Carrot Salad
I like salads. Really, really like salads. A friend and I are always talking about delicious salads. I order them often when I go out. I daresay the fact that salads are generally a pretty healthy choices has been something of a saving grace for dieting-me.
So, when this carrot salad came up as a random recipe to try this week, I was pretty pumped. Salad…but ORANGE.
Yeah, I know. It’s pretty easy for me to get pumped, I guess.
This recipe is from TheHealthyFoodie.net (which is a fantastic site, btw), as is the photo below.
I had to buy an unusual amount of stuff for this recipe. I didn’t have unsweeted coconut or pumpkin seeds, for example. I forgot to get parsley, so I didn’t use any, and I bought a bag of matchstick carrots instead of grating my own. In retrospect, that was a mistake— matchstick carrots are very crunchy, whereas grated carrots are thinner, softer and would probably have given this a more salad-like texture, instead of the coleslaw-like texture mine had. Plus, I always feel super healthy when I buy a bunch of whole carrots. Is that just me?
BUT all that said, the salad itself was pretty damn good. The unsweetened coconut really makes it, imo, and if you leave it in the fridge for an hour or so the flavors combine and it’s even better. Is it the best salad I’ve ever eaten? Well…no. It’s also much more of a side dish, imo, not a main course. But it WAS good, and I would make it again, especially as a unique dish to take to a party or the like, or as a side dish when I’m out of or sick of greens-based salads.
Would I make it again? Yes, but not all the time. It was a nice dish, not an OMG MUST EAT dish.
Are they easy to make? It involves some ingredients that aren’t commonly found in kitchens, like coconut, nuts, and pumpkin seeds. You could probably skip some of those, but I wouldn’t skip the coconut (and make sure it’s unsweetened!). As far as assembly though, it doesn’t get much easier. Throw ingredients in a bowl. Toss. Eat. Done.
Is it healthy? Oh yeah, without doubt. Very healthy, I’d say.
On a scale of one to chocolate cake, how delicious is it? 6— very good, but not so delicious that I suspect I’ll crave it. It’ll be one of those “Hm, I could throw together that carrot salad…” type recipes that I make from time to time, not one that I plan for.
