Brown Sugar Ginger Carrots

Brown sugar ginger carrots are a bit of a staple in our home! They pair well with most any other veggie or meat dish. We've also used maple syrup, sucanat, you could probably even use honey in place of the brown sugar! Feel free to experiment as you wish :)

Brown Sugar Ginger Carrots

Ingredients
1 lb. carrots
2 TB brown sugar
1/4 tsp powdered ginger
2 TB of butter
1/2 cup of water (or more)

*NOTE: this recipe easily doubles, triples, etc. So adjust to your family size and tastes!

Directions
(1) Cut carrots into smaller pieces, peeling the carrots if you wish. I usually cut the carrots in half lengthwise and then into thirds (and we leave the peels on for extra nutrients!).
(2) Add carrots to a medium saucepan. Add enough water to generously cover the carrots. In effect you'll be steaming the carrots, so you don't want them all completely submerged. You can always add more water later in the cooking process if they're getting low on liquid!
(3) Add butter, sugar, and ginger to saucepan.
(4) Cook over medium heat for approximately 15-20 minutes, or until carrots are easily pierced with a fork. Cook less if you prefer an al dente finish and/or for even more added nutrients!

Green Goop

Green Goop

Just in time for St. Patty's Day, here's a fabulous "green" healthy drink :) A good mix of sweet and tart, chock full of nutrients! Don't just a book by its cover- looks a bit crazy, but give it a try and you'll find it's quite scrumptious!

Makes: a little over 2 cups of juice

.: ingredients :.

• 3 carrots
• 1 large apple (or 2 small apples)
• 2 cups of fresh kale
• small piece of fresh ginger (about 1" square)
• 1 c. cranberry juice

.: directions :.

1) Add cranberry juice, kale, and carrots to the blender and mix into a pulp.

2) Cut up ginger and apple into small slices. Add to blender and blend into a pulp.

3) It'll be a very thick drink, but not quite so thick you'd need a spoon ;)

*Note: you could also do this recipe using a juicer- you just won't get quite all the nutritional value since you're losing a lot of the fibrous bits.

**Note:: you could pretty much use most any fruits & veggies in this recipe! After much testing, I recommend keeping the carrots/apples as a base and changing out the other ingredients :)

Just some of the nutritional value....

Vitamin A - 260+% DV (Daily Value)

Vitamin C - 170% DV

Vitamin K - 510% DV

Magnesium - 80% DV

Zinc - 50+%

Vitamin E

Fiber

Root Vegetable Fries

I used turnip, carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes, and it turned out super tasty.

Ingredients

• 2 lbs root vegetables, washed and chopped into matchsticks
• 1/8 – 1/4 cup peanut or olive oil
• generous shakes of sea salt and black pepper

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 450°F. Place vegetables on two rimmed baking sheets. Toss with oil to coat, then spread the veggies out into a single layer. Sprinkle generously with salt and pepper. Using a spatula, flip the veggies a few times as they bake, about 40-60 minutes depending on how crispy and brown you like them. Season with additional salt and pepper, if needed. Serve while hot.

Recipe from Dramatic Pancake

Momma's Veggie Soup

So this recipe is from my mother-in-law and is a huge hit anytime it's served! You could easily leave out the blending and just chop the veggies, whichever you prefer! I added a dash of salt and Italian blend spices, in addition to a can of black beans.

Ingredients:

2 carrots

1 can diced tomatoes

1 onion

2 celery stalks

3-4 potatoes

4 c. water

2 bullion cubes

a few TBs olive oil

pepper to taste

-optional-

1 zucchini

1 can beans, drained

noodles

handful of rice

other spices

Directions:

Chop potatoes into bite sized pieces. Put the other vegetables through the blender. Saute the vegetables in the olive oil in a large soup pan for a few minutes, then add the water and bullion cubes. Bring pot to a boil. Add pepper and any other spices. Reduce heat and simmer for 20-30 minutes. Add beans, rice, and/or noodles shortly after bringing to a simmer.

classic minestrone

recipe can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to a month, it takes a while to defrost in the refrigerator, so leave plenty of defrosting time! feel free to tweak the amount of each vegetable- I'm not a huge celery fan, so I used more potatoes and carrots, two cans of black beans instead of just one can of cannellini, and Italian seasoning instead of just rosemary. As you can see, you can really tweak this to your personal preferences! This recipe just fits into a 4 1/2 quart pot. Since the base is just water, it really brings out the vegetables' natural flavor. If you prefer the broth to be flavorful as well, you could substitute with chicken or vegetable broth, or simply throw in a bullion cube or two!

SERVES 6-8

Ingredients
3/4 cup leek, white and light green parts sliced thin crosswise, rinsed well
3/4 cup diced carrot
3/4 cup diced onion
3/4 cup diced celery
1 1/4 cups diced baking potatoes
1 1/4 cups diced zucchini
3 cups spinach leaves
1 (28 ounce) can whole tomatoes, packed in juice, drained, and chopped
8 cups water
1 pinch salt
1 (15 ounce) can cannellini beans
1/4 cup basil pesto (or 1 tablespoon minced fresh rosemary mixed with 1 teaspoon minced garlic and 1 tablespoon extra-vir)
1 pinch ground black pepper

fresh parmesan to garnish

Directions
1) Bring vegetables, tomatoes, water, and 1 teaspoon salt to boil in a soup kettle or pot. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, uncovered and stirring occasionally, until vegetables are tender but still hold their shape, about 1 hour.
2) Add beans and cook just until heated through, about 5 minutes. Remove pot from heat. Stir in pesto (or rosemary-garlic mixture). Adjust seasonings, adding pepper and more salt, if necessary. Ladle soup into bowls, top with grated fresh parmesan, and serve immediately.

originally from recipezaar