Orange Honey Carrots with Apricots

This side dish was inspired by two of my favorite recipes: my grandma’s carrot tzimmis and a fancy, involved yet very delicious brisket. Both are holiday dishes – they take a long time to braise, and I only make them a few times a year, if that. But this carrot dish is easy enough to toss on the stove for a week day.

The hardest parts are chopping all the carrots and waiting for them to cook.

The honey, apricots, orange juice, and carrots provide all the sweetness you need without being cloying, and balanced by the salt and acidity from the lime juice. The ground coriander gives a slightly nutty flavor to the dish. Meanwhile, the chopped cilantro adds some colorful contrast. If you have a genetic disposition to cilantro tasting like soap, just leave it out.

Did you know that “coriander” and “cilantro” are the same plant?

Ingredients
6 carrots, preferably rainbow
2 tsp olive oil
1 clove garlic, minced
4 unsulphured dried apricots
1 Tbsp honey (or maple syrup for vegan)
1/4 tsp ground coriander
1/2 C orange juice
1 C water
sea salt
ground black pepper, to taste
1/2 lime, juiced
1 Tbsp fresh cilantro, finely chopped

Directions
1. Slice carrots into 1/8″ rounds. Chop apricots into small pieces.
2. Add carrots
3. Heat oil in a large skillet over low heat. Add carrots, garlic, apricots, honey, ground coriander, orange juice, water, and salt. Cover and simmer on low heat for about 20 minutes, or until liquid is evaporated and carrots are tender. You may need to add additional water.
4. Once water is evaporated and carrots are tender, gently stir in some ground black pepper, the lime juice, and the chopped fresh cilantro. Add additional salt and lime juice as needed.