Roasted Carrots with Farro, Chickpeas & Herbed Crème Fraîche

This stunning roasted carrot recipe features warm whole grains, protein-rich chickpeas, spiced pepitas and a light herbed crème fraîche sauce. Don’t be intimidated by its gourmet looks—it’s remarkably simple to make, once you get down to it.

This recipe would be a lovely vegetarian option/side dish on the holiday table or a well-balanced weeknight dinner.

Ingredients:

Farro and chickpeas

1 cup dried farro, rinsed

1 teaspoon olive oil

1 teaspoon lemon juice

1 clove garlic, pressed or minced

½ teaspoon salt

1 can (15 ounces) chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ cups cooked chickpeas

Roasted carrots

1 pound slender heirloom carrots, scrubbed clean and patted dry (I didn’t peel mine)

1 tablespoon olive oil

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

Salt and pepper

Spiced pepitas

3 tablespoons pepitas (green pumpkin seeds)

½ teaspoon olive oil

Pinch of cumin

Pinch of chili powder

Pinch of salt

Herbed crème fraîche

⅓ cup Vermont Creamery crème fraîche

1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley

2 teaspoons water

Salt and pepper, to taste

Garnish

1 more tablespoon chopped fresh parsley