Roasted Carrot, Spinach and Feta Salad

Preparation time: 10 mins

• Cooking time: 25 mins
• Serves: 4
• Calories per serving: 280

Ingredients

• 450g/1lb carrots, cut into chunks
• 1 red onion, cut into wedges
• 1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into wedges
• 60ml/4tbsp olive oil
• 2 whole cloves garlic
• 45ml/3tbsp pumpkin seeds
• 5ml/1tsp cumin seeds
• Juice of half a lemon
• 1 tsp runny honey
• Salt and freshly ground black pepper
• 100g baby spinach leaves
• 100g/4oz feta cheese, crumbled
• 30ml/2tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves

Method 

• Preheat the oven to 220C/fan 200C/gas mark 7. Place the carrots, onion, pepper and half the oil in a large roasting tin. Season well. Toss together until everything is coated in oil. Roast for 15 mins. Stir in the seeds and garlic and roast for a further 10 mins until the carrots are just tender.
• Remove the vegetables from the oven and remove the garlic cloves. Peel the garlic and work into a smooth paste using the blade of a knife. Place in a small bowl with the remaining oil, lemon juice and honey and whisk together with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Put the spinach leaves into a large serving bowl, then add the roasted vegetables, feta cheese, chopped mint and pour over the dressing. Toss lightly together until mixed.

Nutrition file: Carrots

Everyone knows carrots are good for you. Even back during World War II, the Ministry of Food created a cartoon character called Dr Carrot to raise awareness about eating healthily during rationing. But why are carrots such a healthy food? Here are a few facts to crunch on…

1. Carrots are full of a nutrient called beta-carotene. This is an antioxidant called a carotenoid that's converted into vitamin A in the body. Of all fruits and vegetables, carrots are the best source of beta-carotene – an 80g serving contains more than twice the recommended daily amount needed by adults.
2. Vitamin A, which comes from beta-carotene, is essential for the proper functioning of your immune system, and keeps the skin and cells that line the airways, digestive tract and urinary tract healthy.
3. There may also be some truth in the old wives' tale that eating carrots helps you see in the dark, as beta-carotene helps to protect vision (especially night vision). That's because, once converted into vitamin A, it is then converted into a vision-boosting pigment in the retina, called rhodopsin.
4. If you want your body to absorb a higher level of carotenoids from raw carrots, add a tiny drizzle of full-fat dressing to your salad, as research shows more carotenoids are absorbed when eaten with fat than without.

For more facts about carrots, including lots of ideas on how to serve them, visit www.britishcarrots.co.uk

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