Honey Glazed Carrots

This is a wonderful and sweet side that's simple enough for a family dinner, yet impressive enough for a holiday side. I sometimes add raisins to this dish for a holiday.

 

I don't buy many organic foods but if I'm going to buy baby carrots, I do! I don't want to further spread a possibly exaggerated truth about baby carrots but I don't want anything soaked in chlorine or bleach as my vegetable. Whether this is true or not, I can tell you that I sometimes buy carrots for my bunny and when I buy whole ones, they last a few weeks or a month at most before getting mushy and gross. I've had mini bags of carrots that look the same after 6 months! You be the judge.



Take 3 cups of raw baby carrots and toss with 3 Tbsp honey, 2 Tsp cinnamon, 1/2 Tsp nutmeg, and 1 Tsp brown sugar. Add to a baking dish sprayed with non-stick spray and filled with 3/4 cup of water or broth. Bake in a 350 degree oven until the carrots begin to caramelize and the edges of the baking dish turn a bit brown like in the top right corner of the title photo.

Confetti Couscous

This is a great side for a holiday feast, yet simple enough to make on a weeknight. The colors make this a beautiful and tasty dish. I'm a big fan of couscous over rice.

 

1 cup water or chicken broth
1 cup uncooked couscous
3 minced celery stalks
1 minced carrot
1/2 cup sliced onions
1/2 cup dried cranberries
1/4 cup sliced almonds, toasted

Recipe Adapted from Sisi's Kochen Und Backen
 

Cook couscous according to package directions. You can buy the large canister if you plan to cook it a lot or simply buy a single serving to try it and discard the spice sack. You can, of course, cook it in water but, why would you cook anything in water when you can infuse it with broth?

 

Toast the almonds in the oven at 325 degrees for 10-15 minutes until they slightly brown. This will bring out the taste in the nuts. Chop vegetables while these items are cooking and then simply mix together. Fluff and mix with a fork only, you don't want to mash and mangle the couscous. If you aren't serving this right away, toss in 1-2 Tbsp of flavored olive oil to keep it from sticking together.