Will Rogers once said, "Some guy invented Vitamin A out of a carrot. I'll bet he can't invent a good meal out of one."

Okay. Your mom told you carrots were good for you. But, like Will Rogers, you might be wondering, "What else can you do with carrots besides eating them raw or grating a token blob of orange on top of a dinner salad? Boring, right? Well, grab some carrots so you can try these quick and tasty recipes. You'll be a hero in any camp!

Banana Bread Minus the Bananas
To your favorite banana bread recipe, replace the mashed bananas with equal amounts of steamed and mashed carrots. Add 1/2 cup sugar or honey to the recipe.

Lime and Carrot Salad
In India, carrots are a national vegetable and are the centerpiece in many recipes. Serve this simple, lightly spiced, and easy-to-make salad with seafood or your favorite Thanksgiving dish. You’ll love how the sweetness of the carrots shine in this salad, which, by the way, lends itself to experimenting.
5 carrots
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 tablespoon black mustard seeds*
1 tablespoon lime or lemon juice
Wash the carrots and grate them in a bowl. Toss with salt and lemon juice. Heat the oil in a small pan over medium heat. Add the mustard seeds and as soon as they begin to pop, pour the contents of the pan, oil and seeds, over the carrots. Toss and serve at room temperature or chilled.

NOTE: Once you start using mustard seeds you’ll be hooked. They are round, tiny and a reddish brown color. When heated in oil, they take on a nutty flavor. Black mustard seeds can be found in natural food stores, larger grocery stores and Indian and Pakistani grocers.

Carrot and red onion salad
The warm spiciness makes this a perfect salad for fall and winter.
3 carrots
1 medium red onion
1/2 teaspoon salt
Black pepper
4 teaspoons lemon juice
1/8-1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon finely grated fresh ginger
Peel the carrots and cut them into 1/8-inch slices, and then cut across the slices to make "matchsticks." (A food processor works well, too.). Halve the onion lengthwise and then cut it into 1/8-inch slices. Bring 2 quarts of water to a rolling boil. Throw in the carrots. Return to a boil. Count to three and drain carrots immediately and rinse them under cold, running water. Drain again.  In a bowl, combine carrots, onions, salt, black pepper, cayenne pepper and ginger. Toss to mix. Salad can be served immediately or chilled for 3 hours.

Carrot and Noodle Salad
This tangy salad has been a hit on our dinner cruises. With its hot chili paste, cilantro and sesame oil flavors, this salad is the perfect side dish for salmon or halibut.
2 packages Top Ramen noodles
1/4 cup white or rice vinegar
2 tablespoons lime or lemon juice
1 tablespoon sugar
2 teaspoons sesame oil
1 or 2 cloves garlic, smashed
1/2 to 1 teaspoon Asian red chili past
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1 or 2 carrots, grated
1/2 cup dry roasted peanuts (optional)
Break up dry noodle bricks (don’t use the seasoning packets). Bring 2 quarts of water to a boil. Add noodles and cook for 3 minutes. Stir to break up clumps. Drain and rinse under cold, running water. Drain again. To a large bowl, add vinegar, lime juice, sugar, oil, garlic, chili past and salt. Stir to dissolve sugar. Add cooled noodles, cilantro, carrots and peanuts. Toss gently and serve immediately or chill for up to 4 hours. Sprinkle with chopped green onions or chives. You can also add sliced cucumbers to the salad.

Carrot Spice Pancakes
These pancakes are smaller versions of a carrot cake dessert, only you get to eat them for breakfast! To two cups of your favorite pancake batter (try whole wheat or buckwheat), fold in the following ingredients:
3/4 cup grated carrots
1/2 cup applesauce
1/2 tsp. ground cardamom (good, but optional)
1 tsp. ground cinnamon.
1/2 tsp. ground ginger or 1 tablespoon grated fresh ginger
Cook batter on a hot skillet and serve with yogurt, maple syrup or your favorite fresh fruit, jam or jelly.

Pickled Carrots
Serve these pickled carrots an appetizer, salad garnish, with rice or as a side dish with soups, stews or hearty sandwiches.
2 lbs. carrots, peeled, thinly sliced
3/4 cup white or cider vinegar
3/4 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
1 to 2 tsp. mixed whole pickling spices
Bring vinegar, water, sugar and spices to a boil and simmer for 3 minutes. In a separate pan, cook carrots in boiling salted water for 10 minutes. Drain the carrots and pack them in hot, sterilized pint jars, leaving 1/2-inch of headroom. Cover with the hot pickling liquid, seal and process for 15 minutes in a boiling water bath. For refrigerator pickles, pour in the hot pickling liquid and let the jars cool to room temperature. Store them in the refrigerator. Makes 4 pints.

Final notes...
Some time back, I came across the following Will Rogers quote: "Some guy invented Vitamin A out of a carrot. I'll bet he can't invent a good meal out of one."

Maybe the guy couldn’t invent a whole meal from carrots, but I bet if Will had only sampled some of the above recipes, he’d be a carrot convert!

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