Not sure why this recipe never occurred to me before. After all, I live on the front lines of the battle to get kids (in particular, my own) to eat vegetables. Not sure why this recipe never occurred to me
Not sure why this recipe never occurred to me before. After all, I live on the front lines of the battle to get kids (in particular, my own) to eat vegetables.
And it’s usually a losing battle. Until I bumbled my way into this one.
I was making carrots with dinner a few weeks ago. Instead of seasoning and roasting them as I usually do, I decided to steam them. Then I got distracted, as I usually do. By the time I rescued the carrots from the pan, they were fall-apart tender.
That’s when it hit me. We mash potatoes. We mash squash. Some people even mash cauliflower. Why not mash carrots?
And so I did. With a bit of butter, milk, salt and pepper, I had a delicious vegetable dish with the consistency of mashed potatoes. The next night, I made it again (only this time on purpose). But instead of mashing by hand, I used the food processor to ensure an even smoother, mashed potato-like consistency. Adding a bit of cumin made it even better.
It was a winner. And not just with me. The resident 7-year-old boy also approved.
Mashed carrots
Start to finish: 20 minutes
Servings: 6
3 pounds carrots, peeled and cut into chunks
4 tablespoons (1/2 stick) butter
1/2 cup milk
1 teaspoon ground cumin
Salt and ground black pepper
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring 1 inch of water to a boil. Add the carrots, then cover the pot, reduce heat to simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes, or until the carrots are very tender. Use a slotted spoon to transfer the carrots to a food processor.
Add the butter, milk and cumin, then process until very smooth, about 2 to 3 minutes. You will need to stop the processor and scrape down the sides of the bowl 2 or 3 times during processing. When the carrots resemble mashed potatoes, season with salt and pepper.
If you prefer a smoother or looser consistency, more milk can be added during processing.
Nutrition information per serving (values are rounded to the nearest whole number): 170 calories; 70 calories from fat (43 percent of total calories); 8 g fat (5 g saturated; 0 g trans fats); 20 mg cholesterol; 21 g carbohydrate; 4 g protein; 6 g fiber; 340 mg sodium.
