With the Easter bunny having made its way through the entire world this past weekend, I’m sure he got a whole lot of yummy carrot goodness around the globe.  Native to Europe, this root vegetable has been domesticated into the greatly enlarged, more palatable & less woody-textured taproot we know everywhere today.  The wild carrot, however (like the one we will be growing later this season in our garden!) is naturally thinner and smaller – a great source of vitamin K and vitamin B6 nonetheless!  The FAO reported that world production of carrots & turnips for 2013 was 37.2 million tonnes (half of that were grown in China alone!).  They are widely used in many cuisines in a number of ways ranging from salads to the very delicious & much acclaimed carrot cake.

Earlier this month I made a surprisingly savory carrot gazpacho, and among my coming recipes that include this orange veggie are carrot cake and a unique carrot escabeche my aunt taught me how to make a while back ago.  But for now, I share with all of you the one way my girls will eat cooked carrots.  Mind you, they love raw carrot sticks, but for some reason anything with cooked carrots is shunned upon immediately!  Luckily, these sweet glazed carrots do the trick, and cooking them just enough to still keep their crunch is part of my secret to maintaining their nutritional value.

For the Carrots

• 4 large carrots, peeled and thinly sliced
• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 1 tablespoon of butter
• 1 teaspoon of salt
• 1/2 teaspoon of white pepper
• 2 tablespoons of brown sugar
• 1/2 cup of orange juice
• 1/2 cup of water

In a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat, add all the ingredients except the carrots and combine well until sugar is dissolved.  Add the carrots and simmer on medium-low heat until all the liquid has slowly evaporated and a sugary, buttery glaze remains to coat the carrots.  This should be enough cooking time to soften the carrots.  If you wish to add more liquid, the carrots might become too soggy and will eventually turn into mush when serving!  Plus, the more you steam or cook, the less vitamins remain in the food; so I would definitely recommend keeping them crunchy & nutritious!