austin-based designer alyson fox makes things from paper, fabric, books, ceramics, thread, wallpaper, office supplies, photographs, old tattered things, new polished things, furniture, and cement. she has degrees in photography, sculpture, and installation art and is certainly no stranger to design*sponge readers. she is currently working on a line of clothing and interior designs for a number of boutiques. but today she’s working on a fantastic dish for in the kitchen with.
alyson and i had quite a time trying to get this recipe to look right in a picture–getting the color balance on green and orange in the same picture, yikes! after three attempts, we thought these images were the best. fortunately for me, i was able to try out this recipe after i photographed it, and i am very glad i did. i must admit, at first glance it doesn’t seem as though i’d be able to reconcile the orange with the other ingredients, but it’s quite nice. and the lemon is what harmonizes the dish! we hope you’ll enjoy the dish, just click here for more photos (and illustrations by alyson!) and alyson’s full (vegan-friendly) recipe for carrots, avocado, and orange with cumin.
Alyson Fox’s Carrots, Avocado, and Orange with Cumin
Ingredients (determine quantities depending on number of people being served)
Regular carrots or those pre-washed ones if you are in a hurry.
Avocado
Orange ( I used a tangelo)
Lemon ( zest and juice, to taste)
Olive oil
Kosher salt
Cumin
Paprika for color
Pepper
Cilantro for garnish
Preheat oven to 475F/250C.
Clean and peel the carrots. Cut them into uniform pieces if you are using larger carrots, so that they roast evenly. Coat them with cumin ( I use a lot), and place the carrots on a piece of parchment paper in a roasting pan or shallow oven-proof dish. Drizzle olive oil over the carrots, salt and pepper to taste. Sprinkle some lemon zest over the top.
Bake for 12-15 minutes, then turn the carrots over and bake for another 5-10 minutes until tender and slightly reduced in size.
While the carrots are roasting, slice the avocado into bite-sized pieces, and section the orange.
Remove the carrots from the oven and place them on a serving dish.
Arrange the avocado and orange on the plate with the carrots, and dress with lemon juice to seal in the flavor. Take a taste test and add more cumin to taste. (I think the more cumin the better.) Garnish with cilantro and a sprinkle of paprika.
Time to eat!
About this recipe: I recently ate a similar dish at the Spotted Pig in NY and loved it. My friend Rachel and I both came home and tried to recreate it and compared notes. We came close! I am not a huge carrot fan at all, but there is something about the flavors of the orange, avocado and cumin mixed together that make them oh so good. This is the
perfect side dish to so many things. It’s also great on top of a bed of greens and just in time for Thanksgiving.
