In Season Now:  Carrots

We all know that eating carrots is great for your eye sight, but they have a lot more to offer.  The bright orange (most of the time) vegetable boosts your immune system, promotes vibrant skin, reduces cholesterol, boosts oral health, protects your heart, improves digestion, increases cardiovascular health, and detoxifies the body.  You may be forgetting about the carrots in your diet, if so, it is time to reconsider, from breakfast to dessert, I am sure you will find something that suits your taste buds!!  

Pork Chops with Cabbage and Carrots

4, 6-ounce, pork chop cutlets

1 teaspoon kosher salt, divided

1 teaspoon black pepper, divided

1 tablespoon butter

2 cups chopped green and red cabbage (I have used sharp head when available)

1 ½ cups diagonally sliced carrot

1/3 cup unsalted chicken broth

¼ cup apple cider vinegar

3 tablespoons orange marmalade

2 tablespoons olive oil

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. 

Sprinkle pork chops evenly with ½ teaspoon salt and ½ teaspoon pepper.  Melt butter in a large ovenproof skillet over medium high heat.  Add pork chops; cook 4 minutes per side or until desired degree of doneness.  Remove from pan, cover to keep warm

Add cabbage, carrots, remaining salt and pepper.  Stir in stock, scraping the bottom of the pan to loosen brown bits.  Cover and place pan in oven.  Bake at 400 degrees for 12 minutes or until carrots are tender.  

Remove cabbage mixture from pan, cover to keep warm.  Add vinegar, orange marmalade, and oil to pan, bring to a boil over medium high heat.  Cook 3 minutes or until slightly reduced and smooth, stirring with a whisk.  Divide pork chops and cabbage mixture among 4 plates.  Drizzle evenly with vinegar mixture.  

Serves 4, each serving contains; Calories 310, Fat 16 g., Protein 24 g., Carbohydrates 17 g., Fiber 2 g., Cholesterol 78 g., Sodium 459 mg.

Hearty Carrot Soup

1 tablespoon butter

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil

1 medium onion, chopped

1 stalk celery, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

1 tablespoon fresh thyme

5 cups chopped carrots

2 cups water

4 cups reduced-sodium chicken broth

½ cup half and half

½ teaspoon salt

Fresh ground pepper, to taste

Heat butter and oil in a Dutch oven over medium heat until butter melts.  Add onion and celery, cook, stirring occasionally, until softened, 4 to 6 minutes.  Add garlic and thyme, cook, stirring occasionally, until fragrant, about 10 seconds.  

Stir in carrots.  Add water and broth, bring to a lively simmer over high heat.  Reduce heat to a simmer and cook until tender, about 25 minutes.  

Puree the soup in batches in a blender until smooth.  Stir in half and half, and salt and pepper.  

**Of course, I did this soup in the Crock Pot, cooked ingredients about 3 hours on high until the carrots were tender.  

Serving size, 2 cups, each serving contains; Calories 176, Fat 8 g., Protein 7 g., Carbohydrates 21 g., Fiber 5 g., Cholesterol 7 g., Sodium 486 mg.

Ginger-Carrot Pineapple Cake 

(Adapted from an Eat This Not That recipe)

 ½ cup all-purpose flour

½ cup whole wheat flour

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

½ teaspoon baking soda

½ teaspoon salt

2 ½ cups finely shredded carrots (about 5 medium)

3 eggs, lightly beaten

1 8-ounce can crushed pineapple, drained

¾ cup packed brown sugar

½ cup vegetable oil

8 ounces cream cheese, softened

¼ teaspoon salt

1 7-ounce jar marshmallow crème

Thin carrot ribbons and fresh pineapple chunks, optional topping

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Grease two 9-inch round cake pans, line the bottom of the pans with parchment paper.  Grease paper, lightly flour pans.  

In a large mixing bowl, stir together flours, baking powder, ginger, cinnamon, baking soda, and ½ teaspoon salt.  

In a medium bowl, combine carrots, eggs, pineapple, sugar and oil.  Add egg mixture all at once to the flour mixture.  Stir until combined.  Divide batter between prepared pans, spreading evenly.  

Bake 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted near centers comes out clean.  Cool layers in pans for 10 minutes.  Remove layers from pans, discard paper.  Cool completely on wire racks.  

For the frosting, in a medium bowl, beat cream cheese and ¼ teaspoon salt until light and fluffy.  Beat in marshmallow crème until smooth.  

Place one cake layer on a serving platter.  Frost with ½ of the frosting.  Place the second cake layer on frosting.  Frost top with remaining frosting.  Cover and chill cake at least 2 hours before serving.  Top with fresh carrot shreds or ribbons and wedges of fresh pineapple, if desired.  

Simple Carrot Pineapple Orange Juice

3 medium carrots

½ small ripe pineapple, peeled, cored and cut into pieces

1 large orange, peeled, and cut into pieces

Add carrots, pineapple, and orange, one at a time to juicer.  Juice until smooth, serve.  I used a Bullet to make the juice.  

Carrot Rice

1 cup basmati rice (I substituted brown rice)

¼ cup roasted peanuts

1 tablespoon margarine 

1 onion, cut into slices

1 teaspoon minced fresh ginger root

¾ cup grated carrots

Salt to taste

Cayenne pepper, to taste

Chopped fresh cilantro

Prepare rice according to directions.  

Meanwhile, grind peanuts in a blender and set aside.  Heat the margarine in a skillet over medium heat.  Stir in the onion, cook and stir until the onion has softened an turned golden brown about 10 minutes.  Stir in ginger and carrots and salt to taste.  Reduce heat to low and cover to steam, about 5 minutes.  Stir in cayenne pepper and peanuts.  When rice is done, add to skillet and stir gently to combine with other ingredients.  Garnish with fresh cilantro.  

**I used brown rice that I previously cooked, and prepared this recipe on the griddle.  

Not Your Cafeteria Peas and Carrots

1 tablespoon canola oil

½ teaspoon light brown sugar

¼ teaspoon ground cumin

1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper

12 ounces carrots, cut into small rounds (or you may use a bag of small carrots)

1 ¾ cups snow peas

¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. 

Combine oil, brown sugar, cumin, red pepper, and carrots on a rimmed baking sheet.  Bake at 450 degrees for 12 minutes.  Add snow peas to pan, bake 5 minutes or until vegetables are tender and lightly brown.  Sprinkle with salt.

Serves 4, each serving contains; Calories 84, Fat 4 g., Protein 2 g., Carbohydrates 11 g., Fiber 3 g., Cholesterol 0 g., Sodium 140 mg.