I know your thinking, carrots…that’s not a very interesting ingredient! And I have to be honest with you, I’m not a huge carrot fan myself. I definitely don’t reach for carrots when I’m looking for a healthy snack. But I really want to like carrots, because they’re SOOOO cheap and they keep forever! So I went on a quest to find a few easy and healthy ways to use carrots that are a little more appetizing than just biting into a huge chunk of raw carrot. But first…some nutritional facts about carrots!
Health benefits of carrots:
- 1 cup of carrots = 52 calories That’s a lot of carrots!
- Good source of dietary fiber (that’s the digestible kind!)
- Great source of beta carotene…it boosts the immune system, promotes eye health and hair/skin/nail health
- Good source of vitamins A, C, K, and Potassium
How to incorporate carrots into your diet this week:
- Use carrots to dip in your guacamole or humus instead of crackers or chips. Much healthier!
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Moroccan Carrot Salad: (This recipe sounds kind of weird, but I promise it’s REALLY good! And really easy!)
- 4 cups carrots, coarsely grated (I get the pre-done carrots!)
- 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 3 to 4 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1/4 cup chopped fresh cilantro or parsley
- 1 teaspoon ground cumin
- 1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- Pinch of salt
- 1 teaspoon cayenne
- 12 carrots
- 3 tablespoons good olive oil
- 1 1/4 teaspoons salt
- 1/2 teaspoons freshly ground black pepper
- 2 tablespoons minced fresh dill or parsley
Instructions: Preheat the oven to 400F. Cut carrots into ½ inch thick slices. Toss with olive oil, salt, and pepper. Lay carrots on a baking sheet and roast in oven for 20 minutes. Toss with dill/parsley and enjoy!
Have a happy healthy Day!
Caitlin
- Moroccan Carrot Salad for lunch today! Yum yum! And it took me literally 1 minute to make last night!
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