Did You Know?

Carrots are Grate for Summer!

A carrot’s not just for Christmas!  Sales of carrots reach their peak at Christmas when the family gets together for the traditional festive roast.  But a carrot really is for life and can help to brighten up meals all year round – not least in the summer.  At a time when salads and BBQs are on the menu, make sure your summer recipe repertoire includes the versatile carrot. Whether you grate them into salads and coleslaw, mix them with mince or kidney beans for super healthy burgers, or slice them in half and grill on the barbecue, they’re sure to add some colour to your summer menu.

The new season for carrots actually begins in July and it’s so easy to get the best out of these sweet summer carrots.  They’re fantastic simply grated or served as crudités but there are some flavour pairings that truly tantalise the tastebuds. Why not try glazing sliced carrots with honey and balsamic vinegar before barbecuing, or tossing whole carrots in oil, garlic, lemon juice, tarragon, salt and ground black pepper and roasting them? Citrus fruits are a perfect match for carrots, the sourness of the fruit really brings out the sweetness of the carrot – try adding a glaze of butter, sugar and lemon or orange juice or dress grated carrot salad with olive oil and lemon or orange juice – it’s delicious.  Alternatively when you’re making your jug of Summer Pimms, hold back some Mint and add it to a carrot salad instead.  The Mint and carrot together taste divine.

Of course another summer favourite is the faithful sandwich, and whether you prefer simple sliced bread, a bap, panini or ciabata, you can’t beat grating a carrot for the filling. A classic combo is houmous with grated carrot, but you could also add carrot into a cheesy melt or into everyone’s favourite – the ham and cheese sandwich, for a new twist on an old classic.

There’s another reason why carrots are perfect for the summer.  Did you know you can also boost your UV protection by eating carrots? While many people are aware how fantastically good the beta-carotene in carrots is for your skin, not many know that when consumed on a regular basis, beta-carotene can help to protect your skin from excessive ultra-violet (UV) radiation and sunburn. That’s not to say you should ditch your sunscreen and just eat carrots instead – you should still follow sun safety advice – but beta carotene can help prime your skin to tan more easily because it helps skin tan more deeply and also prolongs the tan. This is because beta-carotene is partly responsible for the colours of vegetables, fruits and flower and in the body it supports the production of melanin responsible for the darkening of the skin under sunlight.

So don’t just reserve carrots for the roast!  There are so many reasons to enjoy them in the summer sun too.  For more health information or delicious carrot recipes, check out www.britishcarrots.co.uk.

Bean & Carrot Patties
Preparation time: 15 mins + cooling time Cooking time: 35-40 mins Serves 6
Per serving: 169 calories, 4.1g fat, 0.5g saturates, 1.32g salt
Counts as two of your 5-A-DAY

1 onion, finely chopped
15ml/1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 cloves garlic, crushed
450g/1lb carrots, trimmed, washed and roughly chopped
5ml/1tsp ground cumin
5ml/1tsp ground coriander
200ml/7floz vegetable stock
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (400g) can mixed or red kidney beans, drained
75g/3oz fresh wholewheat breadcrumbs
45ml/3tbsp chopped fresh coriander
a little spray olive oil or olive oil to brush
rolls and salad leaves to serve

Guilt-free Slaw
225g/8oz white cabbage, stalk removed
225g/8oz carrots, washed
half a small onion, finely chopped
60ml/4tbsp virtually fat free mayonnaise
60ml/4tbsp low fat natural yogurt
10ml/2tsp Dijon mustard

Heat the oil in a large pan, add the onion and saute for 2 mins. Add the garlic, carrots, cumin and coriander and stir for 1 minute. Pour in the stock, season well and bring to the boil. Cover and simmer for 10-15 mins or until the carrots are tender. Leave to cool.

Drain the liquid from the carrots. Then use a potato masher to mash them until lump free. Add the drained beans and mash again until a rough mash is formed. Stir in the breadcrumbs and coriander. Mix well and adjust the seasoning to taste.

Then cold, divide the mixture into six then use wet hands to shape each piece into a round pattie about 2.5cm/1in thick. The patties can be chilled at this point if you’re not serving them straight away.

Preheat the oven to 220oC/Fan200oC/425oF/Gas Mark 7 and put a large baking sheet in to preheat. Spray or brush a little oil on both sides of the patties then place them on the hot baking sheet. Bake for 20-25 mins or until pale golden.

To make the coleslaw, finely shred the cabbage, coarsely grate the carrots and mix together in a large bowl with the onion. Add the mayonnaise, yogurt and mustard and mix thoroughly. Chill until required. If liked serve patties in a toasted bun with the coleslaw.

This recipe is suitable for freezing. At the end of step 3, place the patties on a paper lined baking tray and freeze until solid. Wrap in bags then freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in a single layer on a baking tray before cooking as above.

24 Carrot Gold Roasted Carrot, Spinach and Feta Salad
Prep: 10 mins Cook: 25 mins Serves 4 Price per portion: 79p
Per serving: 280 calories, 20.4g fat, 5.6g saturates, 0.84g salt
Counts as 2 of your 5-a-day and contains over a third of your RDA of vitamin C

450g/1lb carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
1 red onion, cut into wedges
1 red pepper, deseeded and cut into wedges
60ml/4tbsp olive oil
2 whole cloves garlic
45ml/3tbsp pumpkin seeds
5ml/1tsp cumin seeds
juice half a lemon
1 tsp runny honey
salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 (100g) bag baby spinach leaves
100g/4oz feta cheese crumbled
30ml/2tbsp chopped fresh mint leaves

Preheat the oven to 220C/Fan 200C/Gas Mark 7. Place the carrots, onion, pepper and half the oil in a large roasting tin. Season well. Toss together until everything is coated in oil. Roast for 15 mins. Stir in the seeds and garlic and roast for a further 10 mins until the carrots are just tender but still have a bit of bite.

Remove the vegetables from the oven and remove the garlic cloves. On a chopping board, slip the garlic from the papery skin and using the blade of a knife work it to a smooth paste. Put the garlic paste in a small bowl with the remaining oil, lemon juice and honey and whisk together with a fork. Season to taste with salt and pepper.

Empty the spinach leaves into a large serving bowl, then add the roasted vegetables, feta cheese, chopped mint and pour over the dressing. Toss lightly together until mixed.

Carrot and Beetroot Salad
This easy peasey salad is so colourful and crunchy and what’s more it’s bursting with carotenoids, great for summer skin, with an anti-oxidant effect. Serve it at barbecues with fish or grilled meats.

Preparation: 10mins Cooking: none Serves 4 Price per portion: 74p
Per serving: 121 calories, 6.2g fat, 0.8g saturates, 12.8g sugars, 0.21g salt

350g/12oz carrots, peeled and trimmed
350g/12oz raw beetroot, peeled and trimmed
2 shallots, peeled and finely chopped
2 tsp cumin seeds
2 tbsp olive oil
1 tbsp sherry or red wine vinegar
1 small bunch flat parsley, roughly chopped

Peel and trim the carrots and beetroot, then coarsely grate both on a grater – wear rubber gloves if you don’t want pink hands! Alternatively, use a food processor fitted with a grating plat. Place the grated vegetables in a bowl, add the shallots.

Heat the cumin seeds in small pan until they are hot and smell pungent. Remove from the heat and scatter over the vegetables. Add the olive oil, vinegar and parsley, then toss well. Leave to marinate for at least 15mins before serving.

References:  Kopcke W, et al. Protection from sunburn with beta-carotene—A meta-analysis. Photochemistry and Photobiology. 2008; 82 (2): 284–288