Recipe for Cooked Carrots for Carrot Haters

Do you hate carrots? Here's a recipe for cooked carrots for carrot haters.

I suppose the very reason I dislike carrots is the reason why some folks like them - they tend to be sweet. How can you trust a sweet vegetable?

The following recipes for cooked carrots, using leftover fresh ones already cooked al dente, are a magician's trick for hiding the carrots pretty much altogether. The calories in a cup of carrots are almost negligible at 52 calories in a cup. Those 52 calories are packed with Vitamin A (beta carotene, mostly), the Vitamin B complex, and is very high in fiber.

I've gone my whole life hating carrots. I eat them only from a sense of obligation - because they're good for me. I made up a recipe for cooked carrots that changed all that. If you or your fussy eaters dislike them as well, here's a way to fix them that can turn that around. This works because grated carrots picks up the flavor of almost anything you cook them in. Think shredded coconut.

I call this recipe for cooked carrots,

"Carrots Disguised"

I had some left over fingerling peeled carrots in the fridge (about two cups worth) - they were cooked, but still had a slight crunch to them. I ran them through the grater disk on my food processor.

I had seared some pork chops to an attractive brown color in a heavy cast iron skillet in a little olive oil - just a few tablespoons. Then, I poured this great new product - Pacific Natural Foods Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup in the skillet to about .75 inches in depth.

I mention this particular soup product by name because I use it all the time and every time I use it my husband raves about the sauce.

I let that simmer on low until the pork chops were still a tad pink inside as the soup reduced to the consistency of a thick sauce with a bay leaf.

Then I dumped the grated carrots in - stirring a bit. I had to add a little chicken stock because I overshot the reduction and it was a little thick. It only took a minute or two longer on low heat for those carrots to cook into the sauce.

Looking at it, you could hardly recognize that there were any carrots in there at all. This recipe for cooked carrots picked up the flavor of that delicious, healthy soup.

I could have taken it a step further and used my immersion blender to puree the carrots into the sauce as well, but I kind of liked the appearance and texture without that step.

To plate, puddle a generous helping on the plate, top with the pork chop, and pour some more over the top of that. The same sauce can be used for chicken, beef, or fish.

Recipe for Carrot Soup

As an offshoot of the above recipe, do I need to mention that if you heat half a package of Pacific Natural Foods Organic Roasted Red Pepper and Tomato Soup with one cups of shredded carrots, you have a delicious and healthy soup.

Hidden Carrots

Here's a second way to make carrots yummy - cook them under a beef roast.

Sear a chuck roast in olive oil until it browns attractively in a heavy cast iron Dutch skillet. Remove.

Scrape whole carrots then divide them lengthwise into two long segments. Cover the bottom of with them and if you like, add celery cut into six inch lengths as well. Optionally, you can add new potatoes sliced in half. Place the chuck roast on top. Cover and roast at 350 in the oven until tender. The vegetables and celery pick up all the meat juices.

I'll add more of my adventures in recipes for cooked carrots as they turn up. Who knows? With an open mind, maybe I'll move along to beets one day (don't hold your breath).

Some other healthy recipes for vegetables.

After viewing the page, recipe for cooked carrots, check out some other healthy recipes.