24 Carrot Meals

Last week's meals left
a lot to be desired
nutritionally speaking,
so despite three domestic
disasters (my husband
losing his highest paying
job, a minor car accident,
and the pipe from the water
main breaking and flooding
our entire basement) I was determined to feed everyone well regardless.

Carrots are in season. I received plenty in our farm shares over the past few week, and the supermarket had 5lb. bags of organic carrots on sale cheap, so I stocked up.

First I made a delicious tempeh stew loaded with carrots and other fresh farm veggies, served over rice.

Since the autumn weather
cooling off, I was craving
soup. I reinvented a vegan
version of chik'n & stars soup.
Everyone loved it, and it
used a couple more carrots.




The next day an asian-
style carrot & bok choy
dish was delicious over
some fried rice using
the previous day's rice
from the rice cooker.



Fried rice is a great way
to use up leftover veggies,
fresh, cooked, or frozen.
And of course carrots were
included.




Monday:

I was craving more
soup, so I made some
fabulous carrot-ginger
soup, creamy & smooth,
slightly spicy. It not only
used a hefty amount of
carrots, but some celery
greens as well.

Ryan's lunch: carrot potato crisps; a steamed hollowed carrot cup filled with Tofutti cream cheese & chive dip; baby carrots in blankets; nori cat rice ball; bean salad.
AJ's snack: veggie potato crisps; nori cat rice ball; grapes; carrots in blankets.

Tuesday:
Ryan's lunch: carrot-olive hummus (my hummus recipe, minus the olive oil, plus 12 lightly steamed baby carrots & 9 small green stuffed olives); cucumber slices; baby carrots; a tomato; oyster crackers; red bell pepper strips; celery sticks; smoked Tofurky & soy cheese roll-ups on flax wheat lavash bread.

AJ's snack: carrot-olive
hummus; oyster crackers;
cucumber slices; a baby
carrot; sandwich roll-ups.




Nate's
lunch
(a bit
bigger
than
usual,
he's
going
through
a growth
spurt &
eating a
lot at
the
moment):

oyster
crackers;
veggie
potato crisps; bean salad; grapes; sandwich roll-ups; baby carrots; carrot-olive hummus; tomatoes.

Our last weekly farm share of the season!!: huge cabbage leaves; green bell peppers; spinach; baby tat soi; white potatoes; huge squash; small acorn squash; rainbow swiss chard; pea tendrils; salad turnips; 2 small heads lettuce; a rutabaga; fingerling sweet potatoes; beets; carrots; raspberries; broccoli; scallions; a gift bag of popping corn & baby red & purple potatoes. Not shown: PYO tomatillos; herbs; flowers.

Wednesday:
Ryan's lunch: spinach & tat soi; raspberries; pea tendril; oatmeal-carrot cookies; grapes; sesame tofu on carrot skewers!
AJ's lunch for
grandma's house
after preschool:
spinach & tat soi;
sesame tofu; carrot
sticks; grapes; oatmeal-
carrot cookies.



One Bowl Oatmeal Carrot Cookies

4 T. (1/4 cup) Earth Balance Buttery Stick margarine, softened
3 T. canola oil (or other oil)
1/2 cup light brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated raw sugar
1 cup grated carrot
3 T. soy or almond milk
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/2 tsp. salt
1 1/2 cups quick oats

Mix first 4 ingredients. Add next 3 ingredients and mix again. Add the next 5 (dry) ingredients and mix. Add oats and mix again.
Shape 1-2 T. blobs roughly into cookie shape and place on a greased baking sheet (I used spray olive oil).
Bake 20 minutes.

Ryan said I "failed the Iron Chef challenge" because he "couldn't even taste the secret ingredient" of carrots in these cookies. Oh well! I could. And all the kids demolished them.

Thursday:

Nate's lunch: edamame; sesame carrot inari; grapes; raspberries; cucumber & pickled daikon maki sushi.

AJ's snack: oatmeal-carrot
cookie; edamame; grapes;
kappa maki; sesame carrot
inari. (AJ let me know
after school that inari is
not supposed to have shredded
carrot in it and he didn't like
it...too bad, the other boys
loved it.)

Ryan's lunch: edamame; pineapple tidbits; soy sauce; 4 kinds of sushi using carrots 4 different ways!

The cabbage leaves
from the farm were
begging to be used
as plates or platters
of some sort, before
being turned into a
sesame cabbage &
carrot dish.

Candied Carrot Coins
accompanied dinner:
carrots, Earth Balance
margarine, brown sugar,
agave nectar, & ginger.
Maple syrup also works
well if you have no agave.


Friday:

Carrot pancakes for
breakfast. Another
big hit with the boys!
Top with maple syrup
of course.




Ryan's lunch: grapes; steamed hollowed carrot cup with Tofutti sour cream & Simply Organic French Onion Dip mix; spaghetti; peanuts; veggie crackers; carrot "chips"; candied carrot coins.

Lunch at home: curried
carrot salad with pineapple
& mango.
Leftovers go great with
tempeh for a heartier meal,
or with tempeh & rice in
a wrap sandwich.



Carrot smoothie: carrot
juice, pineapple juice, a
banana, frozen strawberries,
vanilla hemp milk.

There are so many things to
do with carrots. Just because
a kid doesn't like them one
doesn't mean you should give
up! Keep trying a variety of
approaches with all vegetables.
Besides what I prepared this
week, carrots can be used many more kid-friendly ways: shredded in lasagna, baked in muffins/bread/cake/granola bars, in pot pies, roasted with potatoes or other root vegetables, baked in foil packets, in pasta primavera or macaroni salad...the possibilities are endless.