Editor’s note
The following abstract describes a publication that is available as a downloadable PDF and may be purchased as single sheets or in a bundles of 25.
Questions? Contact Jo Britt-Rankin.
Author/Reviewer: Susan Mills-Gray
Easy-to-prepare recipes using carrots as the main ingredient are displayed in this four-page flier. Additional cooking and preparation tips, measurement conversions, safety measures and cooking terms are also included.
Topics
- Boxed food
- Food pantry
- SNAP
- Carrots
- Recipes
- Healthy eating
- Food preparation
- Cooking tips
Recipes
- Peach and Carrot Smoothie
- Glazed Carrots
- Lentil Stew
- Minestrone
Pages
- 4
Canned Carrot Tips
- Canned carrots are a great item to keep on hand for quick meals and can be used to replace fresh carrots with most recipes.
- Drain and rinse carrots to reduce the sodium content.
- For roasting or frying, patting the carrots dry can help achieve a better texture.
- Canned carrots can taste bland; try these tips to add flavor:
- Add a little sweetener, such as maple syrup, brown sugar or honey. A dash of salt and pepper can balance the sweetness.
- Sauté with butter, olive oil, garlic, herbs or lightly browned onions.
- Add spices such as cinnamon, curry powder or smoked paprika; or add a splash of lemon juice or orange zest.
- Roasting enhances sweetness and creates a crispy exterior. Toss with oil, salt, pepper and herbs before roasting.
- Top carrots with toasted breadcrumbs or chopped nuts, such as pecans or walnuts, for extra crunch.
- When making soup or stew, add canned carrots toward the end of cooking since they are already precooked. This helps them absorb the flavors without getting overly mushy.
- Canned carrots are already tender. Avoid excessive stirring when heating to prevent them from becoming too soft or falling apart.
Peach and Carrot Smoothie
Ingredients
- 1 (15 ounce) can peaches, undrained (or use 1½ cups fresh or frozen peach slices and add ½ to ¾ cups water or 100% fruit juice)
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can carrots, drained and rinsed (or 1 cup fresh or frozen carrots, cooked and cooled)
- 1 medium banana (fresh or frozen)
Directions
- Clean hands and food preparation surfaces.
- Combine all ingredients in a blender or food processor, including juice from the canned peaches.
- Blend until smooth and serve right away.
- Refrigerate or freeze leftovers within 2 hours.
Notes
- Cook frozen carrots from the store according to package directions.
- For a thinner smoothie, add more water or 100% fruit juice.
Glazed Carrots
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons margarine or butter
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans carrots
- 1/4 teaspoon black pepper
- 2 teaspoons sugar
Directions
- Clean hands and food preparation surfaces.
- Drain canned carrots.
- Melt the margarine or butter in a heavy saucepan on low heat.
- Add the carrots. Stir gently to coat with margarine or butter.
- Add salt, pepper and sugar; cover pan.
- Shake the pan back and forth on the burner for 1 minute.
- Cook for 1 more minute, until the carrots are glazed but not brown.
Lentil Stew
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive or canola oil
- 1 large onion, chopped
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans carrots
- 1 cup dry lentils, rinsed and drained
- 3 (14.5 ounce) cans diced, low-sodium tomatoes
- 3 cups water
- 1 teaspoon chili powder
Directions
- Clean hands and food preparation surfaces.
- Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat; add chopped onion.
- Cook for 3 minutes, or until tender.
- Stir in garlic powder, lentils, tomatoes, water and chili powder.
- Simmer, uncovered, for about 20 minutes or until lentils are tender. Stir in canned carrots during the last minutes of cooking.
Minestrone
Yield: 6 Servings
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 (14.5 ounce) can carrots
- 1 zucchini, chopped
- 1 cup fresh green beans, cut into 1-inch pieces (or 1 can green beans, drained)
- 3 1/2 cups water
- 2 (14.5 ounce) cans chopped tomatoes
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, chopped (or 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- 1/2 cup small elbow macaroni, uncooked
- 1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
- 2 fresh bay leaves (optional)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt, adjusted to taste
- 1/8 tablespoon black pepper, adjusted to taste
Directions
- Clean hands and food preparation surfaces.
- In a large saucepan, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add zucchini, green beans and celery; cover and reduce heat to low. Cook for about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add water, tomatoes and thyme; stir and raise heat to medium-high.
- Bring to a boil, cover and reduce heat to low; simmer gently for 30 minutes.
- While soup simmers: In a separate pot, cook elbow macaroni according to package directions. Drain and set aside. Drain and rinse the cannellini beans with cold water, set aside. Drain the carrots and set aside.
- Once the 30 minutes for the soup has passed, add cannellini beans, carrots, bay leaves and elbow macaroni to the soup and simmer for an additional 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper. Remove bay leaves, if used, and serve.
Option
- For added flavor and a heartier meal, add cubed chicken, pork or beef. To ensure meat is fully cooked, add it during step 3 (along with the water, tomatoes and thyme).