This is a riff on an existing roasted carrot recipe we've made countless times. But after adding this Japanese-inspired gomasio coating, we realized you can never stop improving on a recipe! This version was so good we honestly made it three times in one week because we kept craving more. If you don't have gomasio at home, you can easily make your own by combining equal amounts of black and white sesame seeds with coarse sea salt. 

Read more about the history of gomasio in our cookbook, Sesame!

INGREDIENTS

For the shawarma-spiced cauliflower
1.5 lbs rainbow carrots (regular will also do), preferably with the stems still attached 
1 tbsp honey 
1 tbsp sesame oil
1 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
2 tbsp gomasio (substitute with ½ tablespoon kosher salt, 1 tablespoon white sesame seeds, 1 tablespoon black sesame seeds)
1 c Greek yogurt or labneh  
Juice of 1 lemon 
½ c Seed + Mill Organic Tahini 
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
¼ c chopped pistachios 
1 tbsp chopped fresh dill (optional)

STEPS

1. Preheat oven to 400°F.

2. Peel/wash the carrots (retaining the base of the stem, only for aesthetic purposes!) and halve any larger carrots so that each one is approximately the same size.

3. Whisk together sesame oil, honey, and extra-virgin olive oil in a large mixing bowl and toss together with the carrots. Add the gomasio and give the carrots a shake in the bowl so that everything is well covered.

4. Place the carrots on a large parchment-lined baking sheet, giving the carrots some room so that they are not touching (or they will steam rather than roast).

5. Place carrots in the oven for 20-30 minutes and take out once caramelized.

6. Make the whipped tahini by whisking yogurt, lemon juice, tahini, salt and pepper in a bowl until well combined.

7. To assemble, smear the whipped tahini on the base of your serving platter and top with carrots, chopped pistachios, extra pinch of gomasio if you have any left, and dill