Healthy Cooking

We have the best BEETS information and recipes so let's have the best CARROTS information and recipes.

I made a chicken casserole tonight and I put carrots in it, and I thought of the benefits which you posted in the above article. It is amazing all the benefits this veggie gives us

I was cooking yellow squash with onions for tonight's supper, and added a couple of carrots.  This thread is going to have all of us adding carrots to everything! 

Yes Miranda, it is amazing how good carrots are for us.

Kathy, I do add carrots to almost everything.....love them.

Hi Diana and Miranda,  The recipe I had for casserole says that carrots are an ingredient so I used them and celery too.

I love carrots, but did you know they taste best when steamed, and that you should eat a mixture of cooked and uncooked, or that the orange, yellow, red, and purple have different phytonutrients. I like to mix mine with peas and mint with a olive oil dressing. Just remember, if you turn orange, you're eating too many.

Eh, what's up doc?

Love purple potatoes, carrots and cauliflower!

Thank you for reminding me about all the benefits of carrots. We had a garden this year and were able to grow some miniature carrots which we just pulled a few days ago. I think I'll steam them and add some olive oil, dill and smoked paprika tomorrow.  

Wow I did not know there was so much more in a purple carrot!  Thank you Annie.

Like your recipe KO

How about a few more; I will post one next.

http://www.purple-carrots.com/uncategorized/the-many-health-benefits-of-purple-carrots/

There is much to read in this link to do with the benefits of Purple carrots. It says that eating the ferny leaves of the purple carrot gives you Vit. K

Helps with Diabetes too, however, I have leant over many years that if you bring your blood pressure down, your cholesterol and triglycerides then everything including  your Diabetes comes down too as well as eating well your weight comes down and that also helps but if purple carrot can do it all including helping you lose weight..bring it on!

There is a list about Purple carrots and what you can do with it and what it helps with on the above site. Just look to the right of the home page.


Yes Diana, Purple carrots are readily available here if you look. They are new at returning to the green grocers and supermarkets but if you ask for them Im sure they will bring them in.
Cost... surprisingly not that bad but they are a kind of specialty thing so expect to pay a little bit more.... here we get a humungous bunch!

I looked in my supermarket today but I didn't see any purple carrots.  I have never ate them but was curious after reading recent posts about them.

Don't forget peas. You need to eat your peas and carrots. Purple carrots have to be bought from a special place. A box of Trix goes nicely with them. It's the hearts, moons, stars and diamonds that makes it that much better!

Yes Janine peas too now that is a whole new topic!

Kathy, As Janine said you have to get the purple ones in special places. I have seen them at the farmer's market and in my health food store. I am sure they will eventually be more easily found.

i cook carrots for my dogs... they're great

When I lived in the forest and things were lovely, I used to be part of the seed exchange. google it

You can exchange and trade seeds and plants on the internet. It was exciting to find a plant or pack of seeds in the post.

I was starting a foxglove forest and received lbs of seed. I even traded full plants like forsythia. It is a good way to find the "holy grail of carrots, the elusive purple carrot."

Janine.. I like that idea. Anyway you mentioned Foxgloves. I bought one plant... I call it the faerie plant b/c of May Gibbs and her faeries and foxgloves. Not knowing what they would do in the end I let them die off and before I tossed all the dead leaves and seed pods out when they were green I left them on the top of the soil for a few weeks then I tossed soil over them. Well......Voila!!! I have 7 new seedlings in the same spot. They are the light mauve ones with purple at the throat and the little cerise dots deep down on the purple throat. they are also called Digitalis. YOU never eat them or allow any animal to eat them. But they grow so tall and look so beautiful and a good conversation piece b/c lots of gardens these days dont grow them. They are quite old fashioned. Hollyhocks are in the same league but oh so different but same height tho.

Crunch , Chrunch, 
I first gained by love of carrots from bugs bunny!
http://fliiby.com/file/511322/2qfpq8ewfx.html
this link is a short cartoon.  

I luv luv luv carrot soup! Boil up some carrots 'til soft with a couple of bay leaves (remove the bay before the next step), add some sauteed onions and garlic, puree in blender and salt & pepper to taste. So So good! Once in a while I might add cumin and ginger, or tomato paste and cream. Sorry this isn't a proper measured recipe. i never measure anything.

mmmm Elaine, that sounds so simply delicious. Thank you

Yea, I don't measure things to the "t" either.

What I like is concepts of flavors.

I noticed baking that I can fool around with measurements too.

BUT what I'm into right now is checking sugar and protein measurements.  Interesting how much sugar they put in stuff, like we're being forced to have high sugar levels...(I hate to mention the huge diabetes profits being made...)

Lightly steamed is the best!  When I cook any type of greens I always add a couple of sliced carrots and sliced onion to the steaming pot.  Nothing else is needed, and it freezes well.

I love carrots and each them almost daily, have never heard of purple ones and have never seen them, but I will certainly be on the lookout for them

THE TRUTH ABOUT BABY CARROTS!!! “Baby” carrots are not young carrots, or even carrots that were grown to be small. The concept of the baby carrot was born 21 years ago by a California farmer wanting to sell more of his carrots that he was throwing away due to imperfections. After cutting the less-than-perfect carrots down to a uniformly smaller size, they were fed through an industrial potato peeler to smooth the edges and remove the skin. This marked the birth of the “baby” carrot market. These reformed carrots once were waste, cattle feed, or just plowed back under. These PROCESSED CARROTS (NOT "BABY") are essentially FREE raw material from the mega carrot grower to sell, for additional profit, with a few costs other than some machining, washing & bagging. Many times these PROCESSED CARROTS are rinsed with preservatives like: sodium benzoate, potassium sorbate, nitrates/nitrites. MANY times the washing of such PROCESSED CARROTS involves reducing or replacing pesticides with chlorine, once machined down to the smaller size (the bleaching is to inhibit oxidation, browning or discoloration), which harms YOUR HEALTH & so-called vegetable flavor. But it GETS WORSE. The same California central valley carrot grower, near Bakersfield, CA, is trying to pass off pasteurized, concentrated, & highly processed liquid from the pressed, left-over machined MASH of the PROCESSED CARROTS, as goodfor-you carrot juice, or concentrate. But wait, it gets EVEN WORSE! The left over squeezed PROCESSED CARROT mash, is then dried to be sold off as 'carrot fiber', claiming to hold more water for industrial users, for more profit, in things like finished baked goods. Do not purchase supermarket (conventionally grown, non-organic) carrots either. Conventionally grown carrots have only recently been removed from the list of fruits and vegetables most contaminated with pesticides. Organic “baby” carrots have still been processed, peeled and are sometimes “slimy”, so it is best to buy fresh, unpeeled, organic carrots. Go to your local coop, health food store or farmer's market and purchase real fresh ORGANIC CARROTS (fresh smell/snap). One of the nice attributes of carrots is that if you grow your own, they need no processing after harvest, i.e. no canning or freezing. They can be stored in wooden boxes or 5-gal. buckets in a cool cellar if well covered in sand or sawdust. In this way they will last "like new" right up till spring. Also, carrots are still relatively high in quick-releasing carbs so I would limit them if you struggle with high-insulin issues like high blood pressure, high cholesterol, diabetes or extra weight. Info from Joseph Mercola’s website - written by Dr. Mercola and Russ Bianchi www.mercola.com

Couldn't have said it better, thanks!  Those "too good to be true little carrots" really are...

jk

ps Everytime I eat a carrot I hiccup, why? Isn't that odd?

You've never seen anything like it! Hiccup!

My husband planted a bed of California poppies last spring...but the seeds were mislabeled and what he got was a bed full of carrots...a whole lot of carrots, since he'd scattered the seeds what he expected to be a large flower bed! Fortunately we love carrots. We enjoyed the carrot soup recipe above in this thread. We had carrot bread, and steamed carrots, and carrot cake, carrots in stir fry, and every way raw carrots could be used in salads or for garnish...I was at my wits end coming up with enough variety for all the carrots we were harvesting every day. I should have pickled some, but didn't think of it in time. Thanks to global warming and the quite large amount of seed my husband scattered, we ate fresh carrots well into late October this year.

What a wonderful accident Miranda. Do post a recipe or two. 

I go to our local health store a few times a week and get a large juice of 50 -  50 carrot and lemon.  It's a bit intense, but it is a good way to get your vitamin C and it fills you up like a complete meal.

Simple Baked Carrots

Roll carrots in olive oil and sea salt.  Bake at 350 in a large dish for 45 minutes or until just starting to carmelize and turn golden brown.    Serve.

The information about baby carrots is thorough and some facts I learned about them are interesting and informative. Sometimes they are cracked on the side; the organic and unpeeled sound like a better choice.

Thank you Angelica for the recipe...so easy too.

Kathy, I agree....just get organic unpeeled. They are much healther.

I am copying this over from another discussion.

 Diane C.

Wash & cut celery into 2-inch pieces, wash carrots, spinach, leaf lettuce and parsley.

Run the celery, spinach, leaf lettuce and parsley through the juicing machine and add enough carrots to equal 8 ounces.

Wow! Thanks anonymous for that fantastic information regarding baby carrots.

I never knew!

I love carrots too. Sometimes will boil and mash them together with my beloved boiled potato. Yum.

Here is a favorite and oh so tasty casserole recipe. I'll write it as printed then at the end tell you what I did differently to get slightly better results.

I actually have 2 Carrot recipes I will share, but my favorite one for now.

It is a complete vegetarian meal. The other is a side dish

Source: 365 Easy Casserole Recipes
Published by Cookbook Resouces LLC 2008

Its called:

Sunshine On the Table

Author's comment: "This is absolutely the prettiest casserole you will ever put on your table. It's not only pretty but very tasty as well. Delicious, delectable, savory, appetizing, classic and elegant. You will never want a simple buttered carrot again"

2 1/2 cups(275g) carrots, finely shredded
2 cups( 310g) cooked rice
2 eggs, beaten
2 cups(265g) shredded cheese, cheddar
1 can (15 oz) creamed corn(425g)
1/4 cup(60 ml) half and half cream
2 TBSP(30g) butter, melted
2 TBSP(10g) dried minced onion

1. Preheat oven to 350 Farenheit(175C).

2. Combine all ingredients and 1/2 tsp(2ml) of each salt and pepper in a large bowl.

3. Spoon into a sprayed 3quart(3L)baking dish.

4. Bake uncovered for 40 minutes or until set.

Serves 6-8

What I did differently: I used cooked Brown Rice vs. the White Rice in the recipe and used only
1 cup of the rice instead of the 2 cups called for
I used 2 TBSP of Olive Oil vs. the butter
I used regular milk vs. Half and Half Cream
I used one can of regular corn(now I use frozen) vs. Creamed Corn
I added 1 cup of lowfat cottage cheese to boost the protein value.


There you have it. Sorry not for Vegans and cannot adjust to make Vegan(unless you know how).

The ingredient list is very simple, but trust me it IS very tasty. I think I added more pepper as well. Its been a while since I made.

Notes: they sell precooked brown rice at Costco and Trader Joe's. The cooked carrot flavor really comes through.

Here is a great side dish recipe.

I will write it as is printed then put my notes/difference I have done over time to tweak the flavor profile. I have made this many, many, many times and often have a large helping to serve myself as a main dish vs a side dish as intended.

Carrots Au Gratin

Source: Faith Gregory, Hamilton Ohio
Published by: Goose Berry Patch 2004

What author says: "For individual servings, spoon into gratin dishes before baking."

2 Cups carrots, thinly sliced
1/4 Cup onions, minced
1/2 Cup of water
1/4 Cup plus 3 TBSP of butter divided
1/4 Cup All purpose Flour
1 1/2 Cups of milk
1/3 Cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 TBSP Dried Parsley or 1/4 cup fresh
2 Cups Round Buttery crackers, crushed(=one sleeve of Ritz type cracker)

Heat carrots and onions in water until tender; drain. Add 1/4 cup butter and flour; stir in milk, heating until thickened. Remove from heat. add cheese and parsley. Pour into a 13X9 inch baking pan(about 3L). Set aside. Mix remaining butter with cracker crumbs; sprinkle over top. Bake at 370 degrees Farenheit for 20 minutes.

Serves 4.

My notes: I added 1 tsp of dried mustard powder, I doubled the cheese to make it more of a meal. Also a 3qt casserole dish is way too large for the amount product to bake. I use a 2qt square pyrex dish(9X9 inch) or any other 2 quart size is better suited for the amount of product to be baked. No change in baking time or temperature.

Very addictive and delicious.

Thank you Heidi for those recipes. I love it that we have this resource here for recipes.

I love the benefits of carrots. I love carrots in their natural state, in muffins, cakes, etc, but never knew I could get it in an icecream see here: http://www.examiner.com/article/carrot-ice-cream-is-a-healthy-snack-for-kids-how-to-prepare-it and in a tea-bread: http://www.yummly.com/recipes/carrot-tea
Anyone ever tried such delights? I am sure there is a way to make them more healthy so have fun with these recipe shares.

Garnet Jenn, that ice cream sounds very good! I will have to try a vesion of that this summer. I will not use the yogurt as I like to make dairy free.

I am sure some of you have carrot recipes; love to see them.

Fun Facts on Carrots

• Rabbits love to eat carrots but they shouldn’t eat too much.
  Remember that a rabbit eating a single carrot is like us eating over 20!  They like the sweetness and carrots are good for their teeth and don’t have white sugar but even too too many natural sugars will cause digestive problems and diabetes. They probably would do better with the carrot tops.  We would benefit from the tops also but probably won’t eat them!
• Carrots are the second most popular type of vegetable after potatoes.
• The biggest carrot recorded is more than 19 pounds and the longest is over 19 feet! 
  You can see them here:  biggest carrot – but they aren’t particularly pretty!
• There are over 100 species of carrots. 
  Some are big. Some are small and they come in a variety of colors including: orange, purple, white, yellow, and red.
• English women in the 1600’s often wore carrot leaves in their hats in place of flowers or feathers.
• The name “carrot” comes from the Greek word “karoton.” 
  The beta-carotene that is found in carrots was actually named for the carrot itself!
• The average American eats about 12 pounds of carrots a year. 
  That’s only one cup per week.  We could easily triple that with great benefits if we were also eating a variety of other vegetables.

How To Eat Carrots

The nutrition in carrots are tightly encased in protein sacs that have to be broken by heat (cooking) or mechanical action (grinding, juicing, proper chewing).

Cooking the carrots in fat or oils, or pureeing or juicing them increases the availability of carotenoids by 600 percent.
Fats help the absorption of carotenoids into the blood by 1000 percent as carotenoids are fat soluble.

Recipes with Carrots: 
Carrots with Arame: Seaweed recipe for health.
Carrots with Orange: A surprising but delightful combination….and it’s fast!
Chili Con Vege: Diana’s version of chili filled with carrots.

Read more: http://www.care2.com/greenliving/10-benefits-of-carrots.html#ixzz2L5TUu7yv

Hello everyone

I have been in and out of care2 many times and it never gets old, I always see something new when ever I come back in. I just wanted to say your recipes are looking mighty fine right now...and I have a lot to learn since now my husband is a Diabetic and is having difficulty with *His* diet which is his own and not good stuff,he keeps telling himslef he is not sick with type 2 diabetis well he is,sorry honey you are... So since I am the cook in the house I am going to try and incorporate veggies in his meals and Healthy cooking is Key to curing type 2 Diabetis,however he has some nerve damage so that part will never be restored. Back on track with Carrots... I wanted to make fresh Tomato suace the other day so I washed really well and boiled added a little salt not much I then added onion,garlic, Herbs that I had on hand which was a little oragano and rosemary, I went a little further and added *Carrots* and a dash of pepper,let all cook til tender and when it was done I used my hand blender I use tro make my sauces and made my sauce and put it in a clean glass jar and a cover with a seal. I used it 2 days later and he fell in love with it he didn't and doesn't know there are Carrots in it. My Husband is Egyptian and to tell you the trueth they don't eat Healthy at all, a lot of their foods are fried and one of the staples in the house is White Rice I do not like it and Butter goes in everything Yuck and it isn't butter you put on bread or toast. Any ways I just wanted to share some of my thoughts with you and to thank you for the recipes..Please keep them coming vegan organic is the best I live in Egypt and all the veggies are Organic. So if anyone has vegan or something Organic with out the fats please send and together We can Cure my husbands type 2 Diabetis. Thank you

Hello Tammy and welcome back!  It is so good to hear how you are being clever at getting vegetalbes into your husband.

Sorry to hear he has diabetes. Here are a couple of places you will find lots of info here in this group:

Diabetes Type II - Healthy Tips

Healthy Recipes for Diabetics