Here in the Greenbelt, we grow amazing carrots - and many of them come from the Holland Marsh. In fact, enough carrots are grown in the Holland Marsh to provide every Canadian with four pounds every year. You can do a lot more with carrots than just make carrot sticks. With carrots from my CSA box, I made a carrot ginger soup, perfect for these chilly days, and a birthday carrot cake for my office-mate.
When I make soups, I like to make big batches. I spread them out over dinners, lunches and freeze a few individual portions to pull out of the freezer when I’m in a pinch. This recipe is simple with great flavour.
Carrot Ginger Soup
2 tbsp butter
1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced
1 large onion, peeled and diced
1 tbsp minced fresh ginger
1 tsp ground ginger
Salt and pepper
5 cups vegetable stock
1 freshly squeezed large orange
Sliced chives for garnish
Melt the butter in a pot. Add the carrots, onion and ginger and cook over medium heat until the onions are softened. Season with salt and pepper.
Pour in the vegetable stock and bring to a boil. Lower the heat and simmer uncovered until carrots are soft (40 to 60 minutes). Remove from heat.
Puree soup (an immersion blender works well). Squeeze in orange juice and season with salt and pepper if necessary. Garnish with chives and enjoy!
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I used the following recipe for my first attempt at a carrot cake. The pressure was on because I was bringing it into the office for my office-mate’s birthday. Luckily, the recipe was a success - it was flavourful and very moist.
Carrot Cake
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
½ cup vegetable oil
½ unsweetened applesauce (I used homemade from my 20 lbs of apples)
1 tbsp cinnamon
½ tsp freshly ground nutmeg
1 tsp baking soda
1 tbsp vanilla
½ tsp salt
3 cups shredded carrots
Preheat oven to 350degF. Prepare a rectangular baking pan (13x9).
Beat sugar, oil, applesauce and eggs with an electric mixture on low until blended. Add remaining ingredients except the carrots. Beat on low for another minute. Stir in carrots.
Pour into pan and bake for approximately 45 minutes (until toothpick comes out clean).
Cool on a wire rack. Once completely cool you can top with a lemon cream cheese frosting (just add lemon zest and juice into a traditional cream cheese frosting). Store in the fridge.
Give these simple and tasty carrot recipes a try. Your stomach and eyes will thank you!
