We often take carrots for granted. The omnipresence of "baby" carrots, whittled down to bite-size by machines, as well as carrots' year-round seasonality in grocery stores, often makes us look past them when brainstorming dinner. But carrots' sweet and earthy taste is a wonderful flavor to feature — here are five ways we love to eat them.
- Soup! - Carrots' sweet, earthy taste is perhaps best featured in soup. We love this spicy sweet potato and carrot soup (so much orange!) and this Indian spiced carrot soup with ginger.
- Pickled - Carrots' natural sweetness make them a great candidate for quick pickling. Here are some pickled carrots, and some recipe suggestions for Vietnamese carrot relish.
- In cake - Come on, we all love carrot cake! Have you seen this secret graffiti carrot cake recipe? How about this apple carrot oatmeal cake? Or carrot cakey cookies? Yum yum.
- In salads and slaws - Like pickled carrots, carrot salads use their natural sweetness to pair well with vinegar and other tart dressings. Here are some recipes we enjoy: grated carrot salad with lemon dressing, carrot and celeriac salad, and more carrot slaws.
- As a fun garnish! - Carrots are one of our favorite ways to garnish and dress up a plate of food. From carrot flowers, to carrot curls, to candied carrot garnishes, carrots are both colorful to look at, and delicious to eat.
What's your favorite way to eat carrots?
• Seasonal Recipe Spotlight: Carrots
• Spotted: Yellow Baby Carrots
• Can't Wait to Try: Carrot Soufflé
• Food Science: When Good Carrots Turn Green
More 5 Ways to Eat Posts:
These posts are all ingredients paired with Social Workout's daily exercise over at their Fall Challenge.
Cauliflower • Artichokes • Fresh Ginger • Flax Seeds &bull Bok Choy • Brown Rice • Brussels Sprouts •Blueberries • Spinach • Black Beans • Raisins • Kale • Dark Chocolate • Green Tea • Edamame • Quinoa • Broccoli • Oats • Beets
(Image: Faith Durand)
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roasted with horseradish sauce! mix mayo, prepared horse radish, and some water to loosen it, toss with prepped carrots, and roast those babies. mmmmmmm, SO good.
Carrot souffle! Peel & cut 2 lbs carrots, steam until fully cooked. Puree, add egg, sugar to taste, flour, cinnamon, cloves, pinch nutmeg, pinch salt, 1 stick melted butter. Puree again. In a buttered 2 qt casserole, bake at 375 until set, about 1 hour. If you want a taller souffle, whip egg whites (3 should do it) until med peaks form & fold into pureed mixture.
This is ridiculously amazing. There won't be leftovers.
I enjoy them best raw and dipped in ranch or bleu cheese dressing. Crispy, creamy... yummy!
Roasted with balsamic!
Mashed into horseradish mashed potatoes.
With red lentils and lots of coriander and Indian spices in soup. Pureed. Add lime juice and coconut milk if desired.
Raw!
I second the roasted carrots! Love them with toasted hazelnuts on top and some good olive oil. When you get these great greenmarket carrots, you don't even need to peel them first.
You don't have to waste the tops, either - have you tried Tuscan carrot top soup?
my favorite is cooked carrots. just chop 'em up, toss 'em in some water with a little sugar & a sprinkle of salt, and let boil - the longer the better. drain before serving & add a pat of butter... voila!
I'm simple; steamed and tossed with some lemon butter. It's easy and addictive...I've even been known to use True Lemon packets if I have a hankerin' and I'm out of lemons or lemon juice. (I KNOW, I know...it's shameful...)
Jamie Oliver's roasted carrot salad with avocados and warm orange dressing. The orange halves are roasted with the carrots, then squeezed into a vinaigrette.
*swoon*
They're pretty much the only way I've had cooked carrots and had more than a lukewarm reaction. They're amazing.
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I prefer carrots raw or in soup with other ingredients. I hate eating cooked carrots solo--there's something about the texture and sweetness that seems wrong to me.
I love making sliced carrots sauteed in a little butter and olive oil, then hitting them with a squeeze of honey just before they're done. Season with salt and pepper and you have a an amazing side dish. My carnivorous boyfriend even loves carrots made this way.
Braised - I like taking the small, delicated seasonal kind you get at the farmer's market - I just tear off the green tops and leave them unpeeled, brown them a little in some oil oil with some shallots and then braised them in some chicken stock with fresh thyme or dill. So tasty.
Glazed, roasted, boiled, steamed, raw...whatever! Carrots are one of my favorites.
Carrots just on their own- raw. I love feeling liek I'm Bugs Bunny. And carrot cake. Donna Hay's recipe for it is fabulous.
Okay, so this isn't exactly a healthy way to cook carrots...but when I was growing up, my mom used to shred carrots finely and then pick up small clumps with chopsticks, dip into tempura batter, then deep fry. mmm.
I must be a bad mom or something, but until this summer I did not know that carrots were my kids' favorite vegetable. We ate at a restaurant in Nevada City CA (Izzy's) and they served sauteed carrots as a side to delicious mac and cheese and the kids just raved about them. They said that I didn't serve carrots to them enough and it was one of their favorite things! I guess I usually look for green veggies to serve them (salad kick).
Yes, I have started serving more carrots now.