Food of the Week... Carrots!

The carrot.

The food of rabbits.

Good for the eyes.

Bugs Bunny's picture is splattered on almost every bag of them.

When most people see a carrot... they immediately think of... "diet food".

They are seen as something to eat OTHER than the food that one really WANTS to eat.

I'm here to change that thinking.

I love me some carrots.

First of all... look at that color.  When I keep preaching to "eat your colors"... this vibrant veggie is definitely in the mix.  You can cook a carrot any which way, and it will be great.

Or DON'T cook it, and it is equally as great.

Did you know that orange isn't the only color carrots come in?  Stop by any good Farmer's Market and you'll see an array of GORGEOUS carrots. Purple, red, yellow, white... yep... I'm not fibbing!

See?

Don't be afraid to try them.  It's pretty cool to eat a purple carrot.  In my book, any food that is purple is awesome... I always buy purple potatoes from Trader Joes...

My favorite recipes for carrots...

Saute'd Carrots

10 peeled and diagonally sliced carrots

1 sliced onion

1 screaming hot pan with a little olive oil in it

Throw in the onions and carrots and saute until a little carmelized. At this point, you can add frozen peas and heat through, or frozen corn, or cabbage.

Then I add seasonings... salt, pepper, Worcestrshire sauce (dash) and a dash of soy sauce.

Or any steak seasoning or rub you like!

OR...

Carrot/Raisin Salad

Shred up in a food processor as many carrots as you want salad for...

Grab a couple of hands full of raisins

Cut up a Granny Smith apple into tiny bits (optional)

Dressing... A TINY BIT of mayo

OR

 My fave... mix together

1/4 cup orange juice

1 dash soy sauce

2 tbs olive oil

1 tsp sugar

1 cut up green onion

2 tbs balsamic vinegar

1 tbs preservative free dry soup mix...

and pour it over the carrots and raisins... YUM!!!

I also LOVE, LOVE, LOVE roasted carrots...

Line a baking sheet with a lip, with foil...

peel and cut a bunch of carrots or pour out a bag of baby carrots into a bowl

season with salt, pepper, olive oil

toss them around to coat...

pour into the baking sheet and roast them at 425 for about 10-15 minutes...

and enjoy the lovely, warm sweetness... with your favorite roast or as a snack...

I also grate carrot into my turkey burgers, into meatballs, into breads, over salads, and on sandwiches... for added color, crunch and nutrition.

I buy them by the 5 lb bag.

Carrots... the food of the week...

Enjoy! and eat your ORANGE!