This simple and elegant platter of Grilled Carrots with Herby Coconut Yogurt and Spicy Beet Vinaigrette from Chef Gregory Gourdet’s debut cookbook, Everyone’s Table, is the vegan, paleo, and Whole30-compatible show-stopping salad you’ll be serving (and craving) all summer long!
Table of Contents
- A chef approved grilled carrots recipe!
- Ingredients
- How to make this grilled carrot salad
- Make the beet vinaigrette
- Make the herby coconut yogurt
- Grill the carrots (or roast them!)
- Assemble the dish
- What can you serve with this dish?
- Grilled Carrots with Herby Coconut Yogurt and Spicy Beet Vinaigrette Recipe
A chef approved grilled carrots recipe!
Hands-down, Chef Gregory Gourdet is one of my favorite people on the planet. GG’s an astoundingly talented chef who also happens to be one of the kindest, most supportive, and hardest working guys I know. (Seriously: I feel like I’m constantly scolding him to get more sleep.) We’ve been friends for almost a decade (back before he was a Top Chef All-Star!) and he’s a big reason why we spend so much time in Portland.
Over the years, GG has generously hosted unforgettable events for our first two cookbook launches, and he even let our kids pepper him with questions for our defunct podcast. I’ve always loved GG’s food because his dishes are always a revelation of flavors and textures—whether it’s Asian-inspired fare from his days as the executive chef at Departure restaurant or elevated Haitian cuisine at his most recent venture, Kann Restaurant.
Everyone knows I am an avid cookbook collector, but GG’s debut holds a special place on my bookshelf and in my heart. Everyone’s Table is filled with GG’s showstopping, umami-packed, globally inspired technicolor dishes—but they’ve all been streamlined for home kitchens. Even better? All the recipes are free of gluten, dairy, soy, legumes, and grains—but no one will even notice!
Lucky for you Nomsters, GG is letting me share a few recipes from Everyone’s Table here on the blog! First up, a vegetable masterpiece I fell in love with while dining at Departure: Grilled Carrots with Herby Coconut Yogurt and Spicy Beet Vinaigrette.
It’s a fresh, crunchy, roasty, tangy and herby vegan salad that’s perfect for summer cookouts!
Ingredients
For the beet vinaigrette
- Large beet: peel and dice a big beet of any color—just pick a color that will contrast nicely with the carrots.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- Red wine vinegar: adds the acidity to the vinaigrette. White balsamic, champagne, rice wine, or sherry vinegar will also work.
- Garlic cloves: because thinly sliced garlic make quick pickles taste better!
- Thai chilies: adds a spicy kick to the beet vinaigrette. You can substitute some cayenne pepper or crushed red pepper if you can’t find Thai chilies at your local Asian market or farmers’ market.
- Extra virgin olive oil: it’s not a vinaigrette without the oil!
For the herby coconut yogurt
- Mixed herbs: you can use whatever herbs are in season. If you want to give this dish a South East Asian spin, use some Thai basil, cilantro, mint, and dill.
- Plain coconut yogurt: my favorite brands of plain coconut yogurt are Coyo, Anita’s Coconut Yogurt, Cocojune, and Culina.
- Scallions
- Diamond Crystal Salt
- Lime: the zest and juice add zing to the herby coconut yogurt!
For the grilled carrots
- Carrots: make sure they’re all about medium sized so they grill at the same time. Pick pretty colors because we eat with our eyes, too!
- Avocado oil: just a light coating so they don’t stick to the grill.
- Diamond Crystal kosher salt
How to make this grilled carrot salad
GG’s salad is super easy to make, but you must allot at least an hour for the beets to marinate properly in the spicy brine. You can definitely make the beet vinaigrette a few days in advance and assemble the dish right before serving.
Make the beet vinaigrette
Place the diced beet in a bowl and season with some salt. Stir, and set aside for 10 minutes to soften and season the beet.
Combine the vinegar, garlic, and chile in a small saucepan. Bring all of it to a boil over high heat, then lower heat to gently simmer for 1 minute (just enough to cook off the garlic’s bite).
Pour the hot mixture over the beets, stir, and let sit at room temperature for 1 hour.
Stir in the olive oil. (At this point, you can store the beet vinaigrette in the fridge for up to 4 days. Bring to room temperature before serving, and stir well before adding to the carrots.)
Make the herby coconut yogurt
Roughly chop the herbs.
In a small bowl, combine the coconut yogurt, most of the herbs, chopped scallion, and salt.
Use a microplane to grate the lime zest into the bowl. Then, halve the lime and squeeze in the juice.
Stir well.
Grill the carrots (or roast them!)
Fire up the grill to cook with medium-high heat. In rimmed baking sheet or large platter, rub the carrots with the avocado oil to just barely coat them—avocado oil spray works well, too! (Don’t be too liberal with the oil because the excess can cause flareups on the grill!)
Season the carrots with salt and toss well to coat.
Grill the carrots with the lid down, turning them occasionally until lightly charred and tender, about 6 to 8 minutes. If your carrots get dark before they’re tender, move the carrots to the cooler side of the grill.
No grill? You can roast the carrots in a rimmed baking sheet at 425°F degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender, shaking and rotating the tray at the halfway point.
Assemble the dish
Cool the carrots for a few minutes.
Spread the yogurt on a platter and top with the carrots.
Spoon some pickle-y beets on top and then drizzle on some vinaigrette.
Sprinkle with remaining herbs and serve!
I’ll be sharing a couple more recipes from GG’s new cookbook, but in the meantime, you need to order a copy for yourself right here!
What can you serve with this dish?
Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2022).
PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD
Grilled Carrots with Herby Coconut Yogurt and Spicy Beet Vinaigrette
Ingredients
For the beet vinaigrette
- 1 large beet peeled and diced into ¼-inch cubes
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 6 tablespoons red wine vinegar
- 2 medium garlic cloves thinly sliced
- 2 Thai chilies thinly sliced
- 6 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
For the herby coconut yogurt
- ½ cup mixed herbs such as basil, mint, dill, and cilantro
- 1 cup plain coconut yogurt
- 1 scallion trimmed and thinly sliced
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
- 1 medium lime
For the carrots
- 2 pounds medium carrots trimmed and cut in half lengthwise if thicker than 1 inch
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil
- ½ teaspoon Diamond Crystal kosher salt
Instructions
Make the beet vinaigrette
- Put the beet in a small mixing bowl, season with salt, stir, and set aside for 10 minutes to soften and season the beet.
- Combine vinegar, garlic, and chile in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over high heat, then lower heat to gently simmer for 1 minute, just to cook off the garlic's raw flavor.
- Pour the hot mixture over the beets, stir, and let sit for 1 hour.
- Add the olive oil to the beets and stir to combine. (You can store the beet vinaigrette in the fridge for up to 4 days at this point.)
Make the herby coconut yogurt
- Roughly chop the herbs. In a small bowl, combine the yogurt, most of the herbs, the scallion, and the salt.
- Use a Microplane to grate the lime zest into the bowl. Halve the lime and squeeze in the juice. Mix well.
Grill the carrots and make the dish
- Fire up a grill to cook with medium-high heat. On a plate, rub the carrots with avocado oil to just barely coat (too much will lead to flare ups and unpleasant flavor). Season the carrots with the salt and toss.
- Grill the carrots with the lid down, turning them occassionally, until tender and lightly charred—about 6 to 8 minutes. If the carrots get too dark before they get tender, move them to a cooler part of the grill.No grill? You can roast the carrots in a rimmed baking sheet at 425°F degrees for 25 to 30 minutes or until tender, shaking and rotating the tray at the halfway point.
- Cool the carrots for a few minutes. In the meantime, spread the yogurt on a platter and top with the carrots.
- Spoon on the pickle-y beets first, then drizzle on 2 tablespoons of the vinaigrette. Sprinkle on the reserved herbs and serve.
Video
Notes
- Beet vinaigrette can be made up to 4 days in advance and kept in the fridge. Bring to room temperature and stir before using.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Oh my lord, this recipe is sublime. It’s truly one of those recipes where the combination of components elevates each of them to a whole other plane. I had to leave out the hot pepper because I’m on the aip diet for Crohn’s, but I don’t think we missed it. And I used champagne vinegar because I was out of red wine vinegar, so I’looking forward to making it with the proper vinegar. This is one of those recipes that makes you moan with pleasure. Thanks for posting it. Have ordered the book.
This was amazing!!!! I made it for a weekend breakfast with poached egg. So good on its own and with the egg. Will be picking up the book this weekend.
This is so friggin good I immediately bought 2 of Chef Gregory Gourdet‘s cookbook (1 for me and 1 for a friend). I baked the carrots instead of grilling them. I also had leftover sauce and beets that I mixed with cabbage for a coleslaw the next day.