15 Innovative Ways to Use Carrots This Fall – One Green Planet

While carrots can be grown all year round, they reach their peak harvest during the fall, which means that if you buy carrots from your local farmers market this autumn, you’ll be enjoying the best flavor that this humble root veggie has to offer. We all know that raw carrots make a great snack (especially when paired with creamy hummus), but they can also be roasted, braised, steamed, or baked into sweets like muffins, carrot cakes, and more. If you haven’t tried carrot hot dogs yet, for example, you’ll be amazed by how carrots can mimic the flavor and texture of a traditional hot dog.

If you have the opportunity to pick up local carrots, make sure to choose plump, firm vegetables without soft spots (you should not be able to bend good carrots). If your carrots still have their greens attached, check that they are bright, green, and fresh-looking. Those greens can be frozen to make broth from vegetable scraps or used in a pesto. Just be sure to cut the greens off your carrots as soon as you get home, in order to keep your carrots as moisturized as possible. Carrots should be stored in the vegetable drawer of your refrigerator, preferably in a container, where they will keep for several weeks.

Now that you know a little bit about how to pick the best carrots, we wanted to share some of the most innovative ways to use them. So, we searched through the Food Monster App and came back with these five amazing recipes:

1. Stretchy ‘Cheese’

Stretchy, gooey, dairy-free cheese … made with potatoes and carrots? While most melty, stretchy vegan cheese is made from cashews, this brilliant Stretchy “Cheese” makes the magic happen with just veggies — and it’s so easy to make! Simply steam the carrots and potatoes, then blend them together with nutritional yeast, spices, and oil. This simple cheese that goes great on sandwiches and pizza or that can be used as a dip!

2. Carrot Bacon

Are you ready for Carrot Bacon?! This recipe is deliciously smoky and so easy to make. Thinly sliced carrot strips are marinated in a blend of oil, garlic powder, and smoked paprika, then baked until wavy and slightly crisp. Eat this as a snack, add it to a plant-based BLT sandwich, or serve it with your favorite tofu scramble.

3. BBQ Pulled Carrot Rolls

Jackfruit isn’t the only plant-based way to mimic pulled pork — carrots can get the job done, too! Making these BBQ Pulled Carrot Rolls is super-easy and super hands-off, like these pulled carrot rolls. Shredded carrots are the perfect replacement for meat. Drenched in a tangy, sticky barbecue sauce, these pulled carrot rolls are a guaranteed hit.

4. Carrot Cashew Paté 

Who knew that you could use carrots to mimic the texture of paté? This Carrot Cashew Paté is simple, healthy, and bursting with flavor — plus, it’s oil-free! Simply blend raw carrots into fine pieces, then combine with raw cashews, tahini, fresh ginger, lemon juice, and cilantro. Yum!

5. Carrot Lox

Enjoy lox in a whole new way with this Carrot Lox. With a little bit of salt, vegetable broth, and liquid smoke, carrots are transformed into a flavorful, smoky filet. So slather a bagel up with some vegan cream cheese and top it with this vibrant lox, capers, and red onion for an awesome breakfast!

6. Spiced Carrot Fries

These Spiced Carrot Fries are a great, healthy option if you’re craving some fries but don’t want all the oil involved in deep-frying. The carrots are sliced up, lightly tossed in olive oil and a bold blend of garlic, cumin, paprika, and cayenne, and popped in the oven until they’re crispy.These are a great appetizer to serve at a party or you can put them out along side the meal of your choosing.

7. Skillet Roasted Chili Carrots

8. Carrot Fritters

In India, fritters and chai is a common evening snack during the rainy season. The aroma of chai and hot fritters out of the wok is mind blowing. These Skinny Carrot Fritters can satisfy your cravings while being healthy at the same time.

9. Sweet Potato, Carrot, and Ginger Soup 

10. Maple-Orange Carrots With Sunchoke Cream

Sweetly-glazed carrots and a heaping dollop of lentils sit atop a wilted bed of bok choy in this recipe for Maple-Orange Carrots. While the flavors of this dish are drastically different, they all meld together perfectly with the help of the rich sunchoke cream. This dish is a foodie’s dream.

11. Roasted Balsamic Carrot Hummus

As soon as you dipped your first pita chip into this unique Roasted Balsamic Carrot Hummus, you’ll be in love. It’s the perfect balance of those savory, rustic hummus flavors mixed with the slightly sweet, caramelized balsamic carrots. Serve with homemade pita chips, tortilla chips, or fresh vegetables.

12. Mediterranean Carrot Pesto Pasta

In this Carrot Pesto Pasta recipe, spiralized carrot noodles are topped with Mediterranean veggies, and then tossed in an herby pesto made of basil, mint, and spinach. With lots of cooling flavors, no cooking or baking required, and tons of color, this light dish packs a summery punch. You’re just 15 minutes away from a delicious dish!

13. Fennel Carrot Purée

This rich and creamy Fennel Carrot Purée is the perfect side for fall! Chopped carrots and fennel are blended together, along with creamy coconut milk, olive oil, and a bit of lemon.

14. Curry Spiced Carrots

These Curry Spiced Carrots are seasoned with a dry rub of paprika, cinnamon, curry powder, garlic, and dry parsley just before they go into the oven and then roasted until they begin to caramelize. They’re slightly crisp and sweet on the outside and tender with just the right amount of bite on the inside. These can be served as part of a larger platter of roasted vegetables and grains for a simple meal that’s flavorful and filling.

15. Lentil Carrot ‘Meatballs’

These Lentil Carrot Meatballs are an energizing and nourishing addition to any meal. Made with savory brown lentils, tender carrots, sweet potatoes, juicy cherry tomatoes, and walnuts, these meatballs are supremely satisfying. Serve them with a generous pour of tomato sauce and some pine nuts and parsley for garnish.

Looking for more carrot recipes? Check out vegan carrot recipes page. If you have a sweet tooth, then you will love all of the unique takes on carrot cake on out vegan carrot cake recipes page.

Learn How to Cook Plant-Based Meals at Home

Reducing your meat intake and incorporating more plant-based foods into your diet is known to Support various health benefits, including reducing chronic inflammation, improving heart health, enhancing mental well-being, achieving fitness goals, meeting nutritional needs, managing allergies, and promoting gut health, among others. Dairy consumption also has been linked to many health problems, including acne, hormonal imbalance, cancer,  prostate cancer, and has many side effects.

For those of you interested in eating more plant-based, we highly recommend grabbing our favorite plant-based cookbooks and downloading the Food Monster App — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest plant-based recipe resource to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals, and get healthy! And, while you are at it, we encourage you to also learn about the environmental and health benefits of a plant-based diet.

Here are some great resources to get you started:

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