Carrots aren’t everybody’s favorite food; however, their amazing health benefits are undeniable. Carrots have a vibrant color, a natural sweetness and a hearty texture, but their taste doesn’t appeal to everyone. So it might surprise you to learn that carrots are a versatile vegetable that can be easily sneaked into your favorite foods and meals.
Here are some creative ways to get more carrots in your diet and some tasty carrot recipes.
Creative Uses for Carrots
There are lots of ways to eat carrots besides just eating them raw or with dip. Carrots mix well with lots of other vegetables, so it’s easy to sneak them into stir fry dishes, salads, and vegetable medleys.
Here are some more ways to get creative with carrots in the kitchen.
- Add chopped carrots to rice pilaf about 5 minutes before the rice is done
- Toss chopped carrots into soup recipes or even canned soup
- Add shredded carrots on top of chicken or potato salad
- Top Greek yogurt with shredded carrots, garlic, and parsley
- Blend carrots with pineapple juice, low-fat yogurt, and honey to make a smoothie
Carrot Powder
Another creative way to get more carrots in your life is to buy a container of carrot powder. At Seagate, we harvest our own organic carrots on our farm in a remote region of the Sierra Foothills.
Our carrots are freeze-dried and cryogenically ground into a fine powder in our plant, and we use the entire carrot in this process so you get their full health benefits. Check out our carrot powder recipe section to learn about delicious ways to use carrot powder that go beyond just mixing it with water.
Carrot in Capsules
But if you really can’t stand the taste of carrots, consider picking up some natural carrot supplements in capsule form.
To deliver the health benefits of garlic as well as carrots, we’ve created a taste-free version of these healthy foods. The addition of organic carrot powder into the same capsule as the garlic not only provides the benefits of the more than 400 carotenes, but also helps to naturally absorb the garlic odor.
Delicious Carrot Recipes
Here are some of our favorite carrot recipes using fresh carrots to try with your family and friends.
Baked Carrot Fries*
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 lbs. carrots
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat oven to 425 degrees.
- Peel and slice carrots into French fry shaped pieces (about ½” x ½” x 3”).
- Toss carrots with olive oil, salt and pepper. Arrange carrots in a single layer on baking sheet.
- Bake for 10 minutes then flip each carrot fry.
- Continue to bake until fully cooked and slightly crispy, about an additional 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately with your favorite sauce!
*Recipe courtesy of 2 Teaspoons
Carrot Ginger Dressing*
INGREDIENTS:
- 2 carrots, peeled and chopped
- ¼ cup ginger, chopped
- ¼ onion, chopped (red onion, white onion, scallions or shallots would all work here)
- 2 tablespoons white miso paste
- 2 tablespoons honey
- ½ cup grapeseed oil
- 2 tablespoons sesame oil
- ¼ cup rice vinegar
- ¼ cup water
- Salt and pepper to taste
DIRECTIONS:
- Peel and chop the carrots, onion and ginger.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender and purée until smooth.
- Serve over greens (or as desired) and enjoy!
*Recipe courtesy of Spoon University
Whole Grain Morning Glory Muffins*
INGREDIENTS:
- 1 1/3 cup whole wheat pastry flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup packed natural brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 eggs
- 2/3 cup expeller-pressed canola oil
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 Fuji apple, cored, peeled and diced
- 1/2 cup seedless raisins
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup walnuts, finely chopped
- 1/4 cup plus 2 tablespoons dried flaked unsweetened coconut, divided
DIRECTIONS:
- Preheat the oven to 350°F.
- In a large bowl, mix together flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking soda, cinnamon and salt; break up any brown sugar lumps with your fingers or a wooden spoon.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together eggs, oil and vanilla, then add to flour mixture and stir just until combined.
- Add apples, raisins, carrots, walnuts and 1/4 cup of the coconut and stir gently until well combined.
- Spoon batter into 16 paper-lined muffin tins, filling each about 2/3 full.
- Top evenly with remaining 2 tablespoons coconut and bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until cooked through.
Recipe courtesy of Whole Foods Market