Avocados are in season which means it's time to experiment with them. Try this gorgeous cumin-roasted carrot, citrus and avo salad!

Ever since hearing about the roasted carrot salad with avocado and cumin at the ABC Kitchen in NYC – from a foodie friend and online – this salad has been on my mind. It's an inspired combination of flavours for early winter and in terms of nutrients offers vitamin A and C along with beneficial fats. And now the timing is just about perfect to give it a try, avocados have come into their own again and there are oranges around, even if they are on the pale side.

On paging through Jamie Oliver's Jamie at Home I discovered he has a recipe for this too and embellishes it with the likes of baby spinach leaves, toasted seeds, sour cream and grilled sourdough slices. By all means use this as a base to play and find your preferred combination of trimmings but it's also very good just as is.

Cumin-Roasted Carrot And Avo Salad

Serves 4

What You Need
500g carrots, peeled and cut into 2-3cm pieces
2 tsp ground cumin
4 sprigs of thyme, leaves pulled off
2 garlic cloves, crushed
Sea salt flakes and freshly ground black pepper
Olive oil
1 small dried red chilli crumbled
1 orange, halved
1 lemon, halved
Extra virgin olive oil
Red wine vinegar
2 Hass avocados, peeled, pitted and sliced
Mizuna and purple oak leaf lettuce leaves

Method
Preheat the oven to 200C. Toss the carrots with the cumin, thyme, garlic and enough olive oil to coat lightly. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and crumble over the dried chilli. Arrange on a baking sheet with the oranges and lemons (cut-side facing down) and roast on the middle rack of the oven for 30 minutes or until tender. Squeeze the juice of the roasted lemons and oranges into a bowl and add a little extra-virgin olive oil to make a dressing along with a splash of red wine vinegar. Season with salt and pepper. Add the carrots, avocado and leaves to the bowl. Toss well and serve.