Frugal Veggies: Carrots

I’m glad that so many people liked broccoli, the topic of last week’s frugal veggies post.  Another veggie that’s available year round, and highly affordable, is carrots.  With the advent of baby cut carrots, most people have increased their consumption of raw carrots as a snack or lunch box addition.  I like serving baby carrots instead of chips or crackers with all kinds of dips including hummus and guacamole.  In the last couple of years, after reading about the great nutrition in orange veggies, I have been trying out more recipes for cooked carrots.  Similar to this recipe for chipotle sweet potatoes, I prefer to have a savory take on carrots that complements rather than enhances the sweetness.  In addition, I find that the sweetness of the carrots make a nice contrast to strong spices like curry.  Here are two recent recipes, chock full of vitamin A and other good things:

Curry Carrot Soup

1 pound carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1 inch pieces
1 onion, diced
1 T olive oil
1 garlic clove, minced
1-2 teaspoons curry powder
3-4 cups chicken broth, preferrably low sodium
salt and pepper to taste
1 t plain yogurt or kefir per serving, optional

In a heavy bottom soup pan, saute the onion and garlic clove until onion is softened and translucent.  Add the curry powder and cook for about a minute to release the spice fragrances.  Add the carrots and saute briefly.  Add chicken stock and bring to a boil.  Simmer until carrots are very tender, about 15 minutes.  Puree with a hand blender or in batches in the blender and adjust the seasonings to taste.  Serve with a swirl of yogurt on top.

Carrot Dip

1 pound of carrots, peeled and cut into small chunks
2 T fresh lemon juice
Salt to taste

Boil the carrots in salted water until very tender, about 15 minutes, drain and reserve the cooking liquid.  Mash carrots with a potato masher or food processor adding lemon juice to taste and a small amount of cooking liquid to make the texture of a spreadable dip. I like to serve these spread on celery sticks or on red pepper pieces.

see previous posts on: cabbage and broccoli

see more ideas at Frugal Friday, Ultimate Recipe Swap, and Food Renegade