This herbal salt blend is the perfect seasoning for your fall and winter medleys of roasted root vegetables. Or for anything, really! Just as you might sprinkle salt onto your food at every meal, this Savory Cinnamon & Spice Herbal Salt blend can really be sprinkled over any food. In fact, I recommend keeping it on the table right next to your salt and pepper shakers for an easy and accessible way to make everything on your plate just a little more delicious.
Sometimes I feel really defeated by the huge responsibility it is to take care of ourselves. Do you ever feel that way too? The thing is that all these little acts of self-care, from trying to drink more herbal tea and use more medicinal herbs and spices in my every day, to little things like taking the 30 seconds it takes to floss my teeth…. all these little things add up!
The trick is to reframe the acts of self-care we’re already practicing and incorporate as many plant foods and medicines into them as I can.
That’s my favorite way to practice herbal medicine, blended into things I’m already doing every day. Using herbs in this way, in small amounts everyday, and especially in food, is to treat herbs and spices as tonics.
When used in small amounts over long periods of time, these gentle & nourishing herbs & spices can help to keep our bodies in balance, ultimately supporting our overall health & wellness.
Herbalist Kami McBride turned me on to herbal salts. Her book The Herbal Kitchen has a plethora of herbal salts for all different occasions, cuisines, and purposes. Herbal salts are one of the easiest ways to include more herbs and spices into your everyday cooking.
I mean, who doesn’t love a little sprinkle of salt?!
Plus, they’re so easy to make, customize to your taste, and go with practically everything. This makes them so easy to use every day!
food as medicine
The plant magic behind these roasted carrots is the savory cinnamon and spice herbal salt blend you’ll season them with before roasting. In addition to cinnamon, this herbal salt blend contains so many other delicious and aromatic spices, like coriander, ginger, and cardamom, that are known for their beneficial effects on our digestive systems, amongst many other things.
The sweetness of the cinnamon is subtle and complimented so well by all the other savory spices, and the cayenne adds just the right amount of heat.
Together, these warming and stimulating spices help keep our digestive system on its toes by keeping things moving and preventing digestive stagnation that often manifests as gas, bloating, painful cramping, and heartburn.
To learn more about the food and medicine of cinnamon, see this post.
carrots roasted in a savory cinnamon & spice herbal salt blend
(vegan + gluten-free)
Course: Snacks, SidesDifficulty: Easy10
minutes35
minutesThese carrots are roasted in a Savory Cinnamon & Spice Herbal Salt that is so deliciously aromatic & adds a special little something to plain old vegetables. You could use this blend on anything, just as you would salt! Try roasting Brussels sprouts, potatoes, or any other veggie tossed in this herbal salt blend. Sprinkle it on your eggs or over your salads. Then pour the extras into a spice jar & keep on your countertop or dinner table for easy reach.
Ingredients
4-6 large carrots, quartered lengthwise (for really large carrots, you may be able to get 5-6 sticks out of one carrot)
olive oil
- Savory Cinnamon & Spice Herbal Salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon ground turmeric
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/2 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 teaspoon ground cardamom
2 tablespoons fine sea salt
Directions
- Preheat oven to 400F.
- To make the herbal salt, combine all ingredients together in a small bowl or jar. Mix together thoroughly.
- On a large sheet pan, lay out the carrot sticks in a single layer. (You can use parchment paper to prepare your pan if you’d like.)
- Drizzle with olive oil & sprinkle ~2-3 teaspoons of the salt blend over the carrots, until evenly and lightly coated.
- Gently toss the carrots around so that they are evenly coated with olive oil and the herbal salt blend. Then, rearrange the carrots in a single layer on the pan.
- Roast at 400F for 20 minutes, then remove from oven to flip the carrot slices. Roast for 10-15 more minutes. (Cooking time will vary depending on how slender your carrot slices are.)
- Enjoy immediately as a side dish, as an addition to a hearty salad, or by themselves as a healthy snack. You can sprinkle on some more of the herbal salt blend to suit your taste. Leftovers can be refrigerated in an airtight container for 3-5 days.
Leftover Savory Cinnamon & Spice Herbal Salt?
Add your leftover herbal salt to a spice jar or small sealable container and keep next to your salt and pepper for every day use. (Spice shakers that have lids and are moisture proof are great to use. Exposure to moisture in the air may cause the salt to clump and solidify over time.)
I hope you enjoy this simple, but wildly nutritious recipe! This savory cinnamon and spice herbal salt blend is so delicious that I nearly ate the entire pan of roasted carrots in one sitting and I’m not ashamed about it! I’ve been sprinkling it on many of my meals these days and I hope you love it as much as I do.
If you have a chance to try it out, I’d love to hear what you think. Leave me a comment below or tag me in your re-creations on Instagram or Facebook.
To your health!
