
- To prepare the garlic, chop a small amount of the top off of the whole bulb leaving the bottom intact so it stays together. Drizzle a little olive oil over the exposed ends, and season with salt and pepper. Wrap the whole bulb in tin foil and roast for 30 minutes with the carrots. Once roasted, use a knife to remove the soft flesh from each clove. It should slip out easily and be very soft.
- To make the cashew sauce, drain and rinse the cashews that have been soaking for at least 8 hours. Then add to a food processor with the water, salt, garlic powder and roasted garlic cloves. Blend on a high speed in a food processor, or ideally a high speed blender until completely smooth. If you can't get it completely smooth, that's still fine.
- Serve the carrots with some of the garlic cashew cream on top with some freshly chopped parsley, flaked almonds and pomegranate seeds.
About Lauren Caris
Lauren is the author and chef of the vegan food blog, Lauren Caris Cooks. She is passionate about showing people just how awesome vegan food can be with simple, delicious recipes and vegan lifestyle tips.
YUM! These carrots look and sound absolutely amazing – can’t wait to try them!! I also love Christmas dinner, and every year I introduce at least one new veg alternative. Love your advent calendar too btw!
Thanks Sonja! Love the idea of adding a new veg every year!
I love the vegan advent calendar!! So creative!! :)
Thanks so much Sarah!!
this advent calendar thing is INSANE Lauren! Wow. I don’t know how you do it.
Ahh thanks Kimberly!! I will be VERY ready to crash in 2 weeks :D
Oh my gosh, these are the most gorgeous carrots on the face of the internet! I wish I could reach through my computer screen and snatch one up with a fork right now. I’ve made roasted carrots before, but never with dijon and maple syrup, and that sweet sticky glaze sounds sooooo good with the savory garlic cream sauce. Yum yum yum!
I’m loving your advent calendar recipes so far! It’s such a great idea to put together a full christmas menu, and so ambitious. Each recipe has me thinking I need to hijack my family’s normal christmas menu and throw in some of these recipes to mix things up a little, haha!