Need Some Help? The Basics Recipes! Vegan Nutrition Behind The Scenes
How To Make The Best Carrot Recipe
Why learn to create the best carrot recipe from scratch? Because just about everyone loves carrots, even tiny tots!
Perhaps it's the influence of Bugs Bunny, but carrots are one of the most popular veggies you'll find. They're fantastic on their own, or mixed in with other veggies to make carrot recipes that will make you swoon.
In fact, carrots are so versatile, you can try them in just about any dish, including tofu quiche and carrot loaf. Add some to your favorite muffins to make delicious carrot muffins, or to your favorite cake batter to make a moist carrot cake.
How To Select Carrots
Look for carrots that are firm, nicely shaped, and brightly colored. The more slender they are, the better.
Avoid carrots that look sad, including those that are dry, splitting open, shriveling up, or are wilted and bendable -- your carrots should be nice and crisp.
If the tops are still attached, look for fresh, green leaves (think of how fresh parsley looks -- they ARE related!!). The greens tend to deteriorate quickly, so the fresher looking the leaves, the fresher the carrots.
Carrots can often be found prepackaged in bags, which means they've already been trimmed of their greens. Be sure to follow the same rules as above for choosing. You can usually tell if a carrot is crisp by just trying to bend it from the outside of the bag -- if they bend easily, pass on that batch.
By the way, have you ever seen those pre-bagged baby carrots in the store? Surprise! They're not usually baby carrots at all, but larger carrots that have been cleaned and cut to the size of baby carrots. They make a fantastic snack right out of the bag and can be used in any recipe that calls for baby carrots.
True baby carrots have their greens still attached. The same general rules of selection apply as their big brothers and sisters.
No matter if you're using pre-bagged or true baby carrots, use the "Vegan Flavor Matches (below) to create your own baby carrot recipes. No need to chop or slice -- the beauty of the baby carrots are their fun size.
How To Clean and Prep Carrots
The best carrot recipe begins with a nice clean carrot. Simply scrub with a vegetable brush under running water. Many people peel their carrots, but so many of the nutrients are contained there that it's best to only peel them if you're concerned about presentation.
When cutting into chunks or slicing, be sure to cut on the diagonal -- this will expose more of the surface of the carrot so it cooks up much faster. Always cut carrots to approximately the same size so all pieces cook up in the same amount of time.
To make: Carrot Rounds (Slices): Cut straight across the carrot. Carrot Ovals: Cut on the diagonal Carrot Half-Rounds: Cut in half lengthwise. Then lay flat side on cutting board and cut across the carrot. Carrot Triangles: Cut in half lengthwise. Then cut each half lengthwise once (or twice) again to form long wedges. Then cut across the carrot to form triangles. Diced Carrots: Cut large carrots into chunks, and then cut edges of carrot chunks off (lengthwise) so each chunk has 4 sides. Cut each "squarish" carrot across the middle of the length, and repeat to form 4 even slices. Cut across the carrot to create even little dice.
Whether you're using the greens or not, be sure to remove them from the larger carrots as soon as possible since they tend to leach moisture from the carrot itself.
To clean baby carrots: The same general rules apply to them as to their larger counterparts. Pre-bagged "baby carrots" have usually been cleaned and are ready to be used straight out of the bag.
Create your best carrot recipe with some of your favorite ingredients from this list of foods that match perfectly with carrots.
Agave Nectar, or Brown Rice Syrup Almonds Apricots Basil Brandy Butter, non-dairy Cabbage Cayenne Celery Cheeses, non-dairy (Cheddar, Parmesan) Chervil Chives Cilantro Cinnamon Cloves Coriander Cream, non-dairy (I like Silk Soy Cream) Cumin Curry Dill Extra-Virgin Olive Oil Fennel Garlic Ginger Leeks Lemon Maple Syrup Marjoram Marsala Mayonnaise, dairy-free, egg-free (I like Vegenaise) Mint Mushrooms Mustard Nutmeg Nuts, especially hazelnuts and walnuts Olives Onions Oranges Paprika Parsley Peas Pine nuts Potatoes Raisins Red Wine Vinegar Rosemary Sage Shallots Sucanat, or other dry sweetener Tarragon Thyme Tomatoes Turnips Veggie stock Zucchini
Carrot Helpful Hints
Carrots are available year-round, but they'll make the most delicious and best carrot recipe during the cooler months, approximately September through April. Unwashed carrots will keep refrigerated for up to 10 days.
Larger carrots tend to be sweeter than the smaller varieties.
Carrots can be used in a variety of ways to make the best carrot recipe. Use in soups and stews, casseroles, pasta dishes, marinara, and even desserts!
Carrots can be enjoyed raw, but are actually more nutritious if cooked for up to 5 minutes first. Plus, cooking will bring out the natural sweetness of carrots.
Look for carrots that are firm, nicely shaped, and brightly colored. The more slender they are, the better.
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