Healthy Habits: Buttery Basil Carrots

We all know we should eat more carrots, right? I mean after all, they are packed with Beta-carotene. Huh? Why do I need Beta-carotene, you might ask?

Beta-carotene is converted into vitamin A in the body. Vitamin A is vital for healthy vision; it also aids the growth of healthy bones and teeth. Vitamin A is essential for the proper functioning of the immune system. This nutrient keeps the skin and cells that line the airways, digestive tract and urinary tract healthy, so they act as barriers and form the body’s first line of defense against infection.

Beta-carotene is also an important antioxidant nutrient. This is great news for our skin as its antioxidant action may help to act against age-accelerating free radicals, so that skin remains healthy and elastic. When taken on a regular basis, beta-carotene can help to protect skin from excessive ultra-violet (UV) radiation and sunburn. That’s not to say you should ditch your sunscreen if you eat a lot of carrots!

And if that's not enough...Carrots are naturally low in calories. Carrots are naturally low in fat and saturates. Carrots are naturally low in salt. In order to help reduce your risk of getting high blood pressure, nutrition experts recommend having no more than 6g of salt a day. Carrots are packed with fiber, which helps keep the digestive system healthy and helps balance blood sugar levels. Fiber also helps you to feel fuller for longer so you find it easier to maintain your weight.

Now here's what might surprise you...Adding a little fat enhances the goodness of carrots. Research from Ohio State University in America found that more carotenoids such as beta-carotene were absorbed when a fresh salad consisting of carrots, romaine lettuce, spinach and cherry tomatoes was eaten with full-fat salad dressing compared with fat-free salad dressing – Vitamin A is soluble in fat, not in water, so it is not lost in body fluids.

So, using butter with your carrots not only enhances the flavor, it helps your body absorb the nutrients provided by the carrots.

So here is my go-to carrot recipe. Even those who aren't huge vegetable fans eat these carrots. They are gooood!!

Ingredients:

3 Bags Baby Carrots

1/4 Cup Butter, room temperature

Juice from 1/2 Lemon

1-1/2 Tbsp Fresh, Dried Basil, crumbled

1 tsp Garlic Salt

1/4 tsp Black Pepper

Technique:

Place carrots in a saucepan and cover with water.

Place on stove on med-high heat. Cook approximately 15 minutes or until fork tender. Drain and return to pan. 

Add butter; stir til butter is melted and all carrots are coated.

Stir in remaining ingredients; mix thoroughly.

Serve warm.

These carrots are fancy enough to serve for any holiday dinner and are tasty enough to serve any night of the week.

Printable Recipe

For more great veggie recipes visit Recipe Page.

Will you eat more carrots knowing that it's actually healthy for you to have butter on them? To leave a comment Click Here.

Healthy Habits: Roasted Tomato Halves w/Basil & Mozzarella

I grew up on a buffalo ranch. Most of my uncles were farmers. While they grew a variety of crops, I always looked forward to the bushels of fresh, ripe, sweet tomatoes from Uncle Willis. As a kid, I would pick a perfect tomato from the basket and sit down outside and eat it like an apple. So sweet, so good!

I live in Phoenix now. Most of my "city friends" have never tasted tomatoes fresh from the vine, picked when ripe. The tomatoes we purchase in the stores are picked green so they can ripen in transit and not be rotten by the time they have been delivered, stocked, and let to sit for several days or a week, before they are purchased. Even then, they are quite often still green and hard when we purchase them. They are typically quite bland; not a lot of flavor.

The difference in the flavor of a tomato picked green (and set on the counter to ripen) and a tomato that ripens on the vine and is picked when red and juicy and ready to eat is, well, like two different fruits! (Yes, the tomato is a fruit.) Night and day. It's like taking a drink from a nice, cool glass of lemonade and finding it tastes like water. That's the reason you will find at least two tomato plants in our garden at any given time. 

Last week I got a case of tomatoes from Bountiful Baskets Produce Co-op. They were beautiful, large, ripe tomatoes. I get asked what in the world I'm gonna do with a case of tomatoes. (When I picked them up and saw the size of the case I wished I had ordered two).

Today I am sharing Roasted Tomato Halves with Basil & Mozzarella (otherwise known as Warm Caprese Salad). You might also like this recipe for Cold Caprese Salad. Both of these are a play on the traditional Caprese; a new twist on an old favorite is always well received. Check back early next week for Homemade Pasta Sauce with fresh roasted tomatoes as well as Homemade Stewed Tomatoes and Fresh Homemade Tomato Soup.

What you need:                                                    

Tomatoes - large round ones work best

Salt & Pepper

Fresh Basil Leaves

Mozzarella Cheese (slices or shredded

Technique:

With a paring knife, cut the core out of the top of the tomatoes.

Cut a very thin slice off the bottom, just enough that it sits flat.

Turn each tomato on it's side and cut in half.

Lay the two halves out with the cut side up on baking sheet.

Sprinkle with a little salt and pepper.

Put in a 400* (F) oven for approximately 20 minutes. (keep an eye on them, they may need a few minutes more or less depending on their size.

When tomatoes are warm, soft and bubbly, remove from oven.

Place fresh basil leaves on top of tomatoes, tearing them if needed to fit.

Lay a slice of mozzarella cheese on top of basil (or a small stack of shredded cheese).

Put the tomatoes back in the oven and turn it up to broil.

It will only take a couple of minutes for the cheese to get melty (is that a word?), bubbly and brown.

I bake a whole tray at one time and put some in the fridge for lunches.

Here's a picture of some I did with Feta cheese, just for fun. They tasted great, however, Feta does have a distinctly tangy flavor. When serving them to others, I am always safe using mozzarella.

This makes a great salad course when you are serving a multi-course meal. It also makes a great veggie dish along side roasted chicken or a steak.

If you like tomatoes as much as I do, or if you want to like tomatoes but just haven't really known what to do with them, check back for more tomato ideas.

Question: Have you had the opportunity to eat tomatoes fresh from the vine? Do you have a farmers market near you where you might purchase a tomato to taste the difference?

FUN Caprese Salad!

Okay, I've had enough of Christmas treats...I need something healthy!!
While I love to cook, I do have one criteria...it must be simple! I get impatient if a recipe is too lengthy or confusing.


Caprese Salad is always good, but this is a fun way to jazz it up a little. Anyone can make a fabulous Caprese Salad whether they consider themselves a great cook or not!


A fanned Tomato, Fresh Mozzarella, Fresh Basil, Olive Oil and S & P. So easy, so good! I originally saw this idea on The Party Dress. I'll include variations that we like as well.

What you need:

Tomatoes (one for each person)

Fresh Mozzarella Cheese

Fresh Basil Leaves

Olive Oil & Balsamic Vinegar

S & P

How to do it:

Set the Tomato on it's side and cut slices about 1/4 inch apart, being careful not to cut all the way through. You can use any type of Tomato and any size. Just to prove it, I used Roma Tomatoes here.

Cut thin slices of Fresh Mozzarella Cheese. Put a fresh Basil leaf and a slice of Mozzarella together and slide into the cuts. When using smaller tomatoes like Roma, I use smaller Basil leaves or break large ones in half. It is easiest to slide them in together.

Sprinkle on a little Sea Salt and top with a couple grinds of Fresh Black Pepper.

These can be prepared ahead of time. When serving, drizzle a little Olive Oil & Balsamic over them.

Variations: My family loved them with a little Olive Garden Salad Dressing Knock Off drizzled, instead of Olive Oil.

Warm Variation: We also enjoyed them warm (and a little melty). Stuff the cut tomato with cheese ONLY, and put in a 350* oven for about 10 minutes. Watch it closely and take out as the tomato gets warm and the cheese is melty (not sure that's a word, but it works for me). After removing from oven, stick the Fresh Basil Leaves in with the melty cheese. Drizzle a little Olive Oil & Balsamic or Olive Garden Dressing over it and serve.

NOTE: If you put the Fresh Basil in the oven it will get black and wilty and does not look (or taste) very good). Adding it after melting retains the Fresh Basil flavor.


Here's another variation of Warm Caprese Salad.

Super fast, super easy salad to serve with any meal. Enjoy!