7 Creative Ways to Use Carrots!
Published on September 8, 2018
You should try and have at least one serving of an orange coloured vegetable every day. Orange vegetables like squash, sweet potatoes, and carrots, are high in vitamin A and beta-carotene which are believed to fight inflammation in the body. A serving of carrots is a ½ cup which is about the same as 1 large carrot or 7-10 baby carrots. Incorporating carrots into your diet may seem tricky or boring but rather than boiling them or eating them with dip, why not try some other fun ways to incorporate these veggies into your diet:
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Carrot Smoothie
Add either raw or cooked carrots to your morning smoothie for a refreshing serving of vegetables. The bright colour will have even kids excited. -
Carrot Noodles
Looking for a pasta alternative? Use a spiralizer or veggie peeler to create carrot noodles for a healthy stir fry or crunchy salad. -
Carrot Hummus
Try blending in cooked carrots to a hummus recipe to spice up your lunchbox! Everyone will love the sweet twist on a classic snack. And you can serve it with carrot fingers too! -
Carrot (and Ginger) Soup
Carrots and ginger are a winning combination in soup form! Add in carrots for a vibrant ingredient that will impress the whole family -
Switched Up Mac n’ Cheese
Switch up regular Mac n’ Cheese for a healthier and sweet bowl filled with sweet potatoes and carrots! (Try out the recipe below to add these orange veggies to your mac n’ cheese) -
Carrot Zucchini Muffins
Grate in carrots to add flavour and colour into a zucchini muffin recipe. Your family won’t even notice that they are getting a serving of vegetables! -
Healthy Baked Carrot French Fries
Put a healthy twist on fast food by baking a batch of carrot fries. Just three ingredients and 20 minutes and you have a fun veggie to serve with dinner. To view the full carrot French fries recipes and for more creative orange veggie ideas visit: www.everdayhealth.com.
Stop by our Hospital’s Fresh Market from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm every Wednesday in the Cafeteria Courtyard to pick up fresh carrots, along with other local items, and try one of these recipes this week.
Switched Up Mac n’ Cheese (makes 4-6 portions)
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Ingredients
4 bacon slices diced (optional)
1 cup carrots/sweet potato
½ bell pepper (green, red, or yellow), seeded and cubed
3 cups (750mL) of chicken broth (or water with 2 Tbsp (30 mL) soup base)
2 cups (500 mL) of milk
1 small onion, chopped (or 1 tsp (5mL) dehydrated onion flakes/powder)
2 fresh cloves garlic, chopped fine (or ¾ tsp (3.75mL) garlic powder)
Ground white or black pepper to taste
3 cups (750mL) macaroni (smaller is better)
3 tbsp (45mL) cornstarch, diluted in 4 tbsp (60mL) of cold milk
3 cups (750mL) old cheddar cheese, grated
½ cup-1cup (125mL-250mL) of fresh chopped or frozen spinach or kale (optional)
Preparation:
In a 5 qt Dutch oven or large pan at a medium heat setting, brown the bacon for 4-5 minutes. Add bell pepper, carrots, and garlic and onion (if using fresh) and cook 2-3 minutes. Add chicken broth, milk, onion flakes and garlic powder (if not using fresh), ground pepper and pasta; stir well. Cover and bring to a boil. Stir in spinach or kale. Adjust heat to medium, stir and simmer, uncovered for about 10 minutes, stirring regularly until pasta is el dente. Turn off heat. Immediately add the cornstarch mixture and stir until the preparation has thickened. Add cheese and let it melt completely. Remove from heat and let rest for 10 minutes. Adjust seasoning.