Bagful of carrots put to savory use

Try a sweet and savory twist on a carrot salad.

Desperation is the inspiration for many of my recipes. Take the enormous bag of carrots, purchased on a whim, staring at me from my refrigerator for more than a week. I was desperate to use them before they were dry and rubbery. Even a houseful of my cousin’s carrot-loving children could not help me plow through this bag.

Carrot salad sounded good, but turning to a classic recipe full of sticky-sweet mayonnaise wasn’t appealing in this heat and humidity. What I craved was something only slightly sweet with a punch of savory and a pinch of salt. Today’s recipe for Carrot Salad With Honey Bacon Vinaigrette is the delicious result of too many carrots in the fridge.

I used peeled baby carrots, because that’s what I had in abundance. But whatever you have on hand will be fine, because we are coarsely chopping the carrots in the food processor. Instead of a mayonnaise-based dressing, I love this vinaigrette that’s sweetened with honey and seasoned just right with extra-crispy bacon.

Carrot Salad With Honey Bacon Vinaigrette

Start to finish: less than 20 minutes

Yield: 8 servings (½ cup each)

⅓ cup vegetable oil

¼ cup honey

3 tablespoons rice vinegar

1 teaspoon onion powder

½ teaspoon dry mustard

½ teaspoon celery seed

¼ teaspoon salt

1 pound baby carrots, peeled

2 tablespoons finely chopped, extra-crispy bacon

¼ cup Italian parsley

In a blender or small food processor, mix together oil, honey, rice vinegar, onion powder, dry mustard, celery seed, and salt until creamy (about 10-15 seconds). Set aside.

In a large food processor, chop carrots for about 15 seconds until they are coarsely chopped and still crunchy. Place carrots in a large serving bowl. Add bacon, Italian parsley, and dressing; toss to mix well. Serve immediately or refrigerate until ready to serve.

Approximate values per ½ cup serving: 147 calories, 9.5 g fat (2 g saturated), 1 mg cholesterol, 1 g protein, 14 g carbohydrates, 2 g dietary fiber, 131 mg sodium.

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