International Carrot Day: Smoothie and cake recipes your kids will actually want to eat

Did you know Wednesday (April 4) is International Carrot Day? To celebrate we’ve found some fun ways to cook with the delicious veggie.

Carrots are packed with nutrients, particularly vitamin A, which is notoriously good for vision. The benefits don’t stop there, though, because this common root vegetable is also rich in other vitamins and antioxidants. Although carrots can certainly be eaten raw, they can also be cooked in just about any way you can imagine. They can be boiled, steamed, fried, or puréed and added to soups or smoothies.

So, if you have a child who’s wary of vegetables, celebrate International Carrot Day on Wednesday (April 4) with these recipes from chef Sahil Wadhwa, director at Wadhwa Baker and chef Sharad Dewan from THE Park Kolkata:

Carrot Cake

* Ingredients: For 4 cakes

* For the Batter
Flour (maida) 1 kg
Brown sugar 1 kg
Butter 1 kg
Eggs 30
Cinnamon Powder 2 tsp
Raisin 200 gm
Baking powder 2.5 gm
Nutmeg half (grated)
Carrots 1 kg
Yogurt 375 gm

* For the Icing
100 gm Butter
200 gm icing sugar
100 gm cream cheese

* For garnish
Orange colour fondant or marzipan

* Method for batter
Combine sugar and butter together until creamy. Add eggs one by one so that they can emulsify properly with the sugar mixture. Grate the carrot and sequence all the excess water from the grated carrot and then add to the cake batter by using cut and fold method. Add yogurt. Add all the dry ingredients, flour, nutmeg, baking powder, cinnamon powder to form cake batter. Grease properly the round tin mould and pour the carrot cake batter. Bake in the oven at 200 Degree Celsius for 35 to 40 minutes.

* Method for icing
Combine sugar with butter, once creamy add cheese cream.

Orange carrot smoothie

* Ingredients
Banana 1 (chilled or frozen)
Orange juice 250 ml
Carrot juice 250 ml
Ginger (minced) 2 tsp
Turmeric half tsp
Ice cube 230 gm

* Method
Add all the ingredients into a blender until smooth (Bend for 30 to 90 seconds)

Wood fired oven roasted carrot and garlic hummus

*Ingredients for 4 portions
Carrot: 2
Dried chickpeas 300 gm
Bay leaf: 1
Salt to taste
Garlic peeled 35 gm
Lemon juice: 2
Olive oil: 200 ml
Sea salt: 1 gm
Tahina paste: 80 gm

*Serve with
Pita bread 2 inches - 24
Grissini sticks: 16
Cheese crackers: 16

* Method
Peel and wash the carrot. Cut into 1 inch pieces. Lightly oil a baking tray. Put the carrot in the tray and sprinkle a bit of sea salt, pepper and olive oil Put in the oven for roasting, till they are soft and tender. Take out and cool. Soak chickpeas overnight, drain the water. Put chickpeas to boil in fresh water with bay leaf and salt. Cook the peas till tender. Drain the chickpeas saving a little of boiling water and cool. Place the cooked carrot, chickpeas, garlic in the jar of a food processor. Churn lightly. Then add the lemon, tahini, cooking liquor if required. Now blend in Pulse mode with frequent stops. Finish with olive oil and lemon juice Garnish with paprika and English parsley. Arrange the dip in mezze bowl and arrange the pita, savoury crackers or lavash.

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