Spicy Maple Rosemary Carrots

We usually just eat carrots fresh in salads or by themselves as a snack.  But recently we had a ton of carrots to use up and so we decided to roast them to have as a side dish along side meatloaf.  I decided to make a sweet and spicy flavor profile to complement the savory meatloaf.  To incorporate some freshness I added rosemary to the carrots as well. The maple and cayenne really work well together, and this is a super easy side dish to throw together for any meal.  

Ingredients:

1 lb carrots (more or less)

3-4 tablespoons maple syrup (agave nectar, or honey would work too)

1 tablespoon olive oil

1 tablespoon rosemary, roughly chopped

1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground all spice

Salt and Pepper

Directions:

Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.  Peel the carrots (unless you are using baby carrots)  Slice into 2 inch pieces, or leave whole if they are on the smaller side.  In a bowl, toss the carrots with the syrup and olive oil.  Sprinkle the spices in and mix well.  Salt and pepper to taste- I would recommend about 1 teaspoon salt and 1/4 teaspoon pepper.  

Spread the carrots out on a foil covered baking sheet (easier to clean up) and roast in the oven for 20-30 minutes or until you can easily insert a fork into one of them.  The smaller they are, the less time they will need.  Enjoy!