Ginger Orange Glazed Carrot Coins
Ginger Orange Glazed Carrot Coins are a colorful side dish or vegetarian main course. A touch of honey and orange juice enhances the carrot’s natural sweetness. Melted butter creates a velvety smooth glaze. Ginger and shallots add aromatic enhancement.
All about the root
The carrot is a root vegetable that is usually orange in color. Other cultivars yield a variety of colors such as purple, black, red, white, and yellow. The commercially grown carrot is a domesticated form of the wild carrot, Daucus carota. The wild carrot is thin and woody and tastes best when eaten young. As it gets older, it become tough. The domestic carrot is a result of selective breeding to produce an enlarged, more palatable, less woody-textured taproot. The stems and leaves are used in pesto, soups and salad. The fern like leaves make a beautiful garnish as well. Carrots are nutrition with crunch. They are a good source of fiber, potassium, vitamin K1 and antioxidants. Carrots often rank low on the glycemic index (GI), which is a measure of how quickly foods raise blood sugar after a meal.
Versatile Veggie
Oh how I love thee, let me count the ways! Carrots are a versatile veggie. They are prepared in a variety of ways such as pulped, mashed, boiled, puréed, grated, fried, steamed, stewed, baked, juiced, eaten raw, dehydrated, or deep fried. They make a nutritious food for babies and pets. The natural sugars in carrots allow them to be used in desserts and condiments such as carrot cake, puddings and jam. Carrot juice is popular as a health drink on its own or as a base for combinations with other fruits and vegetables.
Carotenemia
Orange carrots get their bright color from beta carotene, an antioxidant that your body converts into vitamin A. However, too much beta carotene in the bloodstream causes a condition called carotenemia. The excess beta-carotenes in your blood latch onto areas of the body that have thicker skin. A person with carotenemia will have an orange cast to the areas of the body with thick skin such as the palms, soles, knees, elbows and folds around the nose. However, this is a very rare condition. One would have to eat an extra-ordinary amount of carrots or other vegetables and fruits high in beta carotene. Luckily, this colorful skin condition is not life threatening. It is reversed by reduction or removal from one’s diet the foods causing the build up of beta carotene.
Storage
Carrots will last for months in cold storage. During storage, Vitamin A increases. Minimizing moisture loss preserves the freshness of the roots. Carrots can stay fresh for months in the fridge or at cool room temperature during winter months. For very long-term storage, place unwashed carrots in sand to keep them dry. Temperatures must stay between 0°C and 4°C to keep them from rotting. Other methods of preservation include canning, pickling and drying.
Carrot Fun Facts
I’ll bet you didn’t realize how much you liked carrots! As a matter of fact, the average person will consume over 10,000 carrots in a lifetime. A great parlor game is to guess how many carrot seeds fit in a teaspoon. If you guessed 2,000, your are the winner! And here is a final Jeopardy clue. The category is Eat Your Vegetables: “This root is the first vegetable to be commercially canned”. Answer: “What is a carrot?”
Serve it up!
Ginger Orange Glazed Carrot Coins are a delicious side to my Creamy Cremini Coconut Chicken.
Ginger Orange Glazed Carrot Coins
Equipment
- sauce pan with lid
Ingredients
- 1 lb carrots, peeled and sliced into coins
- ¼ cup minced shallot
- ¼ cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 1 tbsp orange zest
- 1 tbsp minced ginger root
- 2 tbsp unsalted butter
- 1 tsp kosher salt
- 2 tsp honey
Instructions
- Put the carrots into the pot. Add enough water to cover. Bring to a boil. Cook until the carrots are al dente.
- Strain all but ⅛ cup of water. You want to leave enough to keep heat in the pot and let the carrots continue to steam.
- Add the orange juice and zest, honey, butter, ginger, shallots, and salt. Stir the ingredients to coat the carrots. Cover and set aside.
- If necessary, reheat before serving. Add a little hot water if needed so the bottom of the carrots don't burn.
Notes
