Apart from potatoes, my Irishman has a thing for carrot salads. So when I came across the ‘carrots from the charcuterie’ in my friend Clotilde’s fab book ‘Tasting Paris’ I started playing around.
The secret is to use the best carrots you can. I had a bunch from my friend Ellens garden which were out-of-this-world good. But I’ve also had success with baby carrots from my green grocer.
Although thinking about it, I’m sure supermarket carrots would be good too.
If your carrots don’t have their tops (or if the tops are a little sad) just use a bunch of parsley instead.
You can either serve with one of the protein options to make a whole meal of it. Or leave out the protein and use it as a pretty side dish. Great with a good steak or roast chicken.
Oh and one trick I learned from Tasting Paris is that the French use neutral flavoured oil in their dressings as opposed to the ubiquitous extra virgin olive oil. It makes for a completely different dressing experience. I just use my cheaper cooking olive oil (not my extra virgin).
And while we’re speaking of oil… there are 7 ingredients here but I don’t count oil so it fits within my 6 ingredients limit.
Sunny Parisian Carrot Bowls
Ingredients
- 1 large bunch baby carrots about 500g / 1lb
- 1 bunch carrot tops or flat leaf parsley
- 2 tablespoons rice vinegar or wine vinegar
- 1 tablespoon dijon mustard
- 6 tablespoons neutral flavoured oil
- 300 g cooked protein (see below for ideas)
- 2 handfuls toasted sunflower seeds or nuts
Instructions
- Grate carrots using a food processor or box grater. Pick carrot tops or parsley leaves and discard stems or finely chop the leaves and stems and use everything.
- Combine vinegar, mustard, oil and a generous pinch of salt in a small jar. Shake until well combined. Toss carrot, carrot tops / parsley with the dressing. Taste and season as needed.
- Divide carrot mixture between two bowls and sprinkle over protein and sunflower seeds.
WINE MATCH: A glass of champagne or rose.
Variations & Substitutions
protein ideas – boiled or poached eggs, cooked chicken (pictured), bacon, sausages, salami, chickpeas, crumbled feta, goats cheese, shaved parmesan, sardines, canned tuna, canned salmon.
sunflower alternatives – any roast nuts like almonds, hazlenuts, walnuts. Toasted croutons or bread crumbs are another option.
more substantial (carb lovers) – pile onto a crusty buttered baguette, short pasta or potatoes.
more substantial (low carb) – increase the protein or use a few different types of protein. Or use nuts like hazelnut or almonds as well as the sunflower seeds.
lower-carb – use some lower carb veg with the carrots. Or replace the carrots with lower carb veg. Cauliflower, kohlrabi or shaved fennel would be my pick. Finely sliced red cabbage will work too.
keto / ultra low carb – replace carrot with zucchini.
Problem Solving Guide
bland – more salt. more vinegar. a handful roast almonds, walnuts or pistachios can help.
too dry – more olive oil.
hard to eat – next time use a finer grater for the carrot.
Waste Avoidance Strategy
carrots – keep in a plastic bag in the fridge for weeks. Can be frozen if you’re leaving town!
carrot tops / leaf parsley – tends to be the most long lasting of the leafy herbs. Should keep for a few weeks in the fridge if wrapped in a plastic bag. For longer periods pop it in the freezer – it will wilt but will still be useable in this dish.
rice or wine vinegar/ dijon mustard/ neutral flavoured oil / sunflower seeds – keep them in the pantry.
cooked protein – freeze it.
Prepare Ahead
This is one of those salads that keeps well in the fridge for a week or so. Don’t freeze. And keep the sunflower seeds separate so they don’t go soggy.
Add to my Old Favourite Recipes
I love carrots and I love the ease of a bag of shredded carrots
I made Parisian Carroy bowls with salami sunflowers kernels
and instead of dressing used a roasted onion hummus
Yum!
OMG that sounds amazing with the roast onion hummus Ellen!
I have a lot of shredded red cabbage mixed with grated carrot leftover do you think that I could use up that instead of the parsley? Would look pretty or is cabbage too strong a flavour. Thanks your advice and for fabulous recipes
The cabbage would be fantastic Lindy 🙂
We had this with the Summer Meatballs and thought they went well together. I haven’t had carrot tops in ages and really enjoyed the reminder that you can eat them and how good fresh carrots can be.
Yes if you have access to beautiful carrots this is a treat!
this was great! I used the slicing blade on the food processor for the carrots. Just did carrots, parsley, sunflower seeds and dressing. Great for a side dish. Seems to get better the longer it sits.
Yes Joan! It’s definitely one of those that improves with a little time.
I made this with fennel and used my food processor to grate the carrot and fennel. So quick it was nothing to wash up afterwards.
ooh nice idea with the fennel Meika! Did it grate OK? Or did you use the slicer blade for the fennel?
Made this on Monday for my family and they loved it! I used chopped peanuts instead of sunflower seeds and served it with pickled eggs. It was really pretty on the plate.
Yay for pretty Carolyn!
I liked that this one can be made ahead and that it stored so nicely in the fridge. My sweets and I had it for dinner, and I ate it for lunch the next two days!
Excellent!
Today’s late lunch! 😀 With raspberry vinegar, cooked chicken and some rucola for the green color. Needed more dressing though (grated the carrots really finely…) 😉
If I need more dressing, I usually just add extra oil and vinegar right on the salad Sandra 🙂
Perfect! Thanks Jules!
This has become one of our favorite lunches. Hope it isn’t cheating that some of what I made for the challenge was lunches.
No of course not Susan! I usually fast on Monday and Thursday evenings so I’m eating some of my challenge meals for lunches as well 🙂
This was my first meal of the challenge. I invited a friend for dinner and they gave me some seriously skeptical looks while I made it. By the end of the meal there was not a single bite left and he declared it a complete success. Bacon makes everything taste so amazing!
ooh I love converting the skeptics Meredith!
Good for you 🙂
This was my second meal, with added chick peas. It was very slow chewing but tasty! I also made a mistake and vastly over-estimated carrots so in addition to having more than one entire meal leftover I am currently baking excess shredded carrot with lemon, garlic and butter. Guess who’s going to be turning yellow from carotenemia? Joke.
Too funny Pamela!
I made the Sunny Parisian Carrot Bowl for my 2nd meal this week. I just knew my fellas would not be so thrilled with all the carrots…but they were! I would not have come up with this combination…thanks for the idea, and the variations! I will be making this again with a different protein.
Excellent Cynthia! So glad your fellas surprised you 🙂
This was meal #4, and my husband and I both enjoyed it. I used parsley from the garden, and that added flavor to the store bought carrots (which were also tasty). We had soft boiled eggs on the side for extra protein. I love how versatile this recipe is!
Glad you enjoyed it Sherrill!
Bacon. It is amazing with bacon. Thank you for such a simple and tasty meal.
Isn’t bacon the best Helen!
Yum! I made this last night for my third Challenge Meal. I added capers to the dressing and braised chicken breast was my protein. Oh I added some chopped almonds as well. I have enough leftover for lunch today. This Challenge is SO good for me, thanks Jules! It’s so nice knowing what I’m going to have for dinner, and doing prep in the morning, makes it so easy!
Oh, I added mint and cilantro to the parsley, as I had bought all three and don’t want them to go to waste. It was very flavorful. I love that you offer six ingredients to make it all so doable and approachable, but of course we can add or subtract as desired.
Glad you’re enjoying Laura!
Made today, adding/substituting what I’ve got from my farmers’ delivery. Greens: some celery leaves and a bit of fennel, with 2 Tspoons of parsley from the balcony. It’s not so happy with all the rain lately. Protein: chickpeas and 1 boiled egg. I also added potatoes and called it carrot potato salad. (Yes, I hardly ever follow the 6 ingredient limit.) Marketing is so important!
Yes Marketing is so important Murphy!
And you don’t have to follow the 6 ingredients – that’s just to keep me honest 😉
I commented over on the general page, but then I saw we were supposed to do it here…
That was my first meal, and it was super yummy! Added chicken breasts and rice for my husband, and he really liked it, too! 🙂
Not sure how to add a photo here, like it said in the instructions, though…
I commented over ont he general page, but then I saw we were supposed to do it here…
That was my first meal, and it was super yummy! Added chicken breasts and rice for my husband, and he really liked it, too! 🙂
Not sure how to add a photo here, like it said in the instructions, though…
Glad you enjoyed Anke – and the photo is just at the end to email a copy of your progress chart to me for the prize 🙂 Sorry that wasn’t clearer.
I made this Carrot Salad as my meal #2. I have to admit that I was a bit leery of a salad with just parsley as my greens. Wow!! I loved it! Have plenty to have as a side salad for lunch tomorrow as well. Was much more filling that I anticipated. I believe this will go into my favorites list!
Glad to hear that Jim!
So easy to pair this with Thai Chicken Soup With Lime (made with a nightshade-free curry powder) for an “international” dinner.
Love the sound of this international dinner Debbie!
Made this one on Monday 13th. Put some stir fried chicken with it. Sadly, had only the usual grocery store carrots. I’m sure garden fresh would have been way better.
I’ve made it with both Wally and baby carrots from the farmers market do make a difference. But it’s good with grocery store carrots too.
Made the Sunny Parisian carrot for the main tonight. Success!! My husband was pleasantly surprised at all the flavor and how it filled him up ?
Per the suggestions, I added a can of chickpeas, some leftover roasted chicken, and half an avocado- delish!
We’re 2 for 2 Jules ?
Go Leesa!
I needed this challenge to follow your plan for two weeks. How calm I felt yesterday knowing I would be set for 5 days with interesting, delicious meals that would be quick to make with all ingredients on hand. Carrot Bowl was outstanding with canned mackerel as protein. Healthy too! I made sure I made enough for another meal as cooking once and serving twice saves me time.
Love that the challenge has you feeling calm Julie!
And isn’t mackerel the best!
I just made this for tonight’s dinner. I need to add some more parsley but I really like this salad especially the sunflower seeds. We’re having burgers and veggie kabobs as the main. I hope everyone likes it as much as I do!
I hope they like it as much as you do as well Rachel!
OK! We made this recipe yesterday and we all enjoyed it in our differing degrees lol. I am leaving this comment here because I want to make sure we receive our prize! besides I printed out the chart and it is in Zsa Zsa’s room with our first star.
Question: I heard your rumor the new website allowed for personalizing your recipes. How can I find that?
Also, its a BIT weird transitioning to your new website since some of your old links are “broken” now. But we’re still in touch and I was surprised how enthusiastically Zsa Zsa pursued her choice of stars lol for the chart..
I’d LOVE to be able to delete comments I might make (I’m a minimalist) and I’ve learned to (hope I) declutter the universe after I go through all the expression. I understand if you want to “own” all these comments from your peeps! After commenting on an early lesson in one of your courses more than a month ago, it made me so reflective I haven’t returned to the Course (yet) but I’m about to!!!
PS: Something else I must tell you, my Teacher 🙂 I changed our name to KCZ with your new website.. there was -somewhere- it blocked out a long line and I wanted to be able to see your “Howdy, …” so I shortened our name to our initials. Just letting you know!! Thank you for everything.
In the recipe, Z&I chose to keep the protein to the sunflower seeds. Actually, we added pumpkin seeds and a little walnuts.
Glad you added the pumpkin seeds and walnuts as well for the protein!
Oh Chris! I was wondering who KCZ was – I’m glad you told me.
Sorry about the rough transition with the new website – let me know if you have any more problems with broken links. They should work now.
If there are any comments you want to delete just email and CAroline or I can do it from the back end. Not sure how to do it from your view. I’m a minimalist too!
I made this last night for dinner and it was amazing. Opted to have it with roasted potatoes, avocado, and a poached egg (left out the nuts and seeds). I loved including the carrot tops in the salad – brilliant!
This is my first SMP recipe and my first in the 10 day challenge that I have prepared. Hubby & I both enjoyed it. One of the things I like best is the flexibility for making modifications based on what you have and/or crave. I made the carrot salad with the flat leaf parsley and used pepitas instead of sunflower seeds. And only made half the dressing. For additional protein, we added deviled eggs cause we both had been craving them.
Love it Patti!
I thought the reason for using EVOO was for the antioxidants. So if you don’t use the Extra Virgin you lose the antioxidants. It may be a completely different dressing experience but is it so good as to give up the antioxidants?
Great question Virginia!
If your priority is health, then you’re right EVOO is the best choice.
It’s not so much that this French style is better than EVOO dressings – just different (and less expensive!).
Up to you
Jx