Moroccan Carrots

I'm not generally a big fan of cooked carrots, but these retain their bite and the spice mixture adds enough flavour me to offset the sweetness of cooked carrots. This makes an excellent little side dish for very little effort. It just takes a bit of planning ahead.

One year ago: Saag Paneer
Two years ago: Lemon and Cranberry Scones
Three years ago: Raspberry-topped Lemon Muffins

Moroccan Carrots (from Radically Simple)

Ingredients
1 1/2 lbs carrots, peeled and sliced on the bias into 1/4" rounds
6 tbsp olive oil
5 tbsp red wine vinegar
1 tbsp ground cumin
1 tbsp sweet paprika
large pinch ground cinnamon
1 large garlic clove, minced
1/3 cup julienned parsley

1. Bring a pot of water to a boil and steam (or boil) carrots for 8 minutes until just tender.
2. In large bowl, whisk together oil, vinegar, cumin, paprika, and cinnamon.
3. Add garlic and 1 tsp salt to dressing.
4. Add hot carrots to dressing and toss. Chill for several hours before serving.
5. Stir in parsley and serve.

Pomegranate Roasted Carrots

Roasted carrots get a bad rep. Overly sweet and sadly limp, they're usually a sad sight. This recipe adds some pomegranate molasses to them to give a bit of caramelization and best of all a sour kick. Even if you aren't a fan of cooked carrots, this one's worth a try.

Pomegranate Roasted Carrots (from In the Kitchen with a Good Appetite)

Ingredients
450g carrots, peeled, trimmed, and halved or quartered lengthwise
1 tbsp olive oil
1/4 tsp kosher salt
pinch Turkish or Syrian red pepper or cayenne
1 tsp pomegranate molasses (or 2 tsp balsamic vinegar, but it will be different)
2 tbsp chopped fresh cilantro, basil, or parsley

1. Heat oven to 425F.
2. On a rimmed baking sheet, toss carrots with oil, salt, and pepper. Spread out in single layer.
3. Roast for 15 minutes.
4. Stir and roast for 10 more minutes.
5. Remove from oven, drizzle with pomegranate molasses and toss to coat. Roast until golden and soft, 5 minutes.
6. Garnish with herbs and serve.

Carrots with Wilted Spinach in a Peanut-Coconut Sauce

I liked this recipe quite a bit more than I expected given I mostly chose it as a way to use up some carrots. The carrots didn't seem to have much flavour in the dish, but the peanut and coconut worked wonderfully together. It does generate quite a bit of sauce (I might cut back the water a bit next time), but the sauce is lovely with the coconut and a slight yellow hue from the turmeric. The heat from the chiles was just the right amount and not overly aggressive.

One year ago: Tagliatelle with Prosciutto and Orange
Two years ago: Fajita Steak Quesadillas

Carrots with Wilted Spinach in a Peanut-Coconut Sauce (from 660 Curries)

Ingredients
1/4 cup peanuts
2 tbsp sesame seeds
2 tbsp shredded dried unsweetened coconut
3 dried red Thai or cayenne chiles
2 garlic cloves
2 tbsp canola oil
1/4 tsp ground turmeric
450g carrots, peeled and thinly sliced crosswise
1 tsp coarse salt
1 tsp sugar
113g spinach, coarsely chopped

1. Combine peanuts, sesame seeds, coconut, chiles, and garlic in food processor and pulse to form a coarse blend.
2. Heat oil in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add peanut mixture and fry until honey-brown and fragrant, 1 - 2 minutes.
3. Sprinkle turmeric on and stir in.
4. Add carrots, salt, sugar, and 1 cup water. Heat to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low, cover, and simmer, stirring occasionally until tender, 12 - 14 minutes.
5. Stir in spinach until wilted. Remove from heat and serve.

Carrot and Cumin Salad with Coriander

I associate cooked carrots with overly sweet dishes and generally avoid them, but this recipe pairs carrots with plenty of spices, making a delicious salad that appeals even to people who prefer their carrots raw.

(Oh and by the way, this begins this month's foray into the cookbook of the month. I don't think it will be as used as last month's, but what I've made so far has been pretty darn good.)

One year ago: Key Lime Meringue Pie
Two years ago: Chocolate Orbit Cake with Blackberry-Cassis Sauce

Carrot and Cumin Salad with Coriander (from Moro)

Ingredients
450g carrots
2/3 tsp cumin seeds
1 garlic clove
juice of 3/4 lemon
1/3 tsp sugar
1 tbsp olive oil
1 bunch fresh cilantro, roughly chopped
sea salt

1. Peel carrots and boil whole in salted water until tender (~10 minutes for me). Drain and let cool.
2. Roast cumin seeds in small skillet over medium heat until fragrant and colour darkens, 2 minutes.
3. Grind cumin in mortar and pestle and add garlic and 1/2 tsp salt. Pound.
4. Mix in lemon juice, sugar, and olive oil with garlic.
5. Toss carrots in cumin dressing with chopped cilantro and serve at room temperature.

Carrot and Apple Salad

The boy had decided to try his hand at cooking octopus over the weekend, so I made it my mission to come up with the sides while using up some of the vegetable box bounty. Out of lettuce and salad greens, I searched for a salad that didn't need them. My efforts were rewarded with this recipe. Originally, it's paired with some spiced seared tuna, but it's perfect on its own with other Thai or Asia flavoured dishes. I was a bit suspicious that it would come together, but the crisp, clean flavours work well together. Best of all, it uses ingredients that I tend to receive in overabundance from the CSA box!

Carrot and Apple Salad (from Mighty Spice)

Ingredients
1/3 cup unsalted peanuts
2 tomatoes, seeded and thinly sliced
2 apples, quartered, cored, and thinly sliced
4 large carrots, peeled and grated
3 scallions, thinly sliced
2 red chilies, seeded and thinly sliced
1 handful mint leaves, finely chopped
1 large handful cilantro leaves, roughly chopped
Dressing
juice of 2 limes
1 tbsp fish sauce
1 tbsp sugar

1. Heat a skillet over medium heat. Add peanuts and gently toast. Transfer to plate to cool, then blitz in food processor until coarsely ground.
2. Whisk dressing ingredients together in large bowl.
3. Add remaining ingredients to bowl with peanuts. Toss to coat.

Carroty Mac and Cheese

I have to admit that when I first tried this dish, I wasn't overly impressed. It was good, but not what I want from macaroni and cheese. I'm one of those people who loves a rich bechamel sauce, but this is not that dish. This is more of a custard, less cheesy. It reheats nicely though (especially if pork juices get all over it while it's reheating). It's also an amazing way to use up excess CSA carrots, so up it goes.

Carroty Mac and Cheese (from Cook This Now)

Ingredients
2 cups macaroni
2 1/2 cups coarsely grated carrots
3 cups grated sharp Cheddar cheese
1/4 cup butter, cut into pieces
3/4 cup sour cream
1/4 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1 tsp kosher salt
3/4 tsp mustard powder
1/4 tsp ground pepper
1/4 cup grated Parmesan

1. Preheat oven to 400F and grease an 8" square baking pan.
2. Cook macaroni according to package directions. Add carrots 3 minutes before pasta is done. Drain.
3. Stir in all 2 1/2 cups cheddar and butter to pasta.
4. In a bowl, whisk sour cream, milk, eggs, salt, and seasoning. Fold into pasta.
5. Scrape pasta into pan. Sprinkle with remaining cheddar and parmesan.
6. Bake until firm and golden brown, 30 minutes.

Carrot-Ginger Dressing

Thanks to the CSA box, we have an overabundance of carrots and salad greens. Since I was sorely lacking in energy last weekend, this was also the perfect thing to throw together for a simple vegetable side with dinner.

One year ago: Spicy Squash Salad with Lentils and Goat Cheese
Two years ago: Blueberry Boy Bait

Carrot-Ginger Dressing (from Radically Simple)

Ingredients
1/2 cup diced fresh carrots
1/3 cup orange juice
2 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp olive oil
4 tsp rice vinegar
1 tsp chopped fresh ginger

1. Combine all ingredients in a food processor and process until very smooth.

Creamy Carrot Soup

The Val-Mont had carrots on sale the other week ... 5 lbs for 99 cents.  Of course, I only needed 2 or 3 carrots for my recipes, but they were 99 cents! So I decided to try making carrot soup.  This recipe came out a little thin (or maybe it just seems thin after the hearty potato soup that was closer to mashed potatoes).  Next time, I'd cut down on the broth and/or cream.  I did substitute 1 cup whole milk for 1 cup heavy cream ... just because I had extra whole milk sitting in the fridge that I wanted to get rid of.  I didn't have rosemary, so I substituted a blend of Italian herbs.

Creamy Carrot Soup (from allrecipes)

Ingredients

 1 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
4 1/2 cups sliced carrots
1 large potato, peeled and cubed
3 1/2 cups chicken broth
1 teaspoon ground ginger
2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 teaspoon dried rosemary, crushed
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon pepper

1. In a Dutch oven, saute onion in butter until tender.
2. Add carrots, potato, broth and ginger.
3. Cover and cook over medium heat for 30 minutes or until vegetables are tender.
4. Blend with an immersion blender.
5. Stir in the cream, rosemary, salt and pepper.