Carrot Recipes

Everyone's Favorite Crudite

Carrots have long been a lunchbox favorite for their slightly sweet flavor and their crunch. Paired with a Ranch dressing, and other raw veggies such as cauliflower, green peppers and celery, they make a great party nosh.

If you were told as a child to eat your carrots for your eyes, there is evidence today to support this Old Wives Tale - this vegetable is packed with vitamin A, which is crucial to eyesight, particularly night vision.

Healthy, Healthy, Healthy

The health benefits of eating carrots can not be downplayed. They are full of beta-carotene, an important anti-oxidant. Recently, beta-carotene has been shown to provide a significant degree of protection from developing lung cancer. As little as a carrot a day can reduce your risk by half.

Carrot Recipes and Cooking Considerations

Carrots are good boiled, steamed, stir-fried or freshly-dug and washed. In Chinese dishes, lightly stir-fried carrots can provide a crispy crunch. They make stews flavorful and healthy, and always go with a beef roast and potatoes.

Many people like to shave the skin off with a scraper, but you toss out valuable vitamins when you pare them. Leave the tender skin on; it helps a cut carrot hold together in simmered dishes.

Carrots come in a wide range of colors from almost white to dark purple. If you want the most beta-carotene, however, pick the most orange of the varieties - beta-carotene (actually named for the carrot) gives it its distinctive orange color.