16 pounds of carrots!

How, you may ask did you end up with 16 pounds of carrots?.. well, there is a food co-op type of thing I go to most weeks and we get an odd collection of food every week including lots of fresh produce. For $55 we get a wide selection of food and pay to support a local food bank and feed hundreds of Colorado families --keeping the ministry in business. What a great deal! Most of the time we get a wide array of great natural products and alot of organic produce, and even meats! I will most often come home with around $100 - $150 worth of food. The only catch is-- some of it needs to be used right away, and is sporatic at best as to what we get and don't get.
So-- 16 pounds of carrots. Here goes...

**I will be eating lots of this salad (which is my submission for Real Food Wednesdays)
http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/12/real-food-wednesday-121510.html

Carrot Salad
(dairy free)

6 carrots grated, peel if you like
2 or 3 oranges-- peeled and chopped
canned coconut milk -full fat and no sulfites(enough to
moisten the salad) *I mixed this in the blender first before adding to the salad
agave nectar or honey to sweeten to taste (used about a tsp.)
1/2 cup of raisins

Combine all the ingredients in a large bowl,
and serve cold.


We will be eating carrots sticks for snacks and at dinner as side dishes

**I will be making bags of 2 c. shredded carrots and 1/2 c. of applesauce for the freezer to make these muffins

Carrot Raisin Muffins – dairy free

2 cups unbleached white flour (I use 3 cups of white whole wheat flour instead of ap, and pastry flour)
1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
¼ tsp. salt
1 cup sugar -( I sub stevia and sucanat- 3-4 tiny tsp of stevia compound and 1/4 c. sucanat)
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup raisins
2 eggs ( I add 3)
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup rice, coconut or almond milk
½ cup applesauce
2 cups of grated carrot

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, combine the dry ingredients. Add raisins. Make a well in the center and all the liquid ingredients. Stir just until blended. Pour batter into papered muffin cups. Bake 25-30 min or until toothpick comes out clean.


**I will be trying carrot ginger soup like this one.. ? http://www.epicurious.com/recipes/food/views/Gingered-Carrot-Soup-5811

I will be looking for a great, healthy (ww with low sugar) recipe for carrot bread or carrot cake and freezing bags of carrots to make that easily, with some alterations of course.
Maybe this one: http://www.food.com/recipe/whole-wheat-zucchini-or-carrot-bread-325250
this one looks perfectly suited to my vitamix-- vroom vroom.. http://twoheadsoflettuce.blogspot.com/2009/02/whole-wheat-carrot-bread.html

**I may try my hand at pickling carrots -- loving the lacto fermenting!! My saurkraut and pickles are the BOMB!
These recipes look yummy to me..
ginger pickled carrots http://kellythekitchenkop.com/2010/03/i-love-fermented-vegetables.html
or
dilly ones! http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2010/08/lacto-fermented-dilly-carrot-sticks.html

I may dehydrate some -- all though I allready have some dehydrated shreds in a jar, so this will likely be a last resort. (Easy, you just shred and dehydrate and add to anything with liquid)

Or this salad looks good too -- with nuts and oregano. http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/07/savory-carrot-salad-with-roasted-nuts.html

or for this one .. I know just the right balsamic vinegar that is in need of being used.. yumm...
http://www.thenourishinggourmet.com/2008/02/savory-carrot-salad-2.html

I may vitamix them with an apple or some ginger to make carrot juice.

Or Alton Brown's firecracker recipe??
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/firecrackers-recipe/index.html
Nope -- too much sugar on second thought.. ick!

Or perhaps I'll break out the pressure canner and can some of these orange carrots.. allthough I'd likely use sucanat and stevia instead of the sugar

Oranged Carrots

Orange juice gives extra flavor to the carrots.
7 lb medium carrots
5 c orange juice
1 c water
1/2 c lemon juice
1/4 c sugar
1/2 c packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp grated orange peel
Salt as desired

Wash and scrub carrots gently. Peel or scrape carrots and cut into 1/4" slices.In a large saucepot combine orange juice, water, lemon juice, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Bring to a boil over medium high heat.Add carrots and return to a boil. Boil 3 minutes.Pack carrots into prepared jars leaving a 1" headspace. Ad orange peel to jars, using 1 tsp for pints and 2 tsp for quarts. Add hot cooking syrup to cover. Add salt if desired, using 1/4 tsp per pint or 1/2 tsp per quart. Check for air bubbles and adjust headspace if needed.Process pints for 25 minutes and quarts for 30 minutes at 10 lb pressure. Adjust pressure according to altitude and style of canner.Makes: 6 pints or 3 quarts

oooo-- hadn't even thought of looking at 101 cookbooks.. this salad looks super yummy
http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/carrot-dill-white-bean-salad-recipe.html

roasted carrots? http://www.101cookbooks.com/archives/001529.html

And -- I have yet to check my most favorite sugar free and LLL cookbooks for their mutations on carrots!!

Or-- there is always here ! http://www.plantea.com/carrot-recipes.htm

Silly me, and I thought I would have a hard time finding things to do with carrots.

Any other ideas !! I'd love to hear 'em..