Carrot Fries

This is a fun twist on a kid favorite – the french fry!  These are not fried but rather roasted to bring out those natural sugars and delicious goodness!  Warning: they are addicting and have convered a child or two, even some adults who claimed to not like carrots have been seen eating these

They are super simple to make and besides carrots you need a few pantry items and you are ready to get roasting.  I do not recommend using baby carrots from the store as they always tend to be water logged and do not roast only steam.

Carrots come in several fun colors: orange, white, purple, red  and golden.  They are fun to plant as well as eat so maybe try growing them this Spring/Summer.  Several years back, while camping at a mountain retreat, that also had a full organic garden we dug up some veggies to use in our dinner.  I loved that our kids just pulled up carrots, kinda wipped them on thier shorts and then right into the mouth they went, dirt and all.  They ate broccoli, asparagus and other veggies raw right out of the ground.  I was kinda surprised that they didn’t think twice about it but I loved watching them go row by row like it was a treasure hunt with each veggie they pulled up.  Such good memories!

Carrots are multi-taskers in terms of their nutrition this long list proves it, just listen to this:

• excellent source of vitamin A, a good source of potassium, and contain vitamins C & B6, copper, folic acid, thiamine and magnesium
• contains a substance called falcarinol that has been found to reduce the risk of cancer
• cooking carrots increases their level of beta-carotene (heat increases the antioxidant activity)
• beta-carotene belongs to a group of antioxidant substances called carotenoids, which give fruits and vegetables their red, yellow, and orange colourings. The body converts beta-carotene into vitamin A, which plays an important role in vision, reproduction, bone growth and regulating the immune system.
• can enhance the quality of breast milk
• it can improve the appearance of the skin, hair and nails
• when taken daily it can lower cholesterol and blood pressure
• carrot juice when taken every day prevents bodily infections and is claimed to be valuable for the adrenal glands
• can help improve eye health
• can regulate blood sugar
• can promote colon health, because it is rich in fibre
• Most of the goodness is actually in, or just below the skin. Carrots also contain other phenolic compounds that are antioxidants. Many people do not realize that numerous phenolic compounds are located in the skin of fruit and vegetables, many of which are removed by peeling prior to processing.
• contains alpha carotene which may be more powerful than beta carotene in inhibiting processes that may lead to tumour growth
• One cup of carrots only clocks in at 30 calories but provides 650% of our Vitamin A and 20% of our Vitamin C needs, 4.5 grams of fiber, and 12% of our recommended potassium intake
• carrots have fat soluble vitamins so the body needs fat in order to fully absorb them – try dipping in hummus or adding avocado to your spinach and carrot salad

I could go on and on but you get the idea – no matter which way you slice it carrots are a goldmine or nutrition.  I hope your family enjoys this recipe as much as my family and clients do.

Chef Amy