Well first of all, let’s dish a little dirt on Bugs Bunny (or for that matter, all rabbits). They don’t eat carrots! It’s not good for them!
However, let me use the acronym for CARROTS to prove to you how carrots “ROCK IT” for your HUMAN health!
PLUS ideas for incorporating them in your nutrition plan, not only for health, but your culinary enjoyment (win/win)!
C A R R O T S
C – Carotenoid Superstar– Carotenoids are antioxidant compounds found in certain plants that give them their vibrant colors of yellow, orange, purple and red. Carotenoids abound in carrots (that btw, come in many colors besides their signature orange):
High intake of this signature orange root wonder has been associated with a significant decrease (up to 50%) of bladder, cervix, prostate, colon, larynx and esophageal cancer and up to 20% decrease in postmenopausal breast cancer (sited from The 150 Healthiest Foods On Earth by Jonny Bowden).
A – Vitamin A Converter– Carrots are a significant source of beta-carotene, a provitamin that converts into Vitamin A, a vitamin that is crucial for immune function, vision and skin health.
R – Root Vegetable– Carrots are the King of root vegetables for their beta-carotene and alpha-carotene one two punch of carotenoids, “alpha” being even more powerful than “beta” in inhibiting processes that lead to tumor growth.
R – Roughage– You can smash your daily fiber goal with carrots, three carrots give you 5 grams of a mix of soluble and insoluble fiber. Perfect for keeping your food moving quickly through your body (insoluble), but at the same time slowing down your absorption of fats and carbs (soluble) so you feel full faster!
O – Ophthalmologist Approved– Two specific carotenoids in carrots: lutein and zeaxanthin work together to prevent two common and debilitating eye diseases: macular degeneration and cataracts. Also, two more carotenoids, alpha and beta-carotene not only work in tandem to convert to Vitamin A, but ramp up the purple pigment production of rhodopsin, needed for seeing in dim light, helping you prevent that dreaded night blindness.
T – T Cell booster– T Cells are a specific type of white blood called lymphocytes. They assist your immune system in fighting germs and protecting you from disease. Vitamin A is essential for T cell development and function, and we now know carrots are “bad” (you, know, meaning good 😊) with that vitamin!
S – Sugar Myth Buster– Carrots’ glycemic LOAD (which measures both how quickly a particular food raises blood sugar levels after consumption AND the amount of carbohydrate in a typical serving of that food) has a very low rating of 3 on a scale of 1-40, making it a healthy choice for those watching their blood sugar. Carrots have been demonized by the low-carb crowd because they were incorrectly using glycemic index (which ONLY measures how rapid blood sugar peaks after a particular food is consumed) as their health metric.
So the next question is how do we prepare carrots to get your biggest bang of nutritional content AND flavor?
Cooking carrots with a little fat is the best way to get the most out of your nutritional carrot content. That’s because the healthy phyto-nutrients I’ve mentioned are fat soluble; think of the oil as a nutrient extractor! Also, most chefs prefer roasting carrots (again with a little fat) because the flavor is enhanced with caramelization, for you can build on that with additional herbs and spices. However, I have prepared many carrot soups, salads and raw carrots with dips in my life, and they also are a wonderful culinary treat that is nutritious!
And to reiterate the carrot theme, I started Kidz Can Cook in 2014, a 4 week cooking class for 5th-6th graders at our church and later at the church we now attend. Carrots were a big part of those classes. The first class the kids prepared roasted carrot fries with bean dip:
The second class the kids completed the process of peeling the carrots
to the final product of making the soup:
The kids loved the process of cooking and eating the food they prepared and in the final class, serving their parents!
So bottom line, ramp up your carrot consumption to capture all of their wonderful health benefits and culinary deliciousness!
Now, my favorite time! Sharing a recipe that I believe you all are going to love, with carrots as the superstar of the dish! This recipe calls for you to grill the carrots (which is great for the warmer weather on the grill!) However, most of the time I’ve broiled the carrots instead to get that seared touch at the end of cooking. Either way, this recipe hits all the taste sensations and senses, all with a super simple preparation.
Here’s an added culinary tip for carrots to make them pliable before grilling or broiling, microwave them briefly ahead of time to start the cooking process, that way the high heat of grilling or broiling is truncated to preserve nutritional goodness.
Btw, I’ve skinnied down the original recipe to make it more macro-friendly. However, if you’re feeding a crowd (as I’ve already done with this recipe), you can use full fat yogurt, increase the olive oil when you grill or broil the carrots, add more pistachios and use full fat feta as an alternate. Either way, hope you enjoy!
GRILLED (OR BROILED) CARROTS WITH
FETA-HERB SAUCE
Servings: 2-4
Ingredients for Sauce
4 oz. fat free feta, crumbled (1 cup)
1/2 cup plain non-fat Greek yogurt
¼ cup fresh parsley leaves
¼ cup mint leaves
2 Tbs. lemon juice
2 Tbs. Extra-virgin olive oil
1 large garlic clove, smashed and peeled
2 tsp. honey
¼ tsp. pepper
Ingredients for Carrots
2 lbs. carrots
1 Tbs. extra-virgin olive oil
1 tsp. salt
*2 tsp. garam masala- See Note
2 tsp. lemon juice
¼ cup (2 oz.) shelled toasted pistachios, chopped coarsely
2 Tbs. torn fresh mint
- For The Sauce: Process all ingredients in blender until smooth, about 1 minute, scraping down sides of blender jar as needed. Add water, 1 tablespoon at a time (up to 2 tablespoons) as needed for sauce to come together. Transfer to a small bowl and set aside.
- For the Carrots: Toss carrots, 1 Tbs. oil and salt together in a large bowl. Microwave carrots, covered until pliable but firm, about 9 minutes, shaking bowl to redistribute every 3 minutes. Transfer carrots to rimmed baking sheet (discard any juices in bowl) and set aside before your choice of grilling or broiling.
- For a Gas Grill- Turn all burners to high; cover; and heat grill until hot, about 15 minutes. Turn all burners to medium-high. (Adjust burners as needed to maintain grill temp around 400 degrees). Clean and oil cooking grate. Arrange carrots on grill perpendicular to bars. Grill (covered if using gas) turning carrots occasionally, until charred on all sides.
- For Broiler- Set your oven to broil and the oven rack set right under the broiler. Place carrots on a non-stick cookie sheet surface, all lined up singularly and uncrowded and place in broiler. Keep a close eye on the carrots to not let them burn, usually a couple of minutes on each side to get an even char.
- Return carrots after either grilling or broiling to a large bowl and toss gently with garam masala and lemon juice.
- Spread sauce over serving platter. Arrange carrots on top of sauce. Sprinkle with pistachios and mint. Serve warm or at room temperature
Note-Adapted from Cook’s Country, April/May 2024.
*Garam masala is a blend of toasted Indian spices. You can substitute a blend of cumin, coriander, cardamom and allspice to mimic it’s flavor profile.
Nutrition Information for 2 servings: 516 calories per serving, 26.4 g fat, 55.6 g carb., 19.1 g protein
Nutrition Information for 4 servings: 258 calories per serving, 13.2 g fat, 27.8 carb., 9.6 g protein