Maple Candied Carrots with Currants: #FallFest

Maple glazed carrots tossed with currants, ready with 5 minutes of prep before sliding into the oven.

It’s good to be flexible.

CMax (Carnivorous Maximus) and I are now one month into training Pakrika (Rika), our 13-week-old Labradoodle puppy, and it’s clear that we have two different ideas of what a good puppy is. CMax is the stricter parent, opting for a long list of things little Rika must learn. I’m the easy mark with a far shorter list, and less exacting definition of what the commands mean. I humbly admit that when I want Rika to get off or get down, I only follow through with a firm “OFF!” most of the time. Every one in five times, I either won’t notice or I’ll be tired of saying “OFF!”, and you, sweet puppy, can have at it with shoes, and dragging pillows, towels, bath mats, and stray underwear from room to room.

CMax says “OFF!” and means it 100% of the time. End of story.

Paprika (Rika) at 13 weeks doing a little gardening for her human parents

I know, I know. You’re thinking “He’s right, Susan. Get with the program if you want an obedient puppy and good future dog companion.”

And you’re right. At least on “OFF!”. That’s a big one, right up there with “NO BITE!”, “COME!”, and “GO POTTY!”. But I don’t have the interest, I admit, in being consistently firm on every single command in the fabulous dog training book we purchased. (BTW, If you live in the Bay Area, I HIGHLY recommend Mike – the author – and his classes.) So we’ve agreed to come up with a shorter list of commands we can mutually agree are priorities on which I will really, really, really try to achieve 100% consistency. CMax, for his part, has agreed to cut me some slack on the others. (For the record, just in case Mike aka Puppy Whisperer/Dog Trainer Extraordinaire is reading this, I completely agree that being consistent is the only way Rika will understand what we want.)

Now we just have to come up with that magic list. Since we are obviously training each other in addition to little Rika (does this compromising in marriage never end??), it’s been good for us both to be flexibile.

Carrots at a Farmer’s Market in a small Italian town, 2012

This little carrot recipe is very flexible too. It can be a side dish alongside a savory, meaty entree like CMax’s dinner last night of ribs, or tossed with some cooked Beluga lentils and caramelized onions for a vegetarian entree. This is another great super-easy recipe for Thanksgiving, or any night of the week.

Cooking Tips:

Don’t buy the slender baby carrots for this dish. Opt instead for fat medium length carrots.

Maple Candied Carrots with Currants: #FallFest

Prep time: 15 mins

Cook time: 40 mins

Total time: 55 mins

1 lb carrots, peeled 1 Tbsp olive oil 2 Tbsp maple syrup ¼ cup dried currants

Preheat the oven to 400˚F and line a baking sheet with parchment pepper. Slice the carrots lengthwise into 4 long strips. Toss with the oil and maple syrup and lay on the parchment paper in a single layer. Roast for 20 minutes, toss, and roast another 20 minutes or until lightly caramelized. Toss with currants and serve warm. 3.2.2925

If you’re looking for some (mostly) vegetarian Thanksgiving ideas, go check out my Vegetarian Thanksgiving! and our Food Network #FallFest Pinterest boards!

Follow Susan Pridmore’s board Vegetarian Thanksgiving! on Pinterest.

More #FallFest Carrot Ideas!!

• Feed Me Phoebe: Honey Roasted Carrots with Thyme
• Jeanette’s Healthy Living: Ghost Chile Carrot Hot Sauce
• The Heritage Cook: Roasted Carrot and Sweet Potato Soup #FallFest
• Elephants and the Coconut Trees: Carrot Cake with Coconut and Raisins
• Weelicious: Spiced Carrot Cauliflower Soup
• The Mom 100: Carrot Fries with Sriracha Sauce
• Big Girls, Small Kitchen: Easy Slaw with Carrots & Red Peppers
• Devour: Fall Fest: Carrot Recipes to Covet
• In Jennie’s Kitchen: Carrot “Fettucine” with Lemon Thyme Butter Sauce
• Napa Farmhouse 1885: Carrots & Avocado with Cumin
• The Wimpy Vegetarian: Maple Candied Carrots with Currants
• Swing Eats: Bourbon Maple Glazed & Braised Carrots
• Dishing With Divya: Honey Glazed Baby Carrots
• Daily*Dishin: Spicy Carrot Spread/Dip (Guten Free-Dairy Free)
• FN Dish: 5 New Ways to Bake with Carrots
• PREVIOUS #FALLFEST ROUNDUPS
• Brussels Sprouts
• Pin It Tags: carrots, featured, maple