Marmalade Carrots

Marmalade carrots!  How the hell didn't I think of this before??  I was recently in South Australia with my family spending WAY too much money on wine (said nobody ever!!).  Anywho, we went to Kangaroo Island for the last few days and given all the wine tasting I was doing and my lack of motivation in the kitchen at the end of the day we were having a "gourmet" meal of chicken and carrots.  I figured seeing as Mrs AnotherFoodBlogger had been driving me to wineries she deserved a little more than roasted chicken thighs and boiled carrots for dinner.  Luckily we were in the land of Beerenberg products and we had some orange marmalade on hand.  I lathered up the carrots and into the oven they went.

Now, I'd be lying if I said they were amazing and they certainly weren't "instaworthy" but they had bags of potential.  So when I got back guess how many times I made marmalade carrots??  Luckily for me a) my wife doesn't cook so I have free reign in the kitchen and b) they are actually pretty darn tasty.  Read on friends and you will get the full recipe below.

Why am I fan of carrots?

Versatility.  These little orange suckers go with pretty much anything.  You can also use them in pretty much every application - in cooking.  Jeez, why always the dirty minds!!  Salads, coleslaw, purees, roasted, boiled. From soup to eating them raw with a dip they are so darn good.  Not to mention a bag of 'basic bitch' carrots will only set you back a dollar or two.  Check out some of the recipes I've posted below to inspire you more than I already am with my marmalade carrots.  All the joking aside these guys are also packed with health benefits.  What's the number one benefit you remember your parents saying whilst growing up?

1. Eye sight - yep that's right. Wanna see in the dark then demolish these bad boys!  These guys are a great source of Vitamin A to help you with your vision.
2. High in fiber - just incase you know, well.  Do I have to smell, oops spell it out?  Ok, fiber helps you stay regular............ on the toilet that is.
3. Antioxidants - these guys help boost your immune system
4. A good source of minerals too

Most importantly though they are hella tasty!

Types of carrots

Carrots weren't originally orange.  Shut the front door.  Now what's this you say.  Yep, you heard me.  Carrots are have said to originate in Asia and they were purple in colour!  Nowadays thanks to the friendly Dutch carrots are typically orange in colour.  Around the 17th century the off shoots of purple carrots which produced yellow and white carrots were cultivated and orange carrots were born.  Hence the term dutch carrots!  You can defo still get your hands on purple, white & yellow carrots (or rainbow carrots as they are known) these days but typically supermarkets will just carry the orange ones.

Storing Carrots

Best stored at a cool temperature typically they are in an airtight plastic bag in the bottom of the fridge. If you aren't a fan of plastic a) credit to you and b) then store them in an airtight container.  Once carrots are exposed to air they start to turn limp.  Also, if you buy some beautiful carrots with the greens on top it's best to chop the greens off before storage as the leaves will suck the nutrients from carrots thus killing them quicker.  I suggest placing the leaves in water and storing in the fridge as if they were flowers.  Carrots tops make a great pesto, perfect for garnish or can be used in salads too so don't just chuck em.

Carrot Inspiration

If you are as big a fan of carrots as I am then here are a few other recipes that might inspire you to cook with this delish orange root veg!

Carrot Cake Cupcakes by yours truly

Miso Maple Carrots (a MUST try recipe) by yours truly

Carrot Tzatziki by Kylie Archer of 'kidgredients.com.au'

Roasted Carrots w/ Feta & Dukkah by Cassie Heilbron of 'Cook it Real Good'

Easy Carrot Souffle by Shanna Jones of 'Dude That Cookz'

Moroccon Carrot Salad by Amy Katz of 'Veggies Save The Day'

I hope that this inspires you all to get cooking with carrots.  As always Happy Cooking & Happy Eating Friends!