Parmesan-Roasted Carrot Salad

& feeling discombobulated

Hi! Welcome to “good mood food” from Kale Me Maybe’s Carina Wolff. If you’ve made it here and aren’t yet a subscriber, come join! You can expect recipes, musings, and faves in your inbox every Wednesday! Paid subscribers get even more on Fridays — right now I’m doing a 30-minute budget meal series! Learn more about the paid tier of my newsletter here. You can also try a week for free!

CATCH UP!

The past month has honestly been a whirlwind of traveling, appointments, work deadlines — I had been hoping to travel somewhere this month, but I think I actually just need a moment to catch my breath.

This heatwave is certainly not helping my energy levels. It’s going to be 100 F all week in LA, and I am dreading it. I love heat, but not this much. I find that the weather dulls my appetite, and I end up just craving fruit, smoothies, ice cream, and other super cold foods. Then I end up really hungry at night and just snacking. Not the best, but I think I just need to stick to developing cold recipes (and I was relieved to hear from all of you on my Instagram that we are not quite ready for fall foods yet).

Anyway, not much to report here. I’m just trying to get back into my flow, and I just feel discombobulated. I always feel kind of stupid for admitting how out of sorts I feel so frequently these days because I feel like such a downer or the opposite of inspiring. But this past year has just been a doozy, and I haven’t been fully myself. And that’s just the truth.

THINGS I’M LOVING!

Why does it feel so hard sometimes to find the perfect oversized graphic tee? I like the texture to be super soft, but I also am particular about the print. Thrifting and vintage will always be the way to go, but I just haven’t quite had the luck lately! When I got a half-birthday coupon from Free People (lol), I decided to buy this Wrangler Cowboy Tee. Unfortunately, the green color I purchased is sold out, but they have it black and in white on the Wrangler website! I’ve been wearing it nonstop — it’s just so soft. I sized up two sizes to get it really oversized!

Oh my goodness, I had the realization when writing my newsletter this week that I haven’t ever shared my favorite matcha! I love Ippodo, and they sell a 3.5oz bag on Amazon that helps make it a little more affordable. It’s my go-to matcha and the one I use everyday in my matcha lattes!

Grant and I have been watching Palm Royale on Apple TV, and although it’s kind of a silly show, it’s a fun watch. I just love Kristen Wiig — she never fails to make me laugh. I also love a colorful period piece, and the costumes and scenery are fun. It’s a feel good, easy watch.

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RECIPE!

This salad feels like the ideal transitional meal as we straddle two seasons. It has a little bit of warmth and comfort with the baked Parmesan carrots, but it’s still a salad, and it has a bright and fresh lemony dressing that won’t leave you feeling hot and sweaty.

The star of the show here are the smashed carrots coated in melted Parmesan, which are then plated with some arugula, crispy chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, red onions, and roasted red pepper. The dressing is a simple lemon vinaigrette with just a touch of Greek yogurt for creaminess.

If you don’t feel like making a whole salad, I can also suggest making the carrots on their own as a side dish!

Parmesan-Roasted Carrot Salad

Ingredients (serves 2)

Salad

• 3 large carrots, cut into 1-inch slices

• 1 (15.5 oz) can chickpeas, rinsed and drained

• 1 tsp olive oil

• Seasonings (I used onion salt, cumin, and aleppo pepper)

• 3/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese

• 4 cups arugula

• 1 cup quartered cherry tomatoes (I used yellow)

• 1/2 cup thinly sliced red onions

• 1 cup roughly chopped roasted red pepper (I used jarred)

Dressing

• 2 tbsp Greek yogurt

• Juice of 2 lemons

• 2 tbsp white wine or champagne vinegar

• 3 tbsp olive oil

• 1 tbsp roughly chopped dill

• Pinch of salt and pepper

1. Preheat oven to 425 F. Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add the carrots to the boiling water, and cook for 10-12 minutes or until carrots are fork tender.

2. While carrots are boiling, start to prepare your chickpeas. Add them to a parchment-lined baking sheet, and toss in olive oil and a few dashes of each of your favorite seasonings.

3. When carrots are done boiling, drain, and then add to a parchment-lined baking sheet. Smash with the back of a glass, and then toss in 1 1/2 tbsp olive oil and a pinch of salt and pepper. Top with Parmesan cheese, and transfer to the oven along with the chickpeas. Bake for about 20-25 minutes until chickpeas are golden and carrots and cheese are crispy.

4. While everything is roasting, prepare dressing by whisking together ingredients in a small bowl or jar.

5. When carrots are done roasting, let them cool slightly, and then break apart with your hands.

6. Add arugula to the bottom of two bowls and top with carrots, chickpeas, cherry tomatoes, roasted red peppers, and sliced red onions. Top with the dressing, and toss. Serve immediately.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Last week, paid subscribers received a recipe for Mediterranean Sheet Pan Gnocchi, another edition of my 30-minute budget meal series!

Just a reminder that anytime you become a paid subscriber, you get access to ALL of the past recipes in the archive. You can always do a free 7-day trial as well!