Have you ever had a dish that made you completely change your perspective about a certain food? I just did, and it was mind blowing. We have all had carrots..probably close to every possible way, and thousands of times in our lives. They are great, I have definitely never had any complaints. They go well in soups, stir-fry, with hummus, in slaw, juiced, pickled, in a smoothie, roasted. The list could go on Bubba Gump shrimp style but the point is I feel like I had a meal with an entirely new vegetable the other night, but it was A CARROT! What changed everything I ever knew about life carrots? Seasoning. North African seasoning to be exact. Spicy and smokey notes of harissa, cumin, coriander with bright notes of fresh mint complimented by the soothing tartness of feta cheese to calm the heat. I am telling you, YOU NEED TO MAKE THIS SALAD. IMMEDIATELY. You can thank me later.

This spice combo is mind blowing

Carrot Salad with Harissa, Feta & Mint, courtesy of Smitten Kitchen (Deb is a genius) (also, I doubled the recipe below to make sure I had leftovers for lunch, I served with fried eggs…I mean, yum)

3/4 lb carrots, peeled, ends trimmed and coarsely grated using a food processor or cheese grater
4 tbs olive oil
1 minced clove of garlic
1/2 tsp caraway seeds or about half as much ground (I used ground)
3/4 tsp cumin seeds or about half as much ground (I used ground)
1/2 tsp paprika
3/4 tsp harissa (WARNING: harissa is super spicy, make sure you make it to taste, I loved the suggested amount but it definitely brought the heat)
1/2 tsp sugar
3 tbs lemon juice
2 tbs flat leaf parsley, finely chopped (I skipped this only because I never use it up, I’m sure it’s great though)
2 tbs fresh mint, finely chopped
100 grams feta, crumbled or chopped into bits (I added feta separately to each serving including the next day for lunch)

Combine the oil, garlic, caraway, cumin, paprika, harissa and sugar in a pan and cook over medium heat until you can start to smell the flavors, a few minutes. Remove from heat and add the lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Pour seasoned oil over carrots and stir to combine, top with fresh herbs and stir one more time. Let salad sit in fridge for around an hour while flavors meld and top with crumbled feta.

Super easy when using a food processor, it took 3 minutes

The picture can’t do it even the smallest amount of justice, just please give it a try