Stretch Your Budget with Carrots

Hello again, folks. Carrots has to be one of the most wonderful foods available. Inexpensive (shoot, even cheap), easy to prepare, popular even with those that 'don't like vegetables,' and nutritious to boot. So why don't we serve them more often? We forget about the carrot. It's not sexy. Magazines don't show prominent pictures of the lowly carrot - saving the front cover for the steak and cakes and the fancy, expensive dishes.

Well not today. Today we are going to revel in the wonderful simplicity of the carrot.

Selecting and Preparing Carrots

When shopping for your carrots, find shapely, non-cracked carrots with a lovely orange color. Don't be fooled by the feathery leafage at the top. If you don't cut the foliage off, the leaves will suck the nutrients right out of the carrot.

When preparing carrots, chop off the top and the bottom of the carrot. You can pare them lightly, or simply scrub them well and use them whole.

Keep Those Carrot Sticks Crisp

Trying to think of something nutritious to throw in the lunch bag? Want something better than potato chips to snack on? Having a party and want to serve something that everyone can enjoy? Dish up some carrot sticks. Choose younger, more tender carrots. Clean, and cut into 3/8 inch strips. To keep the carrot sticks snapping, keep them in a bowl of ice water in the refrigerator. I like to keep them in a pitcher - very handy and neat.

Easy Cooked Carrots

Dinner can be ready in minutes. Clean your carrots and cut into 1/4 inch slices. On the stovetop: In a covered saucepan heat 1 inch of water and add up to 1 1/4 lbs of prepared carrots. Boil until tender for 12-15 minutes. In the microwave: in a microwavable casserole, add about 1 tablespoons of water and up to 1 1/4 lbs of prepared carrots. Cover and cook on high for about 10 minutes.

Try topping your carrots with a little butter, salt, and dill. Delicious!

Sunday Dinner Glazed Carrots

This was a family favorite. Even my youngest brother loved these, though he banned all other vegetables. Make extra for Monday's Casserole!

Collect: large skillet, spoon, knife

Ingrediants: 2 lbs carrots 1/2 c. packed brown sugar dash of salt 1 t. grated orange peel splash of lemon juice 3 T. butter 1 t. cinnamon dash of nutmeg

Clean carrots and cut into either strips or slices. Cook on the stovetop or in the microwave (see Easy Cooked Carrots). In the skillet, stir together the rest of the ingrediants and cook until bubbly. Add the carrots and cook on low until everything is heated through (about 5 minutes). Serve warm. Although cold leftovers are still pretty good.

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