One of the early fall veggies is the carrot. I learned a lot more about this classic vegetable after speaking to the woman who I bought these awesome purple carrots from at the farmer's market.

For instance, did you know that all carrots used to be purple prior to the 16th century? People only started taking the mutant orange ones and growing them because they became popular for their sweetness. Also side note: there is no such thing as baby carrots- those are just byproducts of chopping down unnaturally large factory-grown carrots. Keep your kiddos away from those!

Purple carrots are special in that they contain anthocyanins, which are potent antioxidants- the richer the pigment, the more anthocyanins. The purple guys also have more beta-carotene than their orange counterparts. But they still do have that pretty orange color on the inside!

Anyway, I typically don't love cooked carrots. I tend to push them around my soups and don't like it mixed into other things, but honey roasted carrots are the exception- who doesn't like honey-roasted anything?

Honey. This little ingredient means a lot in my family. I grew up being surrounded by it and have always loved it. My dad would eat a big old spoonful of it plain after dinner and if he had it his way, he'd put probably about a good 1/2 cup of honey in a single cup of coffee- so I have to wrench it out of his hands. It's like having Winnie-the-Pooh around!

Honey does have some wonderful nutritional benefits and has natural medicinal properties- I always put some in teas or just in plain hot water with lemon when I'm not feeling so well, it has antibacterial properties so it helps with things like canker-sores and such. This should all be in moderation of course, because when it comes down to it, it is still a sugar (although it's nature's sweetener and not bleached white sugar). It's glycemic index isn't too bad for being a simple sugar.

I prefer raw, local organic honey from the farmer's market as it eliminates a lot of the potential for contaminants and it also helps relieve some peoples seasonal allergies, thanks to introducing manageable amounts of the pollen to your immune system.

Alright after my long ramblings about the ingredients, let's get down to cooking!

Honey-Roasted Carrots

*serves 2 as a side dish

Ingredients

1 bundle of Purple Carrots (had 6 in mine)
2 tbsp EVOO
2 tbsp Honey
Salt & Garlic Powder to taste

Recipe

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Line baking sheet with parchment paper.

2. Wash carrots thoroughly, using a brush to remove any dirt particles. Slice off green tops, and cut carrots into coin shaped slices.

3. In a mixing bowl, combine carrots, EVOO, honey, salt & garlic powder and mix thoroughly.

4. Place carrots on parchment paper and place baking tray in oven. Roast for 30-40 minutes (pending on your oven), until skin starts to crisp up a bit and carrots begin to turn a bit golden-brown. Let cool, and serve!