Let’s Talk About Carrots
TBY MARYANN MIANO
he cute, little Easter Bunny may have hopped to
your home to deliver sweet chocolates this spring,
but rest assured he was smart enough to munch
on something extra nutritious along the way – a carrot.
Crisp and satisfying, the carrot has been a favorite
vegetable in most all of our households and for good
reason. Not only do carrots taste great and add sweetness
to any dish, but they are high in beta carotene and
vitamin A, vitamins C and E, ber, calcium, potassium,
and other trace minerals. No other vegetable or fruit
contains as much carotene, which the body converts to
vitamin A.
Our cultivated, orange eshy friend was not always
its attractive color. The rst carrots in history were
purple, yellow, red or black. Carrots’ beginnings, especially
during the Middle Ages, were more medicinal
than consumption.
Carrots were used more and more for culinary purposes
as it made its way through the ages. They arrived
long before the Mayower to the New World, but the
Puritans made them popular. Widespread and plentiful,
this vegetable’s inherent sweetness has been used
for desserts and sweets, as well as for soups, stews and
side dishes. Unlike many other vegetables, carrots are
more nutritious when eaten cooked rather than raw,
but either way, the nutrition cannot be beat. For dieters,
snacking is permissible at approximately 42 calories a
carrot. Also, the calcium pectate ber in the carrot is believed
to have cholesterol-lowering properties.
Try purchasing carrots that are fresh, meaning they
still have their green, leafy tops. If they are young, rm
and small, you will notice a sweeter product. Use fresh
carrots as soon as possible, since the leaves will rob the
root of freshness if stored for too long. If purchasing
bagged carrots, be sure to make a complete inspection
for a deep, orange color without cracks or white root
hairs noticeable. Carrots stored for too long will go limp
and be crunch-less.
The versatile carrot can be cooked in many ways.
Use carrots for salads, snack on baby carrots, julienne
carrots to sauté; try them steamed, roasted, boiled,
braised, or juiced. The recipe of the month will make
the Easter Bunny happy.
46 APRIL 2020 | TheJournalNJ.com
SPICED APPLE CARROT CAKE
• 3 cups unsifted all-purpose our
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¾ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
• ¼ teaspoon ground cloves
• 1 ½ cups vegetable oil
• 1 cup rmly packed light brown sugar
• ¾ cup granulated sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 2 cups coarsely grated peeled apple (2 to 3 apples), such as McIntosh,
Cortland or Rome Beauty, excess juice squeezed out
• 1 cup coarsely grated carrot
• 1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts
1. Preheat oven to moderate 350 degrees. Grease 13 x 9 x 2-inch baking dish.
2. Sift together our, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, salt, nutmeg and
cloves into a medium-sized bowl.
3. Beat together vegetable oil, brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla in
large bowl with wooden spoon until thoroughly combined and smooth. Stir in
our mixture; beat until smooth. Stir in apple, carrot and pecans. Spoon into
prepared baking dish, smoothing top evenly.
4. Bake in preheated moderate oven for 50 minutes or until wooden pick
inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pan on wire rack.
5. Prepare cream cheese frosting (see below).
6. When cake has cooled completely, spread Cream Cheese Frosting over the top.
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING:
Beat together softened 8-ounce package cream cheese and ½ cup (1 stick) softened
butter in small bowl until smooth and creamy. Beat in 1 cup 10X (confectioners’) sugar,
grated rind of 1 orange and 1 teaspoon vanilla until smooth and spreadable.
/TheJournalNJ.com