Carrots have merit!

CARROTS ...

Well, they're not just for Bugs Bunny!  Yes, humans should consume them too.  When I was little, I really loved carrots.  I especially loved the crunch!  My mom was the "Junk Food Nazi" and she never bought potato chips (though we found ways to sneak them at times).  However, it was probably a good thing because as a child raw carrots, not potato chips, ruled for crunchy foods.   Now, I HATED with a passion cooked carrots.  It was a great irony.  I could not understand why I loved raw carrots so much and cooked carrots so little.

As an adult, you'll still only find cooked carrots in stews and broths that I make to add to a flavor blend.  Yes, I still prefer the raw carrot.  I love to eat raw carrots with hummus.  I also love to drink raw carrots when I'm juicing.  However, about 12 years ago, I went on a date to a Japanese restaurant and had carrot-ginger salad dressing on an iceberg lettuce, tomato, and cucumber salad, which changed my world!  He had to take me back again and again!  I was definitely hooked on that dressing.  It became so costly, he found a recipe and made it himself for me.  Desperation to hold onto a dollar can do that to men. In truth, he first found a store brand, which was awful; however, his homemade version tasted very close to the restaurant's version.  I've since tweaked that recipe and I've been making it ever since.

Organic carrots are a great source of beta-carotene.

Yes, it turns out that carrots, especially raw ones, are so nutritious and good for us! They are rich in antioxidants, vitamins (Vitamin A, Vitamin C,  Vitamin B-Complex), minerals (copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, and phosphorus),  and dietary fiber.  They are also very low in calories and fat.  A scientific research study conducted  at the University of Newcastle on lab animals has found that an antioxidant abundant in carrots, the poly-acetylene antioxidant falcarinol,  may destroy pre-cancerous cells in tumors.   For those of who like to cook your carrots, another recent study found that the absorption of beta-carotenes are five times better when the carrot is cooked....just make sure to cook this root vegetable whole.  Carrots are also great for vision and reproduction. As always, I urge you to google the health benefits of carrots for more information!

Now, without further ado, let's make some salad dressing...carrot-ginger that is! 

CARROT-GINGER DRESSING  

 Ingredients

• 2 medium carrots, peeled, ends trimmed and sliced
• 2 -inch piece ginger, peeled and roughly chopped
• 2 shallots, peeled and sliced (or one garlic clove and ½ onion)
• 3 tablespoons liquid aminos
• 1/8 cup rice vinegar
• 1/8 cup apple cider vinegar
• 1/4 cup water
• 1 teaspoon honey (or cane sugar, 2 teaspoons)
• 2 tablespoons peanut oil
• 1 tablespoon sesame oil
• 1/4 teaspoon salt, or more salt to taste

Instructions:

Puree all ingredients in a heavy duty blender (Vitamix) until smooth. Refrigerate.  I like this dressing cold!  Serve over a simple organic iceberg salad (with tomatoes and cucumbers) or add sprouts and shredded carrots as well.  That is it!  

Fresh iceberg salad with carrot-ginger dressing.

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If you love this salad as much as I do, let me know!  Enjoy this recipe!!!