Rich in enzymes, vitamins B, C and E, carrots are valuable allies for our health. But for them to retain all their benefits, it is better to eat them raw. For a change from the classic grated carrots, not to everyone’s taste, here are some ideas for healthy and gourmet recipes. To your apron!
Carrots are cooked: We know the expression, but when it comes to nutrition, they’re best eaten… raw, according to Dr. Reginald Alloch. is asked by the parisianits author Hepato-detox procedurePublished by Albin Michel, confirms that this root vegetable is best eaten raw and uncooked.
In the question? “When carrots are raw, their glycemic index — which measures their consumption’s effect on blood sugar levels — is low despite their slightly sweet taste (16).”Expert explanation the parisian. “When cooked, this indicator increases three times, which promotes weight gain, development of diabetes and fatty infiltration in the liver. Also, raw carrots contain more vitamins and minerals than cooked carrots.” But care should be taken not to overuse it. According to the doctor the ideal dose is twice a week.
Once past this observation, how to cook carrots other than serving them grated with vinaigrette? From starters to desserts, of course beyond main courses and accompaniments, here are some things you can enjoy with carrots without going into the cooking box.
Appetizers and aperitifs
Raw Carrot Rolls
Prepare 2 carrots and wash with clean water and scrub with a soft brush. Peel them and then make strips with a vegetable peeler. In a bowl, mix the ricotta with your choice of salt, pepper and fresh herbs. Place a teaspoon of ricotta, salt and pepper on each carrot slice. Roll each strip onto itself then pinch the end with a toothpick or choose to secure the strip. Then dip the roll in sesame curry.
Lactofermented grated carrots
If you don’t like grated carrots because they bring back bad memories of the school canteen, here’s an alternative that might delight your taste buds: lactofermented grated carrots. To do this, get one or more special Le Parfait jars, wash them thoroughly in hot, soapy water and dry them with a clean cloth. Wash your carrots (this recipe, as seen in The Prince’s Small Meals, is valid for a kilo of carrots), peel and grate them. So far, nothing too complicated.
Then peel the garlic (3 heads) and cut into thin slices. Mix the garlic with the carrots and 8 grams of coarse sea salt (without additives). Reserve for 15 minutes. Mix again before pouring the carrots into the jar. Tamp well, being careful not to overcrowd your jars. Leave at least 2 cm of space under the lid. Close the lids tightly and store your jars away at room temperature. Wait about ten days: then store the jars in the fridge, pantry or cellar. You can open them and so taste your carrots after a month.
If small bubbles appear in your jars, don’t panic! This is completely normal: it means that the fermentation is working well. Does the jar smell bad when opened? This is a sign that the fermentation has not taken well. In this case, unfortunately, all you have to do is toss your carrots into the compost.
Carrot Pickle
Same principle, but shorter fermentation time: here’s pickled carrots. The blog “Du bio dans mon bento” offers a version with ginger and orange, but you can replace them with other ingredients of your choice.
Carrots As with carrots, prepare your jar first by washing and peeling 2 carrots. With this, make small slices or thin strips. Next, peel and thinly slice a piece of fresh ginger. Squeeze the juice of an orange, keep the juice aside and cut the skin, remove the white part, make the zest.
Pour the orange juice, 60ml white vinegar or cider vinegar, 600ml water, 2 tablespoons blonde sugar, 1 teaspoon fine salt into a saucepan and bring to a boil over high heat. Then turn off the flame.
Fill your containers starting with a handful of carrots, add pieces of ginger, oranges, coriander seeds, then repeat the operation. Once the jar is full, pour in the liquid, it should completely cover your carrots. Close tightly with a lid and let stand for at least 48 hours. Then you can taste your pickles. After opening the jar, refrigerate.
Raw carrot wrap
Prepare a carrot and grate it finely. Season it with olive oil, lemon juice and a pinch of salt. Take a wrap, spread it with sesame puree (tahini), add feta, arugula, a portion of grated carrot and sesame seeds. Roll it up and keep it wrapped with a pick or toothpick.
Meals and Side Dishes
Oriental salad
Wash your carrots, grate them. book In a bowl, grate half an orange, add 4 tablespoons of olive oil, 2 tablespoons of cider vinegar, 1 teaspoon of mustard, cinnamon, ground cumin, pepper and salt. Chop a few sprigs of fresh mint or coriander leaves. On two plates or in a bowl, divide the grated carrots, add the herbs, a few seeds of your choice, a handful of raisins and dried dates then pour over the vinaigrette and toss. Serve cold.
Raw carrot puree
To make this recipe you will need:
- About 10 carrots
- 2 tablespoons brewer’s yeast
- 1 tablespoon sesame puree (tahini)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 coffee cup cold water
- Cumin powder
- salt pepper
Follow the recipe steps in this video from YouTube channel “Une Tout Zen”:
Raw Carrot Tagliatelle
As always, wash, scrub and peel the carrots. Without a peel, make carrot strips to make tagliatelle. In a bowl, mix sesame oil with olive oil and fig vinegar and brush your tagliatelle with it. Soak for 15 minutes.
Fry a handful of sesame seeds in a pan (without adding oil). Once they are nicely browned, remove them from the heat and grind them with a mortar. Serve your tagliatelle sprinkled with sesame seeds and fresh parsley. You can accompany your raw carrots with seaweed toast. The full recipe for this dish can be found on the Maison Luno blog.
Raw carrot falafel
Mix 2 carrots (washed and peeled) with 1 handful of sesame seeds, 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds, 1 pinch of salt, 1 tablespoon of lemon juice, 2 tablespoons of olive oil, chopped cilantro, 2 finely chopped garlic cloves, and 2 tsp. Green onion, also finely chopped. After getting a homogeneous dough, make small balls the size of falafel. Place your falafels on a dehydrator sheet and bake in the dehydrator at 115F for two hours. Then remove the sheet and replace it with a mesh sheet. Dehydrate for another 2 hours. Serve with hummus.
dessert
No-Bake Carrot Cake
Carrots are the root vegetable that is also eaten in sweet recipes such as the very famous carrot cake. There’s no need to cook to enjoy this gourmet dessert, especially appreciated this season. To make this recipe, here are the ingredients you will need:
- 140 g pitted Medjool dates
- 100 grams of hazelnuts
- 80 grams of walnut kernels
- 85 grams of raisins
- 1/2 teaspoon gingerbread spice
- 3/4 teaspoon cinnamon
- 150 gm coran coconut
- 1 half apple
- 200 grams of carrots
The rest of the recipe can be found on Sarah Juhasz-Pimp Me Green’s YouTube channel:
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