Whenever I think of carrots, "that wascally wabbit" Bugs Bunny immediately comes to mind. I always remember him crunching loudly on them as he says, "Eh... what's up doc?" In fact, it was the only thing that would get me to eat them... imitating him. (Yeah, I need help...) Still, carrots are considered to be one of the more popular vegetables we Trinbagonians consume, and we enjoy preparing them in so many ways. When Divali comes around, it's grated and boiled to make carrot halwa, a delicious sweet snack. Carrots are also a starter ingredient in our delicious soups (corn soup, fish soup, etc.) and stews (beef, chicken, etc). On Sundays, we dice it up with potatoes and add green peas, then mix it all with flavoured mayonnaise to create potato salad. Mothers with babies and toddlers boil and puree them for their children to eat, and health enthusiasts swear by its properties, and especially enjoy them both raw and juiced. In fact, carrots are rich in dietary fibre, antioxidants, and minerals and also get its characteristic bright orange colour from beta-carotene, which is metabolised into vitamin A in humans when bile salts are present in the intestines. Lack of vitamin A can cause poor vision (including night vision), and vision can be restored by adding it back into the diet. Overseas, carrots come in many colours, including white, red, yellow and purple. Though we don't have these varieties here, we can still enjoy the traditional carrot in many ways. Here are recipes for a delicious Carrot and Orange smoothie and a tempting Carrot cake that I'm sure you're going to take pleasure in eating. (I know I do!)
Enjoy!
Carrot & Orange Smoothie
Ingredients
1 cup of carrot juice
1 cup of orange juice
3 - 4 scoops of vanilla ice cream
8 ice cubes
A slice or small wedge cut from an orange (for garnish)
Method
• Pour the carrot and orange juice together in
your blender and pulse for a few seconds.
• Add in the ice cream and mix until well blended.
• Add the ice cubes and process until smooth.
• Pour the mixture into glasses and garnish with an
orange slice or wedge.
Serve immediately.
Carrot Cake
Cake Ingredients
4 eggs
2 cups (440g) sugar
1 cup (250ml) oil
2 cups (250g) sifted flour
2 teaspoons bicarbonate soda
2 teaspoons salt
1 teaspoon cinnamon
3 packed cups grated carrot
Icing Ingredients:
1 cup (225g) cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ cup (100g) butter
1 ¼ cups (220g) icing sugar
Cake Method
• In a large bowl, beat the eggs until fluffy, then gradually add in the
sugar and vegetable oil.
• Add in the grated carrot and mix well.
• In a separate bowl, sift the flour and add the bicarbonate of soda,
salt and cinnamon to it.
• Add the mixed flour to the egg and carrot mixture and fold in well.
• Lightly grease a 9 x 13 pan or a round 9 inch or 10 inch baking pan
and pour the batter into it.
• Bake at 350 degrees F for 30 to 40 minutes, or until cooked. (To test,
insert a skewer into the cake and remove it; if it comes out clean, the
cake is done.)
• Cool the cake for 10 minutes before carefully removing it from the
baking pan, then let it sit on a baking rack to cool properly before icing.
Icing Method:
• Place the cream cheese, vanilla, butter and icing sugar in a medium sized bowl. Using a hand mixer, mix all the ingredients together until nice and creamy.
• Place the cooled carrot cake on a ­flat platter. Using a spatula or large butter knife, spread the icing on the top and sides of the cake. Save any remaining icing to serve on the side.
Serve at room temperature.
