A vegetable that is always a good buy at the grocery store. Even more frugal is groing them in your garden and storing them for the winter, weather in a cold room,by freezing or canning.

Because of it’s sweetness it’s good for baking as well as it’s use as a vegetable.

One of my favorite carrot recipes is Curried Carrot Soup, healthy, quick to make and it freezes great for meals on the run. This recipe is from Fitness magazine. I have passed this recipe out to so many friends and they all love it.

Curried Carrot soup

1 tbsp olive oil
2/3 cup diced onion
1/2 cup diced celery
1 tsp curry powder (I used more)
3 cups thinly sliced carrots (I used frozen ones from last year’s garden)
1 1/2 cups diced peeled potato
2 cans chicken broth (I used homemade frozen broth)
1 cup water
1/4 tsp salt (I added a bit more since my broth wasn’t canned)
1/8 tsp pepper
1 tbsp brown sugar

In saucepan, heat oil and saute onion and celery until softened, about 4 minutes.
Sprinkle with curry powder and cook 1 minute. Add averything except sugar, bring to a boil, cover and simmer 30 minutes, until veggies are tender. Puree, I used my hand held blender, add sugar. Serve with a dollop of yogurt.

Another great way to use carrots is to cut them up along with potatoes, turnips, celery, onions, peppers, squash, toss them with olive oil and seasonings. Roast the mixture uncovered until tender. Leftover roasted veggies can be pureed with chicken or beef broth for a great soup.

Since w’re talking carrots, I can’t forget the infamous Carrot Cake with Cream Cheese Icing. This is a great recipe from recipezaar, the source of many of the recipes I cook:

Nutrition Facts

Calculated for 1 serving (179g)
Recipe makes 12 servings

Calories 659
Calories from Fat 346 (52%)
Amount Per Serving %DV
Total Fat 38.5g 59%
Saturated Fat 11.7g 58%
Polyunsat. Fat 15.2g
Monounsat. Fat 9.3g
Trans Fat 0.1g
Cholesterol 83mg 27%
Sodium 564mg 23%
Potassium 210mg 6%
Total Carbohydrate 75.0g 25%
Dietary Fiber 2.4g 9%
Sugars 55.5g
Protein 7.1g 14%
Vitamin A 3525mcg 70%
Vitamin B6 0.1mg 7%
Vitamin B12 0.2mcg 4%
Vitamin C 3mg 5%
Vitamin E 4mcg 15%
Calcium 78mg 7%
Magnesium 30mg 7%
Iron 1mg 7%
Alcohol 0.1g Caffeine 0.0mg

Why-i-joined-zaar Carrot Cake Recipe #73825

On October 2, 2001, I discovered the Recipezaar Web site. I immediately joined so I could post a request for a recipe I had lost. In less than an hour, I had a reply: this recipe. Unfortunately, I never posted it into the database — until now. My mistake. This cake was the reason I joined, and the friendly response I received was the reason I stayed! by Lennie

12 servings

1¼ hours 20 min prep
CAKE
2 cups all-purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 3/4 cups white sugar
1 cup vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 cups shredded carrots
1 cup flaked coconut
1 cup chopped walnuts
1 (8 ounce) can crushed pineapple, drained
FROSTING
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened
2 cups icing sugar

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9×13 inch pan. Mix flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt and cinnamon; make a well in the centre and add sugar, oil, eggs and vanilla. Mix with wooden spoon until smooth. Stir in carrots, coconut, walnuts and pineapple. Pour into 9×13 inch pan and bake for about 45 minutes.
Don’t panic, the centre will sink a little. Allow to cool; when cool, ice the cake.

You can certainly use your favourite cream cheese frosting to ice this cake, but the one I’ve included is highly recommended (I usually leave the cake in the 13×9 pan and just ice the top).

To make the frosting: Cream the butter and cream cheese until smooth; add the icing sugar and beat until creamy.

© 2007 Recipezaar

Here is a bit of a different use for carrots: Carrot Burgers. These are very tasty as well:

Carrot Burgers Recipe #149006

These tasty morsels make a great side dish and a great breakfast too! Adapted from Cook Now Serve Later cookbook. by Sharon123

4 servings
15 min 5 min prep
5 medium carrots, shredded (about 2 cups)
1 small yellow onion, finely chopped
3 tablespoons flour
2 tablespoons cornmeal
1 egg, lightly beaten
2 tablespoons milk (or half and half, or sour cream)
1 teaspoon dried dill weed
1/2 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/8 teaspoon black pepper
2 tablespoons margarine
1 tablespoon olive oil

In a medium bowl, mix the carrots, onion, flour, corneal, egg, milk, dill, sugar, salt, baking powder and pepper. Shape the mixture into 8 patties about 1 1/2″ thick. Transfer to a platter, cover with plastic wrap and refrigerate for at least 1 hour. This will keep up to 12 hours.

Heat the margarine and the oil in a heavy 10″ skillet until sizzling, about 1 minute. Brown the patties for 3 minutes on each side. Drain on a platter lined with paper towels, then serve immediately. You may serve this as a side dish or a light luncheon along with a mixed green salad and whole grain bread. This would also be good as a breakfast with maple syrup! Enjoy!

© 2007 Recipezaar. All Rights Reserved. http://www.recipezaar.com

Next time you have a bunch of carrots to use up, give one of these recipes a try! Happy Cooking!