Minneapolis-St. Paul Star Tribune
Roasted Carrots Ingredients: 1-1/2 lbs. whole carrots
2 Tbs. olive oil
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
Salt and freshly ground pepper to taste Preparation: Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Rinse and scrub carrots, pare them only if necessary, and cut off stem ends. If the thick end is really thick, cut the top third of each carrot off and split it in two lengthwise. Put the carrots in a small pan, pour the olive oil over and toss them well, coating all the carrots. Sprinkle on thyme, salt and pepper and toss again. Spread the carrots into a single uncrowded layer on a baking pan. (If making a larger quantity, use several sheets to avoid crowding.) Roast the carrots until they have browned well on the bottoms (about 30 minutes); shake the pan or turn the carrots to brown them on another surface, and roast another 10 minutes, and turn again, roasting up to another 10 minutes, until the thickest pieces are tender. Serve hot or warm. Serves: 4 to 6 Note: Sometimes the simplest recipes are the best. This is surely about the simplest way to prepare carrots, and it's amazingly good. Note: "Baby" carrots (the kind ground down from big chunks) would eliminate a tiny amount of work, but won't be as good in this recipe as whole ones. Nutrition information per 1/6 serving: Calories 83, Carbohydrates 10 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 5 g, including sat. fat 1 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 35 mg, Calcium 28 mg, Dietary fiber 3 g, Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1/2 bread/starch exch. and 1 fat exch.
Glazed Carrots Ingredients: 1 lb. large or "baby" carrots
2 Tbs. butter
2 tsp. sugar, divided
Salt to taste
3/8 cup water
3/8 cup white vermouth or white wine (or more water) Preparation: If using whole large carrots, rinse and scrub them, pare them if necessary, and cut them into small chunks of roughly equal mass -- 1/2-inch thick at the large end of the carrot, and longer as you move toward the tip. If using "baby" carrots, cut them in half crosswise. Put the butter, 1 teaspoon of the sugar and the salt in a frying pan with the water and vermouth. Stir to dissolve the sugar, add the carrots, cover and bring to a boil. Cook over medium-high heat until almost all liquid has evaporated, 8 to 10 minutes. Uncover, stir in the remaining teaspoon of sugar and cook, stirring, another 2 or 3 minutes, until carrots are glazed. Serve immediately. Note: This is almost as simple as roasted carrots -- it involves just a bit more work, but less cooking time -- and it's almost as good. The vermouth is an especially nice touch; white wine isn't quite as flavorful. Water works fine, but this extra flavor element is a good idea. Serves: 4 to 6 Nutrition information per 1/6 serving: Calories 78, Carbohydrates 10 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 4 g, including sat. fat 2 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Sodium 50 mg, Calcium 21 mg, Dietary fiber 2 g. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1/2 bread/starch exch. and 1 fat exch.
Curried Carrot Dip 1 cup finely chopped or grated fresh carrots (from 2 or 3 large carrots)
1 cup sour cream
2 Tbs. apricot preserves
1-1/2 tsp. prepared mustard
1 Tbs. curry powder
1/2 tsp. red pepper flakes
1/8 tsp. chili powder
Hot pepper sauce to taste
Vegetable or snack-food dippers Preparation: Combine carrots, sour cream, preserves, mustard, curry powder, pepper flakes, chili powder and hot pepper sauce. Chill to blend flavors. Serve with vegetable or snack-food dippers. Note: Instead of carrot sticks as dippers, why not serve this carrot dip with sticks of celery or bell pepper -- or Fritos - - as dippers? Serves: About 2 cups Nutrition information per 2-tablespoon serving: Calories 39, Carbohydrates 3 g, Protein 1 g, Fat 3 g, including sat. fat 2 g, Cholesterol 10 mg, Sodium 16 mg, Calcium 19 mg, Dietary fiber 0 g. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1/2 fat exch.
Asian-Style Noodle and Carrot Salad Ingredients: 2 Tbs. sesame seeds
About 3/4 lb. carrots (about 6 medium carrots or most of a bag of "baby" carrots)
8 oz. linguine or spaghetti
1 medium onion
3 Tbs. soy sauce
3 Tbs. Asian sesame oil
2 Tbs. grated fresh ginger
2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 Tbs. sugar
Hot pepper sauce to taste
One 8-oz. can sliced water chestnuts, drained Preparation: Toast the sesame seeds in a frying pan over low-medium heat, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until they just begin to color. If using whole large carrots, scrub them, pare them if necessary, and cut them into thin slices on the diagonal. If using "baby" carrots, cut them in half lengthwise. Add carrots to a small amount of boiling water, return to the boil, reduce heat and simmer 4 to 5 minutes until they are just tender. Drain and plunge into cold water to stop cooking. Break the linguine in half and prepare according to package directions for al dente. Drain and rinse in cold water. Slice the onion thinly and cut the slices in half. In a salad bowl, combine toasted sesame seeds, soy sauce, sesame oil, ginger, garlic, sugar and hot pepper sauce and mix well. Add carrots, linguine, onions and water chestnuts. Toss well. Chill, then toss again before serving. Serves: 4 Nutrition information per serving: Calories 444, Carbohydrates 71 g, Protein 11 g, Fat 14 g, including sat. fat 2 g, Cholesterol 0 mg, Sodium 1035 mg, Calcium 57 mg, Dietary fiber 6 g. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 4 bread/starch exch., 1/2 other carb. exch., and 3 fat exch.
Carrot Hot Dish Ingredients: 4 Tbs. (1/2 stick) butter or margarine, divided
1 medium onion, quartered and sliced
4 cups sliced fresh carrots (about 1 lb.)
3 Tbs. flour
1 cup milk
One 8-oz. package Velveeta, cut into cubes
Salt and pepper to taste
1/2 cup coarsely crushed potato chips (from about 1 oz. -- about 1 cup uncrushed) Preparation: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 1-1/2-quart casserole. In a frying pan, melt 3 tablespoons of the butter over medium heat. Stir in the onions and saute until they become translucent. Add the carrots, reduce heat to medium, stir well, cover and cook, stirring occasionally, about 5 minutes, until the carrots soften slightly. Reduce heat to medium-low, stir in the flour and cook, stirring, about 1 minute, until all visible flour is absorbed. Stir in the milk a little at a time, stirring constantly as the mixture thickens, until all the milk is in and the mixture is smooth. Add the cubed cheese, and stir until cheese is fully melted in and sauce is smooth. Stir in salt and pepper to taste. Pour into the prepared dish. Melt the remaining 1 tablespoon of butter, stir in the potato chips and sprinkle over the carrots. Bake 20 minutes, until casserole is bubbling. Note: I made a carrot quiche, but truthfully this extremely un-hip hot dish was far tastier. The sauteed carrot slices add a sweet element to the near-ambrosial (if rather tacky) combination of processed cheese, onions, fat and potato chips. Serves: 6 Nutrition information per serving: Calories 279, Carbohydrates 20 g, Protein 10 g, Fat 18 g, including sat. fat 11 g, Cholesterol 49 mg, Sodium 693 mg, Calcium 281 mg, Dietary fiber 3 g. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 vegetable exch., 1 bread/starch exch., 1 high-fat meat exch., and 2 fat exch.
Chocolate Carrot Cake Ingredients for the Cake: 1 cup (4 oz.) coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup (2 sticks) butter, softened
1-1/4 cups granulated sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
4 eggs
1 Tbs. vanilla
2-1/2 cups cake flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. cinnamon
3 cups shredded carrots (from 5 or 6 pared medium carrots)
2/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips Ingredients for Cream Cheese Frosting: 12 oz. (1-1/2 8-oz. pkgs.) cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter, softened
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
2 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla
1 Tbs. milk, as needed Preparation: Prepare the cake: Grease and flour two (9-inch) round cake pans or a 9-by-13-inch pan. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Toast the pecan pieces in a frying pan over medium-low heat, stirring frequently, until they begin to color and become fragrant, about 7 minutes. Pour out of the pan and set aside. In the large bowl of an electric mixer, beat the 2 sticks of butter, gradually adding the granulated sugar and the brown sugar. Beat in the eggs, one at a time, and the tablespoon of vanilla. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and 1 teaspoon of cinnamon. Add to the egg mixture, beating until smooth. Stir in the carrots, chocolate chips and pecans. Pour into the prepared pan(s) and bake 35 to 45 minutes for two round pans or 40 to 50 minutes for a 9-by 13-inch pan. Cool completely before frosting. Prepare the frosting: In the small bowl of the electric mixer, beat together the cream cheese and the 1/2 stick of butter. Beat in the 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and the powdered sugar, adding the teaspoon of vanilla part way through. Add a bit of milk as needed for spreading consistency. Note: Most carrot-cake recipes not only are utterly lacking in chocolate, they also drag in pineapple and coconut. Not this one. Serves: 12 Nutrition information per serving: Calories 767, Carbohydrates 90 g, Protein 9 g, Fat 44 g, including sat. fat 23 g, Cholesterol 160 mg, Sodium 424 mg, Calcium 125 mg, Dietary fiber 4 g. Diabetic exchanges per serving: 1 bread/ starch exch., 5 other carb. exch., 1 medium-fat meat exch., and 8 fat exch.
(Distributed by Scripps Howard News Service, www.shns.com.)
| 
