Top This carrot dish

Roasted Whole Carrots With Vegan Carrot-Top Walnut Pesto 

I love this elegant dish as an accompaniment to nearly any meal. It's easy, delicious and best of all, it's one of those recipes that allows me to use the whole food... tops to bottoms... which I always feel good about. Don't bother peeling the carrots. Just give them a good scrubbin'. I find leaving them unpeeled contributes to the sweet and earthy flavor and it makes the recipe all the easier. 

This recipe calls for a pesto made from the leafy carrot tops which are a great source of vitamins A, B6, C and K, folate, manganese, niacin, potassium and thiamin — all the things found in carrots, just disguised as their leafy long locks. Nutritional yeast is the star stand in for Parmesan cheese in the pesto which gives it a nice mild cheesy flavor and, of course, makes it vegan (happiness!).  I served this with a gorgeous white lasagna the other night. But because of the beautiful color of the dark green pesto against the caramelized carrots, this dish was the star of the plate. Try this with your Easter brunch or dinner. Stack the carrots on a big tray, spoon the pesto on, serve at room temp or warmer, on and you're good to go! 

Ingredients
Serves 4-6 as a side dish
2 lbs. of carrots, any color (a mix of orange, purple and yellow make for a beautiful presentation), with thick bushy tops that will yield 2 cups of carrot tops (after wilted tops are discarded/composted)
2 Tbs. olive oil
Real salt or kosher salt and fresh ground pepper
2 medium or one large clove of fresh garlic (to taste)
¼ cup raw walnuts (toasted if desired)
½ cup packed fresh basil
1 ½ tsp. nutritional yeast (more or less to taste)
½ cup olive oil

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°. Wash carrots and leave unpeeled. Trim carrot tops, leaving a couple inches of stem attached. Measure out 2 cups carrot tops (leafy parts only, discarding stems) and set aside.  Toss carrots and olive oil on a rimmed baking sheet; season with salt and pepper. Roast, tossing occasionally, until carrots start to develop a caramel color and become tender, 25–30 minutes.  Meanwhile, pulse garlic and walnuts in a small food processor until a coarse paste forms. Add basil, nutritional yeast, and reserved carrot tops; process to a course puree. Drizzle in olive oil and pulse until combined; season with salt and pepper to taste. Transfer carrots to a serving dish and spoon the pesto over the carrots in two strips or as it pleases your eye. 

DO AHEAD: Pesto can be made 1 day ahead. Cover with plastic wrap and chill. Warm to room temperature or warmer in a microwave or stovetop. Carrots can be roasted 4 hours ahead. Let stand at room temperature.